Here's one I hadn't heard of Ronnie's before, so here it is! “Once we’d filmed it, we’d ping it back and forth to Ronnie, who lives in Wales.”. "It reminded me of when I was a young musician and the A&R guy would want to bring a song down and I’d say ‘How dare you, that’s my art’. Having Ronnie Rogers on the tour made it even more poignant, as Carol and Ronnie hadn't done a full set together in over 10 years and also, they were both the co-founders of T'Pau, writing all of the songs - so having the two of them back on stage for this special celebration was obviously very well received! In time, they would fill venues like London’s Wembley Arena by themselves: the perfect platform to showcase Carol’s powerful voice. That one has really, really hurt.”. Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article. The band was earning a strong reputation as a live act and was soon on tour with Nik Kershaw. “It was a bit out on a limb from everything else too, but, picking a song on its merit, it was the obvious one to choose.” Radio stations in the States now struggled to categorize the group, who refused to slot neatly into segregated playlist policies. 4 in both the UK & US charts. But she and Ronnie had also split by then and the collection was essentially a solo project. They absolutely had to stop for lunch. Listen to The Virgin Anthology right now. They enjoyed their biggest hit 33 years ago when China In Your Hand became an international smash. In Groups: Aural ... Ron "Deputy" Rogers, Ron Rodgers, Ronnie Lee Rogers, Ronnie Rodgers, Ronnie Rogers, Ronny Rogers [a51632] Artist . Now we both feel in perfect health. Although T'Pau was a large band operation during their heyday in the late 80s and early 90s, only lead singer Carol Decker remains yet continues to tour under the pseudonym alongside long term collaborator Ronnie Rogers. Ron Rogers Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Ronald Bruce Rogers (born November 5, 1952, in the Soundview section of the South Bronx, New York) is a native New York songwriter, composer, Ze / Island Records recording artist and record producer. Taken from the debut album “Bridge Of Spies,” it’s innovative use of a rap verse by a white female vocalist introduced the world to the distinctive lead vocals of Carol Decker & the song writing talents of Carol & Ronnie Rogers. After the split, Carol admits she lost her way and it would be almost a decade before she released a new T’Pau album, Red. That meant she would be unable to make a living without her normal fees for performing. In 2015, freshly reunited professionally with Ronnie, T’Pau released Pleasure And Pain, which received a strong critical response and solid sales, sparking a ferocious touring schedule that the band maintains to this day. Ronald Phillip Rogers was born in Shrewsbury, England, in 1959. We had five arena shows lined up with the London Philharmonic. “It’s still a little poignant for me – even today – to discuss all the potential that was in front of us,” says Carol Decker, who fronted T’Pau with her boyfriend, Ronnie Rogers. Prior to de­cid­ing on this name, they were called Talk­ing Amer­ica on early demossent to record and pub­lish­ing com­pa­nies. While lead single (and fan favorite) “Whenever You Need Me” performed solidly and secured the act a final Top Of The Pops appearance in May 1991, sales of The Promise, which the band wanted to title A New Decade, were modest, and T’Pau was dumped by Siren during a UK tour. “We flew back to London to appear on it and were never told we weren’t going back to the States,” she says. “They would just listen to the cassettes and send them back with a standard letter. “It feels different now,” says Carol. Ron Rogers returned to T’pau & they embarked on the hugely successful #Tpau25live anniversary tour in 2013. Almost all of them have been postponed, not cancelled, so hopefully I’ll get to see my fans and I can earn a living again when it all comes back to me. Ini­tially a flop in the UK, it first be­came a hit in the US Bill­board Hot 100 chart, reach­ing No. The 4CD box set The Virgin Anthology can be bought here. The Lamb has worked with John David (Dave Edmunds, Status Quo), Terry Williams (Dire Straits, Man), Ronnie Rogers (T-Pau), Charlie Francis (Ultravox, REM), Nick Brine (Oasis, Stone Roses), and many memorable and beautiful musicians. Ronnie Rogers is an actor, known for T'Pau: China in Your Hand (1987), T'Pau: Secret Garden (1988) and T'Pau: Sex Talk (1988). In November 1987, when T’Pau… “T’Pau was a manufactured band in one sense,” says Carol. Despite this, the 11-song collection went platinum, and features in its entirety on Disc Three of The Virgin Anthology. The pair blocked the suggestion, which they now describe as a big mistake. The song would peak at No.4 and, on the back of