Tom Bailey (Thompson Twins)

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Tom Bailey (born 18 January 1954, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England) was the leader of the British band, Thompson Twins.

[edit] Career

He grew up in a family associated with the medical profession,was educated at Chesterfield Grammar and despite training as a classical pianist, initially worked as a music teacher at Brook School, Sheffield. In his late teens and early twenties he travelled the world. He was shot at in the Khyber Pass and nearly died from illness in India.

Bailey formed the Thompson Twins in 1977 with Pete Dodd (guitars), John Roog (guitar), and Chris Bell (drums). The group eventually ended up as a trio with Bailey on vocals, guitar, bass, and keyboards, his girlfriend Alannah Currie (percussion, saxophone, and vocals), and Joe Leeway (percussion and vocals). The Thompson Twins became fixtures on MTV during the '80s as the videos for "Hold Me Now," "Lay Your Hands on Me," and "King for a Day" were played in heavy rotation. Thompson Twins released their final LP, Queer, in 1991. In 1994, Bailey and Currie formed the techno-oriented duo Babble.

Bailey currently produces the New Zealand band Stellar*, where in 1999 he won Record Producer of the Year for their debut album Mix, and is the figurehead for the dub project, International Observer.

He now resides in France with second wife, Lauren Drescher.