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| Michael Hutchence |
| Born: 1-22-1960 Died: 11-22-1997 ......suicide. |
| Michael was born in Sydney, Australia but by the age of four he was living in Hong Kong. His first professional singing job was in 1968, when he did the voice for a Japanese toy maker. By 1972 the family was back in Australia and Michael soon bonded with his neighbors to form his first band, The Farriss Brothers. Perfecting his songwriting talent and travelling all over Australia during the next several years, Michael found himself in demand as gifted singer. By 1979 the group landed their first recording contract and changed their name to INXS. "INXS" (1980) and "Underneath The Colours" (1981) became hits in their Australian homeland, leading the band to an American contract with Atco Records. In 1983, they released their U.S. debut, "Shabooh Shoobah," and embarked on an extensive tour which, thanks to the hit single "Don't Change," made them minor new wave stars. For their next album, INXS recorded a few sessions with producer Nile Rodgers, which resulted in the sleek, 12" single "Original Sin," the first inclination that the band was making a move toward a fusion of rock and dance music. "Original Sin" made 1984's "The Swing" a minor hit, yet the group didn't have a genuine mainstream breakthrough until 1985's "Listen Like Thieves," which climbed to number 11 in the U.S. on the strength of the single "What You Need." "Listen Like Thieves" laid the ground work for "Kick," the album that made INXS international superstars. Released late in 1987, "Kick" worked its way to multi-platinum status over the course of 1988, as four singles, the number one "Need You Tonight," "Devil Inside," "New Sensation," and "Never Tear Us Apart," climbed into the U.S. Top Ten. In the wake of the album's success, Hutchence was hailed in some quarters as the heir to Mick Jagger's throne, and the group was considered to rival U2 in terms of international popularity. However, such success went to the group's head. Hutchence released the "experimental" side project "Max Q" in early 1990, and the record tanked. "X," INXS' follow-up to "Kick," appeared in the fall of 1990 to mostly negative reviews. While the album generated several hits, including "Disappear" and "Bitter Tears," only its first single, "Suicide Blonde," reached the Top Ten in the U.S., and the sales of "X" were disappointing when compared to "Kick." The album hurt INXS' momentum considerably. Although the group was still quite popular on its accompanying tour, the 1991 live album "Live Baby Live" was recorded at Wembley Stadium, the group could no longer be considered in the same league as U2, or now R.E.M. Hutchence continued to live a jet-setting lifestyle, dating Kylie Minogue and various supermodels, which did not wear well in the wake of alternative rock's commercial breakthrough in 1992. By the time INXS released "Welcome To Wherever You Are," the group's most adventurous record, they were out of date in 1992. "Full Moon, Dirty Hearts" followed in 1993, and it was generally ignored. Following its release, the group left Atlantic, releasing a "Greatest Hits" as its last album for the label. INXS signed with PolyGram in 1994, yet it took them three years to release a new album. During that time, Hutchence was involved in several tabloid scandals, most notably his love affair with British TV personality Paula Yates (which brought an end to her marriage to Bob Geldof), and he hinted that he was recording a solo album. That record didn't materialize, but INXS returned in the spring of 1997 with "Elegantly Wasted." While the album was greeted with poor reviews, the album became the group's biggest hit since "X". On November 22 of that year, Hutchence was found dead in his Sydney hotel room, the victim of an apparent hanging; his long-in-the-works solo debut was posthumously issued in late 1999. |
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