The Belle Stars

The Belle Stars

Company type	Music group
Industry	Music
Founded	1980
Headquarters	London , United Kingdom
Products	Music recordings, singles, albums

The Belle Stars emerged as a British pop and rock ensemble in 1980, gaining prominence with their 1983 chart-topping single "Sign of the Times" and their 1982 rendition of "Iko Iko", which experienced a resurgence in popularity in 1988 through its inclusion on the Rain Man soundtrack.

Career

After the dissolution of the two-tone group The Bodysnatchers in 1980, guitarists Stella Barker and Sarah-Jane Owen joined forces with saxophonist Miranda Joyce, keyboardist Penny Leyton, and drummer Judy Parsons to establish a new band. They later added bassist Lesley Shone and lead singer Jennie Matthias to complete the lineup. Their inaugural live show took place on Christmas Day, 1980.

Rapidly gaining momentum within London's music scene, the band graced the cover of Sounds magazine early in 1981 and secured a contract with Stiff Records, a label enjoying success through artists such as Madness. Their first single, "Hiawatha," produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley—known for their work with Madness—was released in spring 1981 but did not enter the charts despite supporting tours alongside ska groups The Beat and Madness. Additionally, they served as an opening act for The Clash during European tour dates.

Their follow-up single, "Slick Trick," also failed to chart. Keyboardist Penny Leyton departed and was succeeded by Clare Hirst. The third single, "Another Latin Love Song," similarly did not achieve chart success. Shifting focus to cover songs, they attained their first UK Singles Chart placement with "Iko Iko", which reached number 35 in June 1982 despite competition from a more commercially successful version by Natasha England. This was succeeded by the top 20 hit "The Clapping Song" along with other covers such as "Mockingbird."

In January 1983, the band released their hallmark track "Sign of the Times," which climbed to number three on UK charts and found success across Europe. The accompanying music video received significant airplay on MTV in the United States. Produced by Peter Collins for Loose Ends Productions and managed by Pete Waterman prior to his Stock/Aitken/Waterman acclaim, this single ranked as the 30th highest-selling UK single of 1983.

Their self-titled debut album followed shortly after, reaching number 15 on the UK Albums Chart. It featured a mix of original compositions alongside covers including Bob and Earl's "Harlem Shuffle" and Al Wilson's "The Snake."

Later singles saw a decline in commercial impact: "Sweet Memory" peaked at number 22; "Indian Summer" reached number 52; "The Entertainer" failed to chart; and "80's Romance" briefly appeared at number 71 in 1984. Despite ongoing tours throughout Europe, lineup changes reduced the group to Owen, Joyce, and Shone, with Owen assuming lead vocal duties.

By 1984, Stiff Records had merged into Island Records, which was subsequently acquired by ZTT in 1985. Under producer Trevor Horn, the trio recorded an album in New York with 4th & Broadway, yet only released one single, "World Domination." While it did not chart in Britain, it achieved number two on the US Billboard Hot Dance/Disco chart. The band dissolved soon thereafter.

In 1989, their version of "Iko Iko" re-entered the US market, reaching number 14 on the Billboard Top 100 following its feature on the Rain Man soundtrack. Jennie Matthias toured across America promoting this renewed success.

After The Belle Stars disbanded, Penny Leyton joined ska outfit The Deltones, releasing an album in 1989. Jennie Matthias collaborated with Skaville UK and later formed The Dance Brigade alongside Lee Thompson from Madness around 2008. She subsequently led her own band until its dissolution in 2013 and appeared at Let's Rock festival in 2019.

In September 2019, Edsel Records issued Turn Back the Clock, a box set containing four previously unreleased Belle Stars tracks recorded during Anne Dudley sessions as well as a live concert from 1983.

Personnel

• Jennie Matthias: lead vocals (1981–1984)
• Sarah Jane Owen: lead guitar, vocals
• Stella Barker: rhythm guitar, percussion, vocals (1981–1984)
• Lesley Shone: bass guitar, vocals
• Judy Parsons: drums and percussion (1981–1984)
• Miranda Joyce: alto saxophone, percussion, vocals
• Penny Leyton: keyboards and piano (1981–1982)
• Clare Hirst: tenor saxophone, keyboards, piano, vocals (1982–1984)

Albums

Year	Album Title	Release Information	Highest Chart Positions
			UK	AUS	CAN	NL	NOR	NZ	SWE	US
1983	The Belle Stars	Released: January 1983 Label: Stiff	15	76	96	25	15	27	28	191
1994	The Very Best	Released: 1994 Label: Stiff	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2004	Belle-Issima! Sweet Memories...	Released: 24 May 2004 Label: Edsel	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2010	80's Romance: The Complete Belle Stars	Released: 25 October 2010 Label: Salvo	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2019	Turn Back the Clock	Released: 20 September 2019 Label: Edsel Box set including DVD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Singles and EPs

Year	Title	Peak Chart Rankings
		UK	AUS	CAN	GER	IRE	NL	NZ	SA	US	US Dance
1981	"Hiawatha"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Slick Trick"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
35
"11"	"4"	"—"	"64"	"19"	"—"	"32"	"2"	"—"	"—"
"51"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"
"3"	"45"	"—"	"—"	"2"	"6"	"21"	"—"	"75"	"43"
"22"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"30"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"
"52"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"
"95"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"
"71"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"
"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	-
'98'	'7'	'42'	'30'	'—'	'—'	'—'	'—'	'14'	'7'

|- colspan="12" style="font-size:9pt"| "—" indicates singles or EPs that did not enter charts or were not released in that territory. }

References

• Webb, Joey (2004). Belle Issima! Sweet Memories. Edsel
• Belle Stars (1983–1986). BS Bandits – official fanzines of the Belle Stars
• Michaels, Randolph (2005). Flashbacks to Happiness: Eighties Music Revisited. iUniverse Publishing

External links

• Official Belle Stars fan website