being picked for a jeans commercial, finally made the same position back home in September 1987. T'Pau /təˈpaʊ/ are an English rock group formed in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, led by singer Carol Decker. There were, however, a few unexpected challenges when they made the video for Be Wonderful. If you’re not Beyonce with millions of followers it is hard. Available with an Apple Music subscription. “We didn’t know any better then and were very in awe of everything, so we just agreed. In 2007, marking the 20th anniversary of T'Pau's initial success, Ron Rogers and Carol Decker released the new single, "Just Dream", exclusively as an internet download. “Doing those shows with an orchestra are amazing. "The band has been going for more than 30. Speaking to uDiscover, Carol admits she was starting to get rattled by the relentless round of rejection. The first Thanksgiving was held in the autumn of 1621 in Plymouth, and it was a celebration of God’s bountiful blessing, which the Pilgrims shared with the Indians. "I’ve always had a great association with Shropshire, particularly Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth, which were both home, and we’ve played lots of gigs in the West Midlands, from Bilston to Birmingham. ‘Control’: How Self-Assertion Made Janet Jackson An Icon, Best Wes Montgomery Pieces: 20 Jazz Essentials, ‘Birth Of The Cool’: How Miles Davis Started A Jazz Revolution, Fania Records: How A New York Label Took Salsa To The World. Hearing China In Your Hands with real strings was emotional. ‎Named after a Vulcan character from the Star Trek TV series, the pop-anthem band T'Pau formed in 1986 around vocalist Carol Decker (b. September 10, 1957), guitarist Ronnie Rogers (b. She and fellow founding member Ronnie Rogers had worked with other members of T’Pau to write a few new songs just before lockdown. “I think it’s a much better album than Rage, but the bubble had burst,” adds Ronnie. It flopped on its first release in the UK, but in the US it started to receive radio play and began a hesitant ascent of the Billboard Hot 100. She formed the band T’Pau in 1986 with guitarist Ron Rogers. He is better known as Ron Rogers (also known as Ronnie Rogers). In 1998, Decker revived T'Pau with a new lineup and released the album Red. So I hope fans will like the new single.”. “I’m so impressed with my children. “Our manager came backstage and told me I was a very lucky girl,” recalls Carol. The absence of a record company means Carol and her bandmates have creative control over their output – but they don’t have the budget to spend on a big campaign. Happy Birthday, Ronnie Rogers. Anybody can make a film in their bedroom. “We need to find other ways to let people know it’s out. She sang a version of China In Your Hands – rewording it Wash Your Hands – and has kept fans updated about forthcoming concerts. The T’Pau guitarist and the group’s singer, Carol Decker still continue to tour together. Decker remembers trying to get initial interest even prior to forming T’Pau by sending demos to record companies. “I would actually pick ‘Only A Heartbeat’ from The Promise as my favourite T’Pau song ever.”. “I knew it would just cause a massive row.” Though she and Ronnie were the songwriters, and the compositions for the first two albums were completed before the band had been signed, the pair admits that a lot of time was spent managing the situation. They needed to stop for sandwiches every hour. It’s definitely being put that back. She said: “Three of my friends have suffered from the coronavirus. About T'Pau Named after a Vulcan character from the Star Trek TV series, the pop-anthem band T'Pau formed in 1986 around vocalist Carol Decker (b. September 10, 1957), guitarist Ronnie Rogers … And Carol, from Shrewsbury, revealed that the lockdown video had a personal edge because she believed she and her husband Richard, a chef, might have suffered a mild dose of Covid-19. It gave me the idea of writing her story within the wider Frankenstein tale. Taken from the debut album “Bridge Of Spies,” it’s innovative use of a rap verse by a white female vocalist introduced the world to the distinctive lead vocals of Carol Decker & the song writing talents of Carol & Ronnie Rogers. T'Pau member Ronnie Rogers was her boyfriend at the time, and they co-wrote the majority of the band's songs. We burst out laughing. “Our management was clear that we had to keep the ball rolling,” says Carol. “It was a bad call. Decker still performs under the name T'Pau at solo shows and 1980s nostalgiaconcerts, and in 2013 she reunited with original band member and co-songwriter Ron… Carol and Ronnie went back into studio to write record ‘Pleasure And Pain’, released in 2015 to 5-star reviews. Traversing the group’s career on Virgin Records, from their