Everything But The Girl | Artist
Everything but the Girl are an English indie-pop duo formed 1982 in Kinston upon Hull by lead singer, songwriter, composer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn, and guitarist, keyboardist, producer and singer Ben Watt. The group's early works have been categorised as sophisti-pop with jazz influences, before turning slightly more electronic following the worldwide success of the 1994 hit single "Missing". Thorn and Watt met when they were both attending the University of Hull and both already had contracts with independent record company Cherry Red, as solo artists. Thorn was also a member of the female trio Marine Girls. The pair each had solo album releases through Cherry Red before issuing EBTG's debut single "Night and Day" in June 1982. Their debut album, Eden was released in the UK in 1984 on the Warner imprint Blanco y Negro. It spent 20 weeks on the UK Albums Chart and featured the single "Each and Every One" which also reached No. 28 on the UK top 40. The 1985 album Love Not Money, their follow up album, signalled a move away from jazz and Latin influences to a more traditional electric guitar, bass and drums arrangement. After a string of good but not great studio albums, EBTG hit their creative peak with a trio of albums over the period 1994-99, namely: Amplified Heart (1994), Walking Wounded (1996) and Temperamental (1999). The duo's sound had matured into a sophisticated hybrid of folk rock and electronica and Amplified Heart featured contributions from UK folk royalty, guitarist Richard Thompson, double bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Dave Mattacks. The track "Missing" was released as a single and became an international success, reaching the top ten around the world, peaking at No. 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100. Also at this time Thorn and Watt wrote lyrics and music for the tracks "Protection" and "Better Things" on Massive Attack's second album Protection. Thorn also contributed lead vocals on both tracks. The band went inactive in 2000, with Thorn declaring she would no longer perform live. Both released solo albums and said it was unlikely the band would be active again. However a new album Fuse, their first new material in 24 years, was released in April 2023. In the summer of 1992, the duo was forced to halt recording and touring for several months when Watt developed Churg-Strauss syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease. Hospitalised for 10 weeks, and enduring several life-saving operations, he subsequently wrote a memoir, "Patient" about his near-death ordeal. Thorn and Watt, who did not publicise their romantic relationship while active, married in 2009 and remain together.
Artist Website: ebtg.com
Featured Albums: Everything But The Girl
Related Artists: EBTG, Tracey Thorn, Ben Watt, Marine Girls, Massive Attack
