Missing Persons

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. Rumors have circulated that Justin Timberlake quit the group, thus, disbanding NSYNC. 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. Plans to work on their fifth album are being discussed, however details are uncertain. Two attempted additional concerts were cancelled at the last minute when first Terry and then Dale left the project. Joey is acting in movies (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and on Broadway (Rent). 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. Lance abandoned his plans to be the first celebrity in space.

In May of 2001, he formally left Duran Duran (who were planning a reunion with their own original guitarist and drummer). Chris closed his clothing business, Fuman Skeeto. 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. The group went on hiatus in 2002, as two of its members released solo albums -- Justin Timberlake released Justified on November 4, 2002 and JC Chasez released his solo album, Schizophrenic, on February 24, 2004. 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. Recent hits such as "Gone" and "Girlfriend" have expanded the group's influence and fan base into the hip-hop crowd as well. Rhyme and Reason and Color In Your Life were finally issued on CD in 2000. Their albums have been boosted by a number of successful single releases, including "Tearin' Up My Heart" from *NSYNC, "Music Of My Heart" recorded with Gloria Estefan for the movie Music of the Heart, "Bye Bye Bye", "It's Gonna Be Me" and "This I Promise You" from No Strings Attached.

This was followed up by a compilation of modern remixes of classic MP tracks, Missing Persons Remixed Hits (1999). Their fourth album, Celebrity comes in at number two, with 1.8 million records sold in its first week. 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". After moving from BMG to Jive Records, home of rival boy band Backstreet Boys, No Strings Attached, released in March 2000, sold 2.4 million copies in its first week of release—the highest record sales in music history (1.1 million of which was attributed to the first day of release). Beginning in 1997, Cuccurullo began a campaign to get some of the early Missing Persons material reissued. Their debut album, released by BMG, did well in Europe and the US as did the seasonal Home For Christmas. A proposed 1994 Missing Persons reunion never came to fruition. No Strings Attached was the first album to feature this type of music; they gave the style a name with their latest album Celebrity.

Wild is a composer of New Age and meditation music under the name Liquid Mind. The group produces a blend of pop, dance, and R&B that they call "dirty pop". O'Hearn has had a thriving solo career as a very popular composer of ambient instrumental music. Their defining album, No Strings Attached, released shortly thereafter, proved that the boys were back in business. Cuccurullo went on to perform as guitarist for Duran Duran for over a decade, as well as record several solo albums. *NSYNC left Pearlman to be managed by Johnny Wright of Wright Entertainment Group. In the 1990s he recorded several albums and toured as a solo drummer, and created several instructional videos. Shortly after their breakthrough, *NSYNC fought a court battle against their manager citing mismanagement.

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. After Lance joined, the group claimed to call him "Lansten" so his name would fit in the *NSYNC acronym. 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. It was created from the last letter of each member's name: Justin, Chris, Joey, Jason, and JC. 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 logic behind the name *NSYNC came from Justin's mother, Lynn Harless. The experimental album Rhyme and Reason (1984) was not a great success, and Capitol was not happy about the direction the band was taking. The bass part was sung by Jason Watkins, who left the group early on because he did not like the type of music *NSYNC was performing.

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. Lance Bass, who coincidentally sang bass, was not originally part of the group. 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 group formed in 1995 under the funding of Lou Pearlman, who hired Johnny Wright (former manager of New Kids On The Block ) to be their tour manager. 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. The group members are James Lance Bass, Joshua Scott Chasez (JC), Joseph Anthony Fatone Junior (Joey), Christopher Alan Kirkpatrick (Chris), and Justin Randall Timberlake.

Two years of hard work led up to a signing with Capitol Records in 1982. *NSYNC is a five-part pop music vocal group, specifically a boy band, formed in Orlando, Florida, USA. "Mental Hopscotch" was a #1 record on local radio station KROQ, and the self-promoted EP ended up selling 7,000 copies. 2002 "Girlfriend" #5 US, #2 UK. live music crowd. 2001 "Gone" #11 US, #24 UK. They toured, promoted the EP, appeared in the movie Lunch Wagon, and became a must-see band among the L.A. 2001 "Pop" #19 US, #9 UK.

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. 2000 "This I Promise You" #5 US, #21 UK. They went on to add yet another Zappa alumnus, bassist Patrick O'Hearn, as well as keyboardist Chuck Wild. 2000 "It's Gonna Be Me" #1 US, #9 UK. 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. 2000 "I'll Never Stop" #13 UK. 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. 2000 "Bye Bye Bye" #4 US, #3 UK.

Color in Your Life (1986). 2000 "Music of My Heart" (with Gloria Estefan) #2 US, #34 UK. Rhyme & Reason (1984). 1999 "Tearin' Up My Heart" (re-release) #9 UK. Spring Session M (1982). 1999 "I Want You Back" #13 US, #5 UK. Missing Persons [EP] (1982). 1998 "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You" #8 US.

1997 "Tearin' Up My Heart" #40 UK. Celebrity (2001, Jive) #1 US, #12 UK. No Strings Attached (2000, Jive) #1 US, #14 UK. The Winter Album (1998, BMG).

Home For Christmas (1998, RCA/BMG) #7 US. NSYNC (1998, RCA/BMG) #2 US, #30 UK.