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ANDREW LENAHAN'S
HEART OF THE SUN
A RED BOX TRIBUTE WEBSITE
RED BOX BIOGRAPHY
...WITH...
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

by Andrew Lenahan

The longest road is the one that leads where you truly belong.

So it is with Simon Toulson-Clarke, the charismatic frontman of UK world-pop group Red Box.  From the beginning, Red Box's sound has been absolutely unique, characterised by phonetic vocals (often intended to sound like Native American chants) and infectious world-beat grooves.  Although certain parallels can be drawn, no other group has done anything on the same scale, before or sense.  With the rather regrettable state of the modern music industry, one wonders if it could ever be again.

 

Let's begin at the beginning, shall we?  Although little is known of the early history of the band, their first known release was the single Chenko, released on the independent Cherry Red record label.  At the time, the band was a quintet consisting of Simon Toulson-Clarke on vocals and guitar, Julian Close on saxophone, Martin Nickson on drums, Rob Legge on bass, and Paddy Talbot on keyboards.  They were signed onto Cherry Red by A&R man John Hollingsworth, and the single was produced by Phill Brown, who in the prior two decades had worked with artists such as Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, and The Rolling Stones.

Chenko single, 1983

It was described as a minor hit, and caught the attention of Warner Brothers.

[article in progress... more to come!]

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Key: The numbers refer to what "version" of the band the individual was involved in...
I - Original lineup on the Cherry Red Chenko single.
II - Pop superstar years: Circle And The Square, related singles, and Enjoy.
III - Progression and redefinition: Motive album and Train single.
IV - Experimental and freeform: SPA album.

Simon Toulson-Clarke
I, II, III, IV - Vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, only remaining original member
[ 1992 ] Co-wrote half the songs on Miguel Bosè's album Bajo El Signo De Cain (English title Under The Sign Of Cain).  The album and related singles are very good and well worth seeking out.
[ 1994 ] Co-produced Billy Rain's album Salad Days.
[ 1995 ] Credited with production assistance on the Vulgar Boatmen's album Opposite Sex.
[ 1997 ]  With fellow member Alistair Gavin and Andrew MacKay, produced the original version of "Heaven On Earth" for the Indian female duo Spellbound.
[ 2003 ]  Working on a new album, entitled "Plenty", to be released under his own name.

Julian Close
I, II - Programming, sax, flute, co-songwriter
[ NOTE ]  There is also an opera bass singer named Julian Close who is an entirely different person.  So diehard Red Box fans should refrain from camping out for weeks at the ticket office when they hear Julian Close is coming to town.  At the very least, refrain from shouting at the stage "Play Chenko (Tenka-Io)!" while the poor chap is belting his way through Götterdammerung.   He won't play it, and the security people frown upon it.  Yes, I found this out the hard way.
[ 1998 ]  Working in A & R for EMI in the UK.
[ 2002 ] Has his own record label, Silent Records (not the one in Detroit)
[ 2003 ] Discovers Blondie-esque East Sussex guitar-pop artist Maria Willson.  First single entitled "Chooza Looza"... album forthcoming.  Read her official bio for more information.
[ LINK ] Julian's label, Silent Records

Alastair Gavin
III, IV - Musician on Motive and SPA
[ 1995 ] Played keyboards for two albums with The Quiet Boys.
[ 1996 ] Composed original music for Go Now, a film about multiple sclerosis.
[ 1997 ]  With Simon Toulson-Clarke and Andrew MacKay, produced the original version of "Heaven On Earth" for the Indian female duo Spellbound.
[ 2002 ] Credited with orchestral arrangements and conducting on S-Club's album Don't Stop Movin', produced by Trevor Horn's good buddy Steve Lipson!

David Motion
II,III - Producer, keyboardist, co-songwriter
[ 1992 ] Composed acclaimed music for highbrow costume picture Orlando, based on the classic gender-bender novel by Virginia Woolf.  The film features the eternally graceful late Quentin Crisp as Queen Elizabeth I (!).  Bronski Beat alumnus Jimmy Somerville (who also sings on the soundtrack) makes an appearance as "Angel"--he also played "Angel" in Looking For Langston, and was the angel who kept Ron Mael from sneaking into heaven on a ferris wheel in Sparks' video "The Number One Song In Heaven".  Bit of music/movie trivia for you lot... whip that one out at a cocktail party someday.
[ 2001 ] From the 1990s onward, David has been active in creating music for commercial advertisements.
[ 2002 ] Provided keyboards, guitar, and bass for didgeridoo artist (!) Dr. Didg for the album Dust Devils.  I am not just making this up.
[ LINK ] Read a short bio of David or listen to some of his tracks
[ LINK ] Buy David's current CD

Martin Nickson
I - Drummer, original Chenko single
[ 1984 ] Left the group entirely before The Circle And The Square.  Current whereabouts unknown.

Rob Legge
I - Bassist, original Chenko single
[ 1984 ] Left the group entirely before The Circle And The Square.
[ 2003 ] Keeps busy as a ski instructor, Qi Gong teacher, and web designer/computer consultant.
[ LINK ] Rob Legge's personal site, with pictures.

Paddy Talbot
I, II - Keyboards, backing vocals
[ 1985 ] Started as Red Box's keyboardist for the original recording of Chenko on Cherry Red.  Stayed on to be in the "Box Vox" (backing vocals) on The Circle And The Square.  Also credited with the keyboard arrangement from Billy's Line.  Current whereabouts unknown.


Jon Kelly
III - Producer on Motive
Achieved stratospheric success throughout the 1990s by producing just about everything from The Beautiful South, another excellent band by the way.  After the Beautiful South went South, continued on to produce Beautiful South vocalist/songwriter Paul Heaton's solo album Fat Chance, released originally as "Biscuit Boy AKA Crackerman" and then re-released in 2002 under Heaton's own real name.  Most recent production seems to be as executive producer of Heaton's wonderful 2002 single "The Perfect Couple".  Jon Kelly is represented by Stephen Budd Management in the UK.
[ LINK ] Download Jon Kelly's official resume.

Bill Hicks 
IV - American comedian, muse for SPA
Bill Hicks died on February 26th, 1994 and remains dead to this day.

NOTE
This article is the result of extensive online and offline research by Andrew Lenahan.  It is, to the best of our knowledge, as correct and complete as possible given the information available.  However, in most cases the individuals listed above have not reviewed their own listing or verified its authenticity.  As a result, this information should be taken in a lighthearted vein and not considered any form of resume or endorsement.

If anyone has any additions, corrections, or further information, please contact us.