Floy Joy (band)
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1982 in Sheffield, England |
| Founder | Michael Ward, Shaun Ward |
| Headquarters | Sheffield , England |
Area served | United Kingdom, Australia |
| Products | Studio albums, singles |
Floy Joy was a British ensemble originating from Sheffield, England, known for producing two studio albums and achieving modest recognition with a handful of singles.
History
Established in Sheffield in 1982 by siblings Michael Ward (horn instruments) and Shaun Ward (keyboards, bass, guitar), Floy Joy initially featured Elana Harris as their lead singer. Their first single, "Answer Through Me," was launched in May 1983 under the Virgin label, with production handled by Andy Hernandez.
Following Harris's departure in 1983, the Ward brothers continued crafting new material. Unhappy with producers based in England, they pursued collaboration with American producer Don Was. After sharing their demo in New York, Was agreed to oversee production sessions in Detroit, where recording for Into the Hot took approximately nine weeks.
Upon completing the instrumental tracks, the Wards returned to the UK and enlisted vocalist Carroll Thompson through Virgin’s A&R department. Don Was recorded Thompson's vocal parts in London. The band also added percussionist and backing vocalist Desy Campbell after discovering his local performances.
Released by Virgin in September 1984, Into the Hot did not attain commercial success. The initial single "Burn Down a Rhythm" (July 1984) failed to enter the charts. Subsequent singles "Until You Come Back to Me" (October 1984) and "Operator" (January 1985) reached positions No. 91 and No. 86 on the UK Singles Chart, respectively.
In 1985, Thompson exited to focus on a solo career with Virgin, citing limited involvement in group decisions. Shaun Ward also left to pursue other ventures. Desy Campbell stepped up as lead vocalist, joined by multi-instrumentalist Rob Clarke.
The reformed lineup released "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" in January 1986, which peaked at No. 85 in the UK and No. 29 in Australia. The song gained further prominence when covered by Alison Moyet in 1987. Floy Joy’s second album, Weak in the Presence of Beauty, again produced by Don Was, did not achieve commercial success; its follow-up single "Friday Night in This Cold City" failed to chart. The group disbanded shortly thereafter.
In 1990, Campbell and Shaun Ward collaborated with Lloyd T. Richards to form Everyday People. Working alongside producer Stewart Levine, they released You Wash... I'll Dry, which included five singles such as "Headline News" and "I Guess It Doesn't Matter".
Members
1983
- Elana Harris – lead vocals
- Michael Ward – horn instruments
- Shaun Ward – keyboards, guitar
1984–85
- Carroll Thompson – lead vocals
- Michael Ward – horn instruments
- Shaun Ward – bass, keyboards, guitar
- Desy Campbell – percussion, backing vocals
1985–86
- Desy Campbell – lead vocals
- Michael Ward – horn instruments
- Rob Clarke – keyboards, bass
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | AUS | ||||
| 1984 | Into the Hot | 40 | ― | ||
| 1986 | Weak in the Presence of Beauty | ― | 100 | ||
| "—" indicates releases that did not chart or were not issued. | |||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Highest chart rankings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | ||||
| 1983 | "Answer Through Me" | ― | ― | ||
| 1984 | "Burn Down a Rhythm" | ― | ― | ||
| "Until You Come Back to Me" | 91 | ― | |||
| 1985 | "Operator" | 86 | — | ||
| 1986 | "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" | 85 | 29 | ||
| "Friday Night in This Cold City" | 151 | ― | |||
| "Penny in My Pocket" | ― | ― | |||
| "—" indicates singles that either did not enter the charts or were not officially released. | |||||