|
Texas was formed in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1986 by Johnny McElhone, a veteran of the Scottish rock circuit who had been a part of two groups, Hipsway and Altered Images. Altered Images had considerable chart success in the U.S. and the U.K. in the mid-'80s, while Hipsway didn't become nearly so well known.
Texas is comprised of McElhone (bass), Eddie Campbell (keyboards), Ally McErlaine (guitar), Richard Hynd (drums), and Sharleen Spiteri (vocals and guitar). The group made their performing debut as a band in March 1988 at a local college in Glasgow. Texas took their name from the 1985 Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas for which Ry Cooder composed the soundtrack.
Their third album, Ricks Road (1993), solidified the band's U.S. following, though their debut album was Southside, a 1989 release. After they added keyboardist Eddie Campbell, the group scored their first U.K. hit single, "I Don't Want a Lover," which went into Great Britain's Top Ten. Southside peeked at number three in England and then went on to sell 1.6 million units worldwide. Although their debut's eclectic mix of blues, soul, R&B, and country-folk was well received by college radio stations, the band still hadn't made it over to the U.S. to tour. Their second album for Mercury, Mothers Heaven, followed with drummer Richard Hynd taking the place of the band's original drummer, Stuart Kerr.
The material on Ricks Road includes a cover of Al Green's "Tired of Being Alone," which landed in the U.K.'s Top 20 and restored a great deal of the band's credibility in their homeland, where they'd come on so strong with Southside and then followed it up with what many critics there thought was a mediocre sophomore release. Other highlights on Ricks Road include the vocal treatments of Sister Rose of Sly & the Family Stone. The group's influences are apparent on Ricks Road, and they include Spiteri's Janis Joplin-styled vocals, McErlaine's blues-based guitar playing, and Spiteri's country-styled vocals on "You Owe It All to Me." In 1999, Texas released Hush, whose first single, "In Our Lifetime," became a hit on American alternative radio. Hynd later left the group.
|
