The Escape Club
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1983 in London, United Kingdom |
| Founder | Trevor Steel, John Holliday, Johnnie Christo, Milan Zekavica |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
The Escape Club is a British pop rock group that originated in London in 1983. They gained widespread recognition for their 1988 US chart-topping single "Wild, Wild West" and their 1991 top-ten hit "I'll Be There".
History
The band was established by former Mad Shadows members, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Trevor Steel along with guitarist John Holliday, joined by ex-Expressos bassist Johnnie Christo and drummer Milan Zekavica. Their debut single "Breathing" was released shortly after their formation.[1]
In 1985, The Escape Club secured a contract with EMI, leading to the release of their debut album White Fields in 1986. The following year, they transitioned to Atlantic Records and produced the album Wild Wild West, which came out in the summer of 1988. The album's title track "Wild, Wild West" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and enjoyed significant MTV exposure, although British television banned it due to its provocative content.[2]
Other singles from this album included "Shake for the Sheik", which peaked at No. 28 in the US, and "Walking Through Walls", reaching No. 81 on the US charts. Their rendition of The Doors' "20th Century Fox", produced by Ray Manzarek, appeared on the compilation The Wonder Years: Music From the Emmy Award-Winning Show & Its Era and received airplay on MTV.
Their third studio effort, Dollars and Sex, was recorded in 1990 and released in March 1991. While its lead single "Call It Poison" failed to break into the US Top 40, the follow-up "I'll Be There"—a track inspired by personal grief—climbed to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and achieved gold status. The group disbanded in 1992. It is noteworthy that The Escape Club remains the only British band to have a US No. 1 hit without charting in their home country.[citation needed]
In 2005, they independently released their fourth album titled Cloud 10. Later, Trevor Steel and John Holliday reunited with new member Red Broad in 2009, culminating in the release of their fifth studio album Celebrity in February 2012.
Original bassist Johnnie Christo rejoined the lineup for a full-band appearance during the U.S. Lost 80's Live tour in 2019.
Drummer Red Broad passed away on 16 January 2024 and was laid to rest in the Netherlands.[3] Bassist Johnnie Christo died on 9 July 2024 following a six-year fight against cancer.[4]
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | ||||||||
| 1986 | White Fields
|
— | — | ||||||
| 1988 | Wild Wild West
|
27 | 42 |
| |||||
| 1991 | Dollars and Sex
|
145 | — | ||||||
| 2005 | Cloud 10
|
— | — | ||||||
| 2012 | Celebrity
|
— | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Singles Chart Performance
| Year | Single | Highest Chart Positions | Certifications (Sales Threshold) |
Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | US Alternative | US Dance | Australia | New Zealand | |||||
| 1988 | "Wild, Wild West" | 1 | 3 | 36 | 6 | 12 |
|
Wild Wild West | |
| "Shake for the Sheik" | 28 | — | — | 114 | 46 | ||||
| 1989 | "Walking Through Walls" | 81 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1991 | "Call It Poison" | 44 | — | — | 82 | — | Dollars & Sex | ||
| "I'll Be There" | 8 | — | — | 43 | 42 | ||||
| "So Fashionable" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" indicates singles that did not enter the charts | |||||||||