quadruple-platinum 1987 debut album, Bridge Of Spies, to 1991’s Top 10 outing, The Promise, it reveals a group working at the peak of their powers. “Ron and I had been together for five years writing by then,” says Carol. T'Pau is a British pop group led by singer Carol Decker (born September 10, 1957 in Huyton, Merseyside) and guitarist and songwriter Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Rogers (born … Carol’s daughter Scarlett had directed T’Pau’s 2018 single Run and was happy to take on her latest project with help from her younger brother Dylan. We had all of the symptoms except for the high temperature. “Scarlett is a big fan of the American make-up artist Jeffree Star and she bought me some of his cosmetics. You have to rely on your social media. Carol has kept in touch with her 50,000 Twitter followers most days, offering plenty of laughter along the way. The band formed in 1986 in Shrop­shire, tak­ing their name from a Vul­can elder of the same name in the sci-fi se­ries Star Trek. "We had to do a download video and my two kids have both done creative media courses at college so we asked them to make it.”. Marketplace 5,917 For Sale. Everything was too rushed.” Tensions were also mounting with the continued attention on Carol as the face of the band. This was in part why the band’s third set, The Promise, was recorded with each member playing a greater part, and a new producer was hired. It was a similar story elsewhere too, but the strength of the band’s songs cut through in Europe, where programmers had less influence on the charts. Carol added that she hoped people in the region would download the single in May and check out the video online. She and fellow founding member Ronnie Rogers had worked with other members of T’Pau to write a few new songs just before lockdown. “It was interesting working with the kids. The band still performs with Decker and original member Ronnie Rogers – her ex-boyfriend with whom she wrote many of their songs at the time. The Lamb is a guitarist, musician and producer from Cardiff, Wales, UK. Your email address will not be published. "But it was quite funny. “Fortunately, we got it wrapped up just in time. March 13, 1959), keyboard player Michael Chetwood (b. August 26, 1954), bassist Paul Jackson (b. August 8, 1961), an…. “We have 18 shows in Germany with orchestra, choir and full band, md’ed by the singer and musician John Miles. I did a few last year. Carol, who met Prince Charles and Princess Diana during the late 1980s when her band became the biggest in Britain, said she was proud of her two children. “We were treated like children by our management – we’d even left our stuff out there, expecting to return!” Ronnie doesn’t know why they weren’t involved in the decision, but believes it was just how new bands climbing up the ladder were treated back then. In November 1987, when T’Pau’s “China In Your Hand” became the 600th single to peak at No.1 in Britain, it seemed the band’s passport to world domination was stamped and little would stand in their way. Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Rage - T'Pau on AllMusic - 1988 That looks like it will be next year. We also had a bit of a comedy element to it because people are going stir crazy. Ronnie recalls that one of their US singles was pitched to Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones for a solo contribution. Reached #57 in 1987. Then, towards the end, it got even worse when we would get feedback with a multiple-choice table, and the responses ranged from ‘Not quite what we are looking for,’ to ‘Don’t give up your day job.’ I imagine those punky little A&R guys thought it was funny, but it really wasn’t.”, The band found a mentor in David Massey, who managed Wang Chung – a group that scored big hits with “Dance Hall Days” and “Everybody Have Fun Tonight.” He picked up on the hit potential of one of T’Pau’s songs, “Valentine,” and urged them to write more like that, but still declined to take them on himself. “Things started getting very difficult,” says Carol. Twenty-five years ago T'Pau, the band Decker formed with then boyfriend Ronnie Rogers, sprang into public consciousness after Heart And Soul was used in a Pepe Jeans advert in the US. This became the British band’s only Billboard Hot 100 hit and it … But, for some reason, the public didn’t take to subsequent songs as much, even though we felt as strongly about them.”