Marmalade (band)

The group still survives today, primarily because of the leadership of Graham Knight. Although Dale still often performs under the Missing Persons name with hired touring players, the band has declared that there will be no further reunions. An attempt to fit into the UK's move to "progressive" music met with limited success. A TV appearance and three successful shows were put on in late 2002 and early 2003 (with drummer Joe Travers standing in for Terry Bozzio), but finally Cuccurullo declined to participate any further. When pianist Junior Campbell left the band to become a "one hit wonder", Marmalade began a series of line-up changes including the loss of drummer Alan Whitehead and suffered poor publicity from the UK's News of the World. Two attempted additional concerts were cancelled at the last minute when first Terry and then Dale left the project. The band was managed by Peter Walsh, a 60s and 70s pop entrepreneur whose portfolio also included artists like the Bay City Rollers, Billy Ocean, the Troggs and Blue Mink. The new Missing Persons, consisting of original members Warren Cuccurullo and Dale and Terry Bozzio, with new keyboardist Ron Poster and bassist Wes Wehmiller, did some promotional activities and live performances in July of 2001, but the reunion did not last long.

They toured extensively and even gave rise to a cocktail - the Marmaladdie. In May of 2001, he formally left Duran Duran (who were planning a reunion with their own original guitarist and drummer). The harmony-based band went on to produce a string of early 1970s hits including "Reflections of My Life" and "Rainbow", using the lead vocals of Dean Ford and the higher harmonies of bass player Graham Knight. In December of 2000, Cuccurullo again began discussing a Missing Persons reunion with Dale Bozzio, and this time it seemed more likely to come to fruition. Their first hit record was a cover of the Beatles' "Ob-la-di", predictably performed in orange suits, which went to #1 in the UK charts. There were two releases in 2002: Classic Remasters is a compilation of remastered tracks and dance mixes issued by Capitol Records, and Lost Tracks is another collection of old and new MP live tracks issued by One Way Records. Marmalade were a Scottish pop group, highly successful during the early 1970s. Rhyme and Reason and Color In Your Life were finally issued on CD in 2000.

This was followed up by a compilation of modern remixes of classic MP tracks, Missing Persons Remixed Hits (1999). This resulted in the release of Late Nights Early Days in 1998, a live concert recorded in 1981, with the added 1980 studio track "Action/Reaction". Beginning in 1997, Cuccurullo began a campaign to get some of the early Missing Persons material reissued. A proposed 1994 Missing Persons reunion never came to fruition.

Wild is a composer of New Age and meditation music under the name Liquid Mind. O'Hearn has had a thriving solo career as a very popular composer of ambient instrumental music. Cuccurullo went on to perform as guitarist for Duran Duran for over a decade, as well as record several solo albums. In the 1990s he recorded several albums and toured as a solo drummer, and created several instructional videos.

Terry Bozzio played as a sessions drummer and sideman with numerous big acts through the 1980s, at the same time as he worked at developing his solo career. Some commentators have argued that Dale Bozzio's lack of stage personality ultimately resulted in the decline of the group's early popularity, many also regard Missing Persons as her finest work, despite her later scoring minor success as a solo performer, including a top 40 hit with the song "Simon oh Simon", written and produced by Prince. The band followed up with the more conventional Color In Your Life in June 1986, but almost before the promotional tour could begin, increasing tensions between Terry and Dale Bozzio led to the end of the tour, the band, and the couple's marriage. The experimental album Rhyme and Reason (1984) was not a great success, and Capitol was not happy about the direction the band was taking.

Missing Persons appeared at the three-day Southern California concert, the US Festival in May 1983, along with Berlin, The Pretenders, U2, David Bowie, and many more. The music video for "Words" used unusual (albeit primitive by today's standards) visual effects, making it popular with the suits (who in those days still wore T-shirts) at the fledgling cable TV channel MTV. The singles "Mental Hopscotch", "Destination Unknown," "Walking in L.A.," "Words," and "Windows" all met with success. With label support, the re-released EP sold another 250,000 units, and the new album Spring Session M went gold.

Two years of hard work led up to a signing with Capitol Records in 1982. "Mental Hopscotch" was a #1 record on local radio station KROQ, and the self-promoted EP ended up selling 7,000 copies. live music crowd. They toured, promoted the EP, appeared in the movie Lunch Wagon, and became a must-see band among the L.A.

In 1980 they recorded a 4-song EP entitled Missing Persons, in Zappa's brand-new UMRK studios; the recording was financed by Cuccurullo's father. They went on to add yet another Zappa alumnus, bassist Patrick O'Hearn, as well as keyboardist Chuck Wild. The band was founded in 1980 by guitarist Warren Cuccurullo and vocalist Dale Bozzio (who were working together contributing to Frank Zappa's album Joe's Garage), after convincing her husband, former Zappa drummer Terry Bozzio, that they could make it on their own. Missing Persons were a band who played a blend of New Wave music and electronic pop rock, with a musical sensibility which set them apart from many other early 80's groups who latched onto the Blondie-style line up of radio friendly, white, accessible pop punk.

Color in Your Life (1986). Rhyme & Reason (1984). Spring Session M (1982). Missing Persons [EP] (1982).