Billy Idol

Part of the British punk explosion with Generation X, singer Billy Idol became a surprise commercial success in America afterwards. Born William Broad in Middlesex, England, Idol lived in New York as a child when his parents moved there. After returning to England he completed high school and dropped out of the University of Sussex, becoming part of the "Bromley contingent"-a group of diehard fans who followed Sex Pistols gigs. Taking his stage name from a teacher who called him an idler, he briefly joined Chelsea as a guitarist and then cofounded Generation X with ex-Chelsea bassist Tony James. Flashy and hedonistic, the band specialized in shout-along anthems including "Wild Youth," "Ready Steady Go" and the Who comeback "Your Generation," all of which were UK hits. The band also got to work with one of its heroes, Ian Hunter who produced their more thoughtful second album Valley of the Dolls. The band shortened its name to Gen X before imploding in 1981. Idol then moved to New York and teamed with former Kiss manager Bill Aucoin. His solo debut was "Dancing With Myself," a remix of a Gen X single. Thanks to frequent club play it became one of the iconic dance-punk crossovers, though it was never technically a hit single. Not the case with his cover of Tommy James' "Mony Mony," which became a dance-club hit and later hit Number One on the Billboard singles chart when re-released in a live version. Idol was now working with hotshot guitarist Steve Stevens and drummer/producer Keith Forsey-previously a studio partner of disco innovator Giorgio Moroder. This team continued a string of hits including "Rebel Yell," "White Wedding" and "Eyes Without a Face," all of which kept a foot in punk and a foot in modern dance music. Idol's trademark stage presence-bleached hair, bare chest, leather and chains-likewise represented a slicker version of his punk roots. Idol became an MTV fixture and even joined his earlier targets, the Who, for a charity performance of Tommy in 1989. The 1990 album Charmed Life was Idol's last major hit, spawning the singles "Cradle of Love" and a cover of the Doors' "L.A. Woman." Yet his career suffered from a couple of bad moves, including turning down Forsey's song "(Don't You) Forget About Me"-which then became a Number One for Simple Minds-and making the 1993 concept album Cyberpunk, a commercial and critical flop despite a high-profile marketing campaign. His personal life also took a downswing and in 1994 he was hospitalized in Los Angeles after overdosing on the psychoactive drug GHB. After a ten-year recording break, a cleaned-up Idol returned in 2005 with Devil's Playground, picking up where he'd left off with Stevens and Forsey. It was followed bizarrely enough by a Christmas album, Happy Holidays, on which Idol sang orchestrated seasonal tunes with no hint of irony. In another surprise move, Idol teamed in late 2018 with old Gen X partner Tony James and Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook, playing both bands' hits in a band called Generation Sex.