. Carol said her band was able to operate in the digital world by sending files to each other via email. “I’ve had every single gig wiped out of my diary through to almost Christmas. “With each rejection, it was getting a bit much. 9 in the UK and remained on the charts for eight weeks. Sign up for Deezer for free and listen to T'pau: discography, top tracks and playlists. Ronnie Rogers, Actor: T'Pau: China in Your Hand. “He said I had just walked away from debts of £800,000. In fact, the classic 80s power ballad was to mark a commercial peak, and the group’s US career was already starting to unravel. They storyboarded the video before filming. UK 80s pop act T'Pau guitaris is Ron Rogers (2). It started OK, but tensions started to build with the others as time went on.”, Siren Records sent the newly formed six-piece stateside to a studio near Chicago to record their first album, Bridge Of Spies. But I have to keep away from social media when I have had a few glasses of wine. After a brief attempt at a solo career, 1997 saw Decker reform T'Pau with a new line-up. I need to work – as much as anything to put my kids through university so that they can make more films.”. On its release in October 1988, there was a discernible cooling of the band’s commercial fortunes, with lead single, “Secret Garden,” failing to break the UK Top 10. I knew following up Bridge Of Spies was going to be hard, but I am proud of Rage and, certainly initially, wasn’t particularly worried by it not doing as well. "Some of the things that I was particularly upset about was the 80s classical concert. We’ve definitely recovered from something.”. “I’m not an über-cool person and was always up for that stuff,” she says. Your email address will not be published. “The knock-backs from the labels were never constructive,” she says. “We were marketed as a pop band and so their approach was simply to milk everything until it all dried up. Decker still performs under the name T'Pau at solo shows and 1980s nostalgia concerts, and in 2013 she reunited with original bandmember and co-songwriter Ronnie Rogers for a 25th anniversary UK tour. Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for The Virgin Anthology - T'Pau on AllMusic - 2017 I was 26 and my dad was suggesting I try the cruise ships. “But when we were making The Promise, we didn’t realize how much had changed,” says Carol. “We put the band together around us,” says Carol. It’s part of the fabric of the 80s and you have to respect that.”. Biography T'Pau is a British band formed by Carol Decker and Ronnie Rogers, that scored a top 10 hit in both UK and US with "Heart and soul".The band released 3 albums before disbanding in 1991. They get really sniffy when we suggested something. 4 in both the UK & US charts. ‎Named after a Vulcan character from the Star Trek TV series, the pop-anthem band T'Pau formed in 1986 around vocalist Carol Decker (b. September 10, 1957), guitarist Ronnie Rogers (b. Carol Decker and Ronnie Rogers of T’Pau talk about career highs, overlooked songs, and the eclecticism at the heart of the band. “I was beside myself with joy when we flew out,” recalls Carol. “I love that side of it but I miss having record company money for promotion. I sometimes get frustrated that people focus so much on ‘China In Your Hand’ but it’s great to be remembered in such a fickle business. “There always seemed to be someone who gave us enough support and encouragement to keep going,” he says today. It reached No. T’pau burst onto the music scene in 1987 with the hit “Heart & Soul” reaching No. Available with an Apple Music subscription. Photograph: Redferns. “It was horrible as we were tied into touring a dying album with everyone hating each other.” Ronnie believes if the band members had been better friends they might have been able to secure a new deal, but the fractures in the working structure proved too severe to fix. “I called that The Walkman Tour as members of the band had stopped talking to each other by then,” she continues. “The kids think me and Ronnie are a pair of old boomers who don’t know what we’re talking about. The technology we had access to was incredible. As Carol admits, if being an eclectic songwriter is a sin, then she and Ronnie are guilty as charged. “China In Your Hand” was the band’s second single. Complemented by a disc of remixes, rarities and demos, it’s a body of work that’s hard to characterize, but proves that legacies are harder to shatter than fragile chart careers. “By then, I felt so assured and assumed that people got us and we were going to be able to do what we thought was right. ! T’pau burst onto the music scene in 1987 with the hit “Heart & Soul” reaching No. "Valentine" is a song by British band T'Pau, released in 1988 as the fifth single from their debut studio album Bridge of Spies. "Although I’ve had a blessed 30-year run, I’m in T’Pau not the Rolling Stones, so I don’t have a private island and I can’t just kick back. Decker met Rogers in the gigging circuit in 1981. Scarlett is doing animation production at university in Bournemouth so she created a shooting schedule before we started. "Then Richard and I felt really unwell for about a week. They had a string