Phil Fearon

{{Short description|Jamaican–English musician and record producer}} {{EngvarB|date=October 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}} {{Infobox musical artist  | name = Phil Fearon | image = | caption = | background = solo_singer | birth_name = Phillip Joseph Fearon | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1956|7|30}} | birth_place = Colony of Jamaica | death_date = | origin = London, England | years_active = 1982–present | genre = R&B, post-disco, funk | label = Ensign, Chrysalis, Production House | associated_acts = | website = }}

'''Phillip Joseph Fearon''' (born 30 July 1956) is a Jamaican–British record producer. He was the lead singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist for the 1980s band Galaxy.

==Career== Fearon was born in the Colony of Jamaica in 1956 and moved to London with his parents at the age of six in 1962.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/phil-fearon-mn0000337574|title=Phil Fearon|website=AllMusic|access-date=16 May 2021}}</reF> After running a reggae sound system, he joined Hott Wax (which evolved into Brit funk pioneers Hi-Tension after he left). In the late 1970s was a mainstay of hit group Kandidate which scored a number 11 chart hit in 1979 with "I Don't Wanna Lose You". He set up a studio in his north London house and initially recorded with the group Proton on Champagne Records.

Fearon first conceived Galaxy as a band of "four or five white guys" that he would manufacture and write and produce for, while he remained behind the scenes.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 13: I Can Prove It to More Than Physical on Apple Podcasts|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ep-13-i-can-prove-it-to-more-than-physical/id1565879477?i=1000537391918|access-date=2021-10-05|website=Apple Podcasts|language=en-AU}}</ref> Instead he was encouraged by a prospective record company to front the act after they were impressed by his performance on his demos.<ref name=":0" />

Fearon's first recording as Galaxy (with assistance from singers Julie and Dorothy) was "Head Over Heels" on Ensign Records in 1982, which became a club hit. The first success came with the top 5 hit "Dancing Tight" in 1983<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 197}}</ref> and over the next 15 months they chalked up a further four UK top 40 singles including the top 10s "What Do I Do" and "Everybody's Laughing".<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" /> Their post-disco debut album, ''Phil Fearon and Galaxy'' also made the top 10 in 1984. After a quiet period, Fearon returned to the top 10 for the last time with a revival of Tony Etoria's "I Can Prove It" in 1986 (also a minor US R&B hit). Originally self-produced, the track was given additional production and mixing by hitmakers Stock Aitken Waterman at the suggestion of Fearon's record company, with the singer totally re-recording his original vocal under the direction of producer Mike Stock.<ref name=":0" />

The artist's version of "Ain't Nothin' But a Houseparty" was also produced by Stock Aitken Waterman,<ref name="Echoes">"Record Shorts", ''Echoes'', 8 November 1986, p. 4</ref> but this time Fearon's contribution was reduced to coming in to the studio to sing on the track, which was entirely the producers' vision. "I was a bit like a passenger on that one, a willing passenger," he recalled.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 17: Ain't Nothing But A House Party to Something In My House on Apple Podcasts|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ep-17-aint-nothing-but-a-house-party-to-something-in-my-house/id1565879477?i=1000543268813|access-date=2021-12-05|website=Apple Podcasts|language=en-AU}}</ref>

'It was a little bit daunting because I wasn't sure if the sound was going to work for me."<ref name=":1" />

After his diversion with SAW, Fearon continued to run a production company from his home making commercial dance records.

Similar to the RAH Band, Galaxy was not a true group of musicians but a front for an individual producing all the music in a studio environment, with two female backing singers to supplement the recording sound (Dorothy Galdes and Julie Gore).<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/a-recipe-for-success/2540|title=A Recipe For Success|last=Mellor|first=David|journal=Sound on Sound|date=November 1987|issue=Nov 1987 |pages=68–72 |access-date=16 May 2021}}</ref> Galaxy's best known hits are "Dancing Tight", "What Do I Do?", "Everybody's Laughing" and "I Can Prove It", which were all up-beat commercial pop songs, hitting the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" /> They also had a near-top 40 hit with "You Don't Need a Reason" which stalled at number 42 on the UK chart in 1985. Galaxy's records were distinctly early 1980s in style, with prominent use of synthesizers.

Galaxy's popularity waned in the late 1980s, with the trend moving towards acid house, though a later single, a cover version of the Showstoppers' "Ain't Nothin' But a Houseparty", was an early example of this genre. In 1987, Fearon founded and managed a successful record label called Production House Records.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bucksmusicgroup.com/|title=Bucks Music Group Ltd|website=Bucksmusicgroup.com|access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref>

Fearon returned to performing as a special guest at the Caister Soul Weekender in May 2010, being brought out of retirement by longtime colleagues and Caister Soul Weekender promoters Chris Hill and Brian Rix. Fearon has since continued to appear at 1980s soul nights and various festivals around the UK and abroad.

