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Nick Van Eede | |
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 Nick Van Eede, 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nicholas Eede |
| Born | (1958-06-14)14 June 1958 (age 66) Cuckfield,West Sussex, England |
| Genres | Pop rock |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | Barn |
| Member of | Cutting Crew |
| Formerly of | The Drivers |
| Website | cuttingcrew |
Nick Van Eede (bornNicholas Eede; 14 June 1958) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for singing and writing the 1986 No. 1power ballad, "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" for his bandCutting Crew, which saw international success including a top 10 placing on theUK Singles Chart.
While working as ahospital orderly in the late 1970s, Van Eede was discovered playing by ex-member ofthe Animals,Chas Chandler, who sent him on a tour ofPoland aged 18 as support forSlade. His career continued with tours supporting headliners such asDavid Essex,Hot Chocolate andAlan Price.[citation needed]
During that time, Van Eede released fivesolosingles onBarn Records between 1978 and 1980,[1] but none of them charted on theUK Singles Chart. The first three were "Rock 'n' Roll Fool" b/w "Ounce of Sense", "All or Nothing" b/w "Hold on to Your Heart" and "I Only Want to Be Number One" b/w "Dicing".
Van Eede formed the Drivers with friends Mak Norman and Steve Boorer. In the early 1980s, they signed with arecord label in Canada. They had a couple ofhits there with "Tears on Your Anorak" and "Talk All Night", plus a studio album,Short Cuts. They had a support band called Fast Forward, whose line up included guitaristKevin MacMichael. Van Eede was so impressed with MacMichael's guitar playing that the former asked MacMichael to form a new band with him; however, MacMichael could not commit at that time. After a final single release with "Things", aBobby Darincover, the Drivers broke up in 1983.[citation needed]
Whilst Kevin MacMichael was with Fast Forward, the band was involved in a car crash which left all of the members except MacMichael unable to continue touring. Ready to begin working with Van Eede, MacMichael moved fromToronto toLondon, where the two of them gave themselves one year to sign arecording contract. They recruiteddrummerMartin "Frosty" Beedle, previously a member of the cabaret band on theQueen Elizabeth 2 (QE2), and bassist Colin Farley, asession musician living in Spain. Van Eede came up with the band's name after reading an article in the BritishrockmagazineSounds, which described the bandQueen as a "cutting crew", meaning a band that does not playconcerts and instead stays in thestudio recording new songs.[2]
In 1985,Cutting Crew staged a showcase at a London recording studio for representatives from numerous record labels, and signed arecording contract with Siren Records, part ofVirgin Records.
The firstsingle to be released by the band was "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" b/w "For the Longest Time", released in the UK in August 1986. After an appearance on theBBC Television music chart television programmeTop of the Pops, with the song being regularly played on theradio and itsmusic video shown on TV, the single shot up to number 4 in theUK Singles Chart and in May 1987 was number 1 in America for two weeks (Virgin's first number one single in America). In total, the song went to No. 1 in nineteen countries.
The next single, "I've Been in Love Before" b/w "Life in a Dangerous Time" failed to break the UK in its first release in November 1986 but was quickly released again to reach No. 50 in the charts. Their debut studio albumBroadcast was released shortly, which reached 41 on theUK Albums Chart.
After Cutting Crew's demise, Van Eede went on to write and produce for other artists, including producing the originaldemo ofCher's hit "Believe". In 1996, he auditioned to be the new lead singer ofGenesis followingPhil Collins's departure, in a process whereKevin Gilbert, futureBig Big Train vocalistDavid Longdon, formerIt Bites singerFrancis Dunnery and formerStiltskin singerRay Wilson were also seriously considered for the role; which ultimately went to Wilson.[3]
On the 2001Marillion studio albumAnoraknophobia, Van Eede is credited with co-writing the lyrics to the song "Map of the World" with Marillion frontmanSteve Hogarth.
A new studio album originally titledGrinning Souls was released by Cutting Crew in 2005. Van Eede also appeared on theITV showHit Me Baby One More Time, on which he performed "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" and a cover version ofMacy Gray's hit "I Try". He then embarked on tour with his new line-up: Gareth Moulton (guitar), Sam Flynn (keyboards), Dominic Finley (bass guitar) and Tom Arnold (drums). They toured the UK (which included the 'Here & Now 2008 Tour'),Germany,Trinidad and theUnited States.
In 2015, a new studio album was released,Add to Favourites. Joining Van Eede on the album included guitarists Gareth Moulton and Joolz Dunkley, bassist Nick Kay, keyboardist Jono Harrison, drummer Martyn Baker and the Blackjack Horns. Throughout 2015–2017, the band touredSouth America, the US,Australasia andEurope.
In 2020, Van Eede received a BMI (Broadcast Music Inc) award for 5 million plays on US radio for "(I Just) Died in Your Arms".[citation needed]
Since 2008, Van Eede has been a member of supergroupMandoki Soulmates, formed by Hungarian musicianLeslie Mándoki. Alongside Van Eede, the band's members in the group have included, amongst others:Randy Brecker,Bill Evans,John Helliwell,Chris Thompson,Bobby Kimball,Ian Anderson,Chaka Khan,Tony Carey and the lateJack Bruce andGreg Lake.
Nick Van Eede married Nikki McFarlane in June 1996. He has a daughter from a previous relationship.[citation needed]
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