of Top 40 hits in the UK during the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably "China in Your Hand", "Heart and Soul" and "Valentine", and several hits in Europe, before disbanding in 1992. Edit Artist ; Share. “You have to roll with the punches, and the big budgets are gone, but I mix those large retro shows with smaller sets and acoustic tours. Ron Rogers was born on March 13, 1959 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England as Ronald Phillip Rogers. Guitarist Dean Howard has toured and recorded with Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan. I’m a bit long in the tooth for crazy make-up but I wanted to show my appreciation so I wore it; I was a bit worried I might look like I was in the circus. “He was right about ‘Valentine’. Dean Howard, Carol Decker and Ronnie Rogers on stage at the Montreux rock festival, 1988. March 13, 1959), keyboard player Michael Chetwood (b. August 26, 1954), bassist Paul Jackson (b. August 8, 1961), an…. November 26, 2020 / Ronnie W Rogers Thanksgiving, quite contrary to political correctness and revisionist historians, began as an act of faith and worship by the Pilgrims. “Because of lockdown, we had to film at home using whatever props we could. Now you can create a record in your own bedroom, but it just wasn’t like that back then.”, The investment paid off with the 10-song set, which was given a deluxe edition reissue in 2015, proving to be a multi-platinum smash and containing the song Carol is most proud of: “Heart And Soul,” which was picked as T’Pau’s first single. “But playing the shows isn’t just about having fun. Feature writer and food critic Andy Richardson interviews celebrities, writes columns and hangs out with chefs for stories that appear across all group titles. Their first hit was the 1987 re­lease "Heart and Soul". As the The Virgin Anthology attests, however, Decker and Rogers’ assurance was well-founded. All the press was slanted towards a Smash Hits audience and, with hindsight, that didn’t help. Sites: Wikipedia, repertoire.bmi.com. The band’s first appearance on the classic BBC TV show Top Of The Pops would, Carol believes, lead to stateside promoters turning away from the group. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "Those have been pulled and the arenas are hard to book in advance so we don’t know if they’ll go ahead. "The creative side is wonderful but the promotion is harder.”. “We built it around ourselves, with the right intentions, but we’d do it very differently today.”. “I put things up things that make me laugh on Twitter. “We appeared in the serious music press at first, but then they started to get increasingly snooty about T’Pau.”. The Virgin Anthology showcases every T’Pau single, plus the expanded Rage and The Promise albums. Required fields are marked *. "The money comes in with the big campaign and that I find frustrating. ‘Key To The Highway’: Unlocking Bill Broonzy’s Classic Blues Song, Al Kooper: Rock’n’Roll’s Unlikely Session Star, ‘Wonderful Crazy Night’: The Magic Of Elton John In Full Creative Flow, Celeste’s ‘Not Your Muse’ Debuts At No.1 In The UK, Rare Amy Winehouse Live Tracks Released Today, Celeste Reimagines ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ For Superbowl Ad, Bobby Sessions Partners With Megan Thee Stallion For ‘I’m A King’, Motown To Relaunch Black Forum Label, Reissue Historic Spoken Word Albums. When we offered a critique they really had their noses out of joint. “‘Heart And Soul’ did sound different to a lot of our material and its famous bass riff came from us playing about on this sequencer keyboard, which we had bought with a loan from my dad.”. I did London Coliseum last autumn and Leeds Millennium Square with a 75-piece orchestra. But pressure to keep the momentum building forced the band back into the studio to complete the work for their second album, Rage. Carol Decker and Ronnie Rogers of T’Pau talk about career highs, overlooked songs, and the eclecticism at the heart of the band. "You don’t earn any money from the records, you have to go on the road to earn a living. Now former Midlands rock band T’Pau are going it alone by releasing music without the help of a record company. “We came from bands and embraced that culture, but we were signed as a duo to the label. “We had this great producer, Roy Thomas Baker, who had worked with Queen and The Cars, and was used to working on a huge scale. I just looked at him and asked if we had been dropped… He replied: ‘Well, that’s one way of looking at it’. “Valentine,” the band’s third hit single, finally lived up to its potential by making the UK No.9. I was filled with abject horror at that idea, so was starting to panic.”, A band was swiftly pulled together for the set, which ended with Carol and Ronnie being signed on the spot.