==Work with other artists== Galaxy backed T. C. Curtis on his 1986 dance hit "You Should Have Known Better.<ref>''Music Week'', February 23, 1985 - [https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1985/Music-Week-1985-02-23.pdf Page 16 TALENT Edited by Chris White, Chart newcomers]</ref><ref>Genius - [https://genius.com/Tc-curtis-and-galaxy-you-should-have-known-better-lyrics You Should Have Known Better T.C. Curtis & Galaxy]</ref>

==Personal life== Fearon is married to Dee Fearon, the lead singer of 90's dance act Baby D. Their daughter Stephanie is an actress and singer, who appeared on the CITV show ''My Parents Are Aliens'', and was later a semi-finalist on the 2010 BBC talent search ''Over the Rainbow''. They have four children and five grandchildren.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.starnow.co.uk/marlonfearon1/|title=Marlon Fearon: Actor, Extra and Model - London, UK|website=Starnow.co.uk|access-date=4 February 2020}}</ref>

==Discography== ===Albums=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! rowspan="2" |Year ! rowspan="2" |Title ! rowspan="2" |Label ! colspan="2" |Peak chart positions |- ! style="width:45px;"|UK <ref name="UK">{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/23495/phil-fearon/|title=PHIL FEARON - full Official Chart History|website=Official Charts Company|access-date=September 6, 2020}}</ref> ! style="width:45px;"|NL <ref>{{Cite web|title=Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/search.asp?search=phil%20fearon&cat=a|access-date=2021-01-21|website=dutchcharts.nl}}</ref> |- | 1984 | align="left" |''Phil Fearon and Galaxy'' | Ensign |8 |29 |- | 1985 | align="left" |''This Kind of Love''<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> | Ensign |98 |— |- | 1991 | align="left" |''The Best of Phil Fearon & Galaxy'' | Ensign/Chrysalis |— |— |- | 1992 | align="left" |''Dancing Tight – The Best of Phil Fearon & Galaxy<ref>{{cite magazine |date=17 October 1992 |title=New Releases: Albums |magazine=Music Week |page=8}}</ref>'' | Ensign |— |— |- | 1994 | align="left" |''The Best of Phil Fearon & Galaxy'' | Music Club |— |— |- | 1995 | align="left" |''Dancing Tight – All the Hits Extended'' | More Music |— |— |- | 1996 | align="left" |''Greatest Hits'' | EMI Gold |— |— |- | 2001 | align="left" |''Phil Fearon & Galaxy – All the Hits'' | EMI Gold |— |— |- | 2013 | align="left" |''Phil Fearon & Galaxy – Ain't Nothing But a Party: The 12" Anthology'' | Cherry Pop |— |— |- | colspan="5" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;" | "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |}

===Singles=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! rowspan="2" |Year ! rowspan="2" |Single ! colspan="6" |Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2" |Certifications |- ! style="width:45px;"|UK <ref name="UK"/> ! style="width:45px;"|BE (FLA) <ref>{{Cite web|title=ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/search.asp?search=phil%20fearon&cat=s|access-date=2021-01-21|website=ultratop.be}}</ref> ! style="width:45px;"|IRE <ref>{{Cite web|title=The Irish Charts - All there is to know|url=http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement|access-date=2021-01-21|website=irishcharts.ie}}</ref> ! style="width:45px;"|NL <ref>{{Cite web|title=Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/search.asp?search=phil%20fearon&cat=s|access-date=2021-01-21|website=dutchcharts.nl}}</ref> ! style="width:45px;"|NZ <ref>{{Cite web|title=charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal|url=https://charts.nz/search.asp?search=phil+fearon&cat=s|access-date=2021-01-21|website=charts.nz}}</ref> ! style="width:45px;"|US R&B <ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Phil Fearon|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/phil-fearon/chart-history|access-date=2021-01-21|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> |- |1982 | align="left" |"Head Over Heels"{{Efn|group=upper-alpha|name=fn1|Credited as Galaxy}} |77 |— |— |— |— |— | |- |rowspan="3"|1983 | align="left" |"Dancing Tight"{{Efn|group=upper-alpha|name=fn2|Credited as Galaxy featuring Phil Fearon}} |4 |— |5 |19 |— |— | |- | align="left" |"Wait Until Tonight (My Love)"{{Efn|group=upper-alpha|name=fn2}} |20 |— |22 |— |— |— | |- | align="left" |"Fantasy Real"{{Efn|group=upper-alpha|name=fn3|Credited as Phil Fearon and Galaxy}} |41 |— |— |— |— |— | |- |rowspan="2"|1984 | align="left" |"What Do I Do?"{{Efn|group=upper-alpha|name=fn3}} |5 |31 |11 |22 |30 |— | * BPI: Silver<ref>{{cite web|title=Phil Fearon & Galaxy - What Do I Do|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/8142-346-1|website=bpi.co.uk|access-date=15 January 2022}}</ref> |- | align="left" |"Everybody's Laughing"{{Efn|group=upper-alpha|name=fn3}} |10 |— |16 |8 |— |— | |- |rowspan="2"|1985 | align="left" |"You Don't Need a Reason"{{Efn|group=upper-alpha|name=fn3}} |42 |— |— |— |— |— | |- | align="left" |"This Kind of Love"{{Efn|group=upper-alpha|name=fn4|Credited as Phil Fearon and Galaxy featuring Dee Galdes}} |70 |— |— |— |— |— | |- |rowspan="2"|1986 | align="left" |"I Can Prove It"{{Efn|group=upper-alpha|name=fn5|Credited as Phil Fearon}} |8 |— |16 |— |38 |72 | |- | align="left" |"Ain't Nothin' But a Houseparty"{{Efn|group=upper-alpha|name=fn5}} |60 |— |— |— |— |82 | |- |rowspan="1"|1987 | align="left" |"Nothing Is Too Good for You"{{Efn|group=upper-alpha|name=fn5}} |110 |— |— |— |— |— | |- | colspan="9" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;" | "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |}

'''Notes''' {{notelist-ua}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.discogs.com/artist/133854-Phil-Fearon-Galaxy Phil Fearon & Galaxy discography] at Discogs. * {{IMDb name|nm3450926}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fearon, Phil}} Category:20th-century Black British male singers Category:20th-century British male singers Category:English record producers Category:English multi-instrumentalists Category:British contemporary R&B singers Category:Living people Category:1956 births Category:Post-disco musicians Category:Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom Category:Chrysalis Records artists Category:Singers from London