The Scottish guitar pop band with the American name originally consisted of Italian-descended Sharleen Spiteri (b. Glasgow, Scotland; vocals/guitar), Ally McErlaine guitar),Johnny McElhone (b. 21 April 1963; bass) and Stuart Kerr (drums, ex-Love And Money). The band were formed in 1986 around McElhone who formerly played bass in Altered Images and Hipsway, though Spiteri and McErlaine quickly became the focal point, partly owing to McErlaine’s fluent guitar playing and their joint mastery of Ry Cooder-inspired slide guitar. It was the latter style that distinguished February 1989’s UK number 8 single, ” Don’t Want A Lover’, the very first song main songwriters Spiteri and McElhone had written together.
It helped to break them nationwide as one of a clutch of Scottish bands occupying a slightly awkward space between commercial rock and pop. The band had made its live debut at Dundee University in March 1988, signing to Phonogram subsidiary Vertigo Records through McElhone’s former connections with Hipsway. Their first album, 1989″s Southside, continued to explore the theme of doomed relationships, though the original sessions with Chic’s Bernard Edwards were abandoned as “too heavy handed”. When eventually released it sold over two million copies worldwide, peaking at number 3 in the UK album Richard Hynd replaced Kerr on drums in 1991 and the band was also augmented by the presence of Eddie Campbell on keyboards. Mother’s Heaven failed to repeat the success of their debut, though by now the band had established itself as a strong concert attraction throughout Europe. The band achieved their second Top 20 hit in April 1992 when a version of Al Green’s “Tired Of Being Alone” reached number 19.
Ricks Road was completed with new producer Paul Fox after the band stated their fondness for his work with 10,000 Maniacs and the Wallflowers. It included backing vocals from Rose Stone, sister of Sly Stone, and was recorded at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock. In 1997, Texas released their album “White On Blonde.” The album was a critical and commercial masterpiece which topped the British charts for weeks, sold millions of copies, spawned five Top 10 singles, and still ranks high in many charts as one of the best British albums ever. This is the definitive Texas album, and nothing they have done before or since it has quite matched up to its popularity and appeal. “Say What You Want” follows, and is arguably the band’s most popular song to date. In the United States, barely anyone will have heard this song, but over in the United Kingdom, I think everyone over the age of 10 has heard this song at least a thousand times! The song peaked at No.3 in the UK in January 1997, and has some very catchy hooks and sunlight vocals from Sharleen.
“Halo” is one of Texas’ biggest hits to date and peaked at No.10 in the UK back in April 1997. The song comes out of no where and slowly builds up its guitar riffs and melodies to peak towards the end in a glorious display of Scottish vocal power and lyrical supremacy. It’s quite amazing, and rightly so one of the most played radio hits in the past decade. The beautiful ballad “Put Your Arms Around Me” slows down the tempo with some very emotional and heartfelt lyrics from Sharleen. The instruments are perfectly matched and time seems to stand still after the third minute, right up until the end. The song was released in November 1997 and peaked at No.10 in the UK.
“Insane” is an absolutely phenomenal song! This was released in March 1998 and peaked at No.4 in the UK. The song starts off in a rather average fashion, but as the first verse trundles on, you get a wonderful sense of the atmosphere that fills Sharleen’s voice, along with the haunting trumpet and soaring strings.
“Black Eyed Boy” is the feel-good, live life to the full kind of anthem that was played at football stadiums all overEurope through the late-90’s. It was released in August 1997 and peaked at No.5 in the UK. “Say What You Want (All Day Every Day) Texas Featuring Method Man & The RZA” was recorded in fine style. This song was the other song on the Double A-Side of Insane. This version of the Texas classic was performed live at the 1998 Brit Awards. The soaring-strings-and-rap version of the Marvin Gaye-esque Texas smash reached No. 2 in the UK chart.
In 1999 Texas released their 5th album “The Hush”. Has been receiving many positive opinions from both fanbase and music critics. According to the singer, for the first time the band managed to gather all their influences which, merged, gave the result of something fresh, inspiring, amazing and positive. The oriental-styled “In Our Lifetime” debuted at UK number 4 in April 1999 and has had an immense airplay in Europe so far. “Summer Son” was the second single to be taken from this album in August 1999 and was another Top 5 hit for the band. The saucy video was racy and hot and totally banned from MTV UK throughout the day! The chiming beats on this song just sizzle and the rocky bridges make this one of Texas’ best ever songs.
“When We Are Together” was the third single to be taken from this album back in the fall of 1999. The song starts off superbly and quietly before breaking out and totally assaulting your ears with the infectious beat. The melody and lyrical co-ordination of the composition is particularly memorable.
Two years ago Texas decided to release “The Greatest Hits,” an essential collection of their finest work from the last 11 years. The album was marketed as essential indeed, and the British public seemed to agree; The Greatest Hits became a multi-million selling No.1 smash hit collection over the Christmas period in 2000 in the UK. That album promoted 3 new singles: “In Demand”, “Inner Smile” and “Guitar Song”. The first single In Demand, co-written with Dallas Austin (the penman behind TLC and collaborator with Madonna, Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men) and the irresistible shuffling soul-pop rocker Inner Smile from a get together with Greg Alexander, formerly of the New Radicals – and a magnificent reworking of So In Love With You (for which original member and now celebrated orchestrator Craig Armstrong), “Prayer For You”, “Everyday Now” and “So Called Friend”. Texas also released a concert on DVD “Texas Paris”, which was recorded at the Palais de Bercy in Paris June 2001.
Before release the next album Texas did two-year break. At that time Sharleen gave birth her first child , a daughter Misty Kyd. At last in 2003 Scotts come back with “Careful What You Wish For”. This is yet again another stunning album . The band seem to have spent a lot of time on this album making it just right.
“Carnival Girl” was a first single. Sharleen sings with guest MC Kardinal Offishall. Sharleen said: “We approached Kardinal Offishall because we loved all the underground stuff he was putting out. We wanted something a bit different and he really delivered… he was ‘let’s make it a song that every homegirl everywhere can really relate to’. It seemed like a great single to come back with. There’s no other British band doing something like this – singalong R&B but with guitars and then with a dancehall rapper adding to it.” “I’ll See It Through” was a second and the last released single from this album.At this song Johnny and Sharleen cooperated with Guy Chambers.
Johnny said: “We took it back to Glasgow added strings, bass, guitars. Then we took it to Olympic and mixed it with Spike Stent. He did a great job. He just went late into the night with it and managed to get the piano sounding good with our electronic sounds, just everything sounding great.” That’s beautiful ballad and great single. Sharleen is very proud: “”That’s my favourite song on the whole album, push comes to shove. I’m really proud of that song.”
