Tina Charles (singer)

Tina Charles
Birth name Tina Hoskins
Born (1954-03-10) 10 March 1954
Whitechapel, London, England
Genres Pop music, disco
Occupation(s) Singer
Years active 1969–present
Labels CBS Records, PMG Music
Associated acts 5000 Volts

Tina Charles (born 10 March 1954)[1] is an English singer who achieved success as a disco artist in the mid to late 1970s. Her most successful single was the no. 1 hit "I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance)" in 1976.[2]

Early life

Born Tina Hoskins in Whitechapel, London, to actor Charles Hoskins and his wife Hilda, she recovered from meningitis as a newborn.[3] She has a brother, Warren, who was her tour manager for a time during the height of her career.

On launching her music career, she did not use her real name, Hoskins, since this might have caused confusion with Mary Hopkin, better known at the time. She chose "Charles", as it was her father's name.

Career

Charles began her career as a backing singer and session musician, and recorded her first solo single in 1969 with a then-unknown Elton John playing piano. During the early 1970s she supplied vocals for the Top of the Pops album series of cover versions of contemporary hits.[4] In 1971 she made appearances in the first series of The Two Ronnies, the BBC1 sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett,[3] including the premiere episode.[5] Performing songs such as River Deep, Mountain High and Ruby Tuesday.

In 1975 Charles and her friend Linda Lewis were backing vocalists on the Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel chart topping song, "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)". She provided the lead vocals for 5000 Volts' 1975 disco hit single "I'm on Fire". Although not publicly acknowledged as a group member at the time due to contractual problems, Charles was considered to have a stronger voice than the group's later official lead singers. The song reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart, and 26 in the Billboard Hot 100.

Charles' big break came soon after in 1975, when Indian-British composer/producer Biddu, who had just enjoyed massive success worldwide with the disco hit "Kung Fu Fighting" for Carl Douglas, produced the singles "You Set My Heart on Fire" and "I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance)" for her. The latter single spent three weeks at number one on the UK chart in March 1976, and was a major hit around the world. Biddu's collaboration continued on a future album and another song hit: "Dance Little Lady Dance". In total, Charles spent 42 weeks on the UK Singles Chart in 1976 alone, mainly due to these two records.[6] During this time, her touring band included Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, who would later go on to find success as the Buggles, then as members of Yes, and later as a top record producer (Horn) and founding member of Asia (Downes).

Further hits like "Love Me Like a Lover", "Dr Love", "Rendezvous" and "Love Bug" made her a pop star in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, but she was never able to achieve success in the US. Her only solo recording to chart significantly in the US was "You Set My Heart on Fire," which reached number 3 on Record World's 'Disco File Top 20' chart in the autumn of 1975.[7]

In 1978, Charles was a joint winner at the World Popular Song Festival held in Tokyo, performing the tune, "Love Rocks". Charles represented the UK, and shared the top prize with Japan's own entry.[8]

By 1980 her career was in decline, and disco music generally was losing some of its public appeal. She attempted to change her disco style for her 1980 album Just One Smile for a more hard edge rock electronic style but the album was virtually ignored. Charles married and had a child, and devoted herself for some years to her family life, putting her singing career on hold. In the mid-1980s she had a resurgence with a remix of "I Love to Love" which was produced by Sanny X.

Since 2000, Charles has performed throughout Europe where disco music and her hit singles have been reappraised, and she has become a popular live performer. Charles featured in the Top 5 of the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart with "Higher" in 2006. The song was produced by longtime friend and associate Sanny X. She made a guest appearance with The Producers at their 2007 concert, singing "Slave to the Rhythm". In October 2007, Charles recorded "Hide and Seek" with producer Ian Levine for the album Disco 2008. Her latest album, Listen 2 the Music was released in March 2008.

In 2010, Charles was signed by the British writer and producer Carl M Cox to his PMG Music production and record label. Other notable acts that have been signed by Cox's label are Sinitta and Amanda Lear. Charles' first single with PMG, "Your Love Is My Light", was released physically on 7 November 2011 and digitally on 14 November 2011. The track was both co-written and produced by former PWL record producers Dave Ford and Ian Curnow, plus Carl M Cox.[9][10] The single was remixed by Pete Hammond. Hammond, like the aforementioned Ford and Curnow, was another of the studio engineers and producers at PWL.

It has also been announced that Charles is set to embark on a live tour with 5000 Volts, the band with which she experienced her first hit record.[9]

Personal life

Charles was married to Bernard Webb and had a son Max, born in London in 1977. She was divorced in 1979. She remarried in 1993 to her second husband, Tetoo. They lived in Surrey, England.[3] In 2014 she married David Fancourt from Caterham.

Discography

Singles

Albums

References

  1. ↑ "Tina Charles". IMDb.com. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  2. ↑ "About". Tina Charles official site. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 "Boxing Day December 26, 1976". John's Journey Back in Time. BBC. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  4. ↑ "Top of the Pops: Best of 1976 – Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  5. ↑ Corbett, Ronnie; Nobbs, David (2006). And It's Goodnight From Him...:The Autobiography of the Two Ronnies. Michael Joseph. p. 92.
  6. ↑ Amy Hanson. "Tina Charles | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  7. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Joel Whitburn's Hot Dance/Disco 1974–2003. Menomonee Falls, Wisc.: Billboard/Record Research. p. 55. ISBN 0-89820-156-X.
  8. 1 2 Archived 14 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Mike (3 May 2011). "Pop Trash Addicts: The return of Tina Charles!". Poptrashaddicts.blogspot.com. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  10. ↑ "All Comes Back To You - Tina Charles.flv". YouTube. 25 February 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  11. ↑ "Tina Charles – Your Love Is My Light (Sample)". YouTube. 27 April 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

External links

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