Ace (band)

Ace were a British rock music band who enjoyed moderate success in the 1970s.

Formed in the UK during December 1972 and originally called Ace Flash And The Dynamos - quickly abbreviated after a couple of gigs - Ace comprised; Paul Carrack (b. 22 April 1951, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England; keyboards, vocals), Alan "Bam" King (b. 18 September 1946, Kentish Town, London; guitar, vocals) Phil Harris (b. 18 July 1948, Muswell Hill, London; guitar, vocals), Terry "Tex" Comer (b. 23 February 1949, Burnley, Lancashire, England; bass), Steve Witherington (b. 26 December 1953, Enfield, Middlesex, England; drums).

The members were assembled from various other known bands and were all competent musicians. Carrack and Comer came from Warm Dust, and King arrived via Mighty Baby, whose antecedents were the highly regarded 1960s band The Action. Ace became one of the darlings of the UK pub rock circuit with their polished funky pop music.

Before the recording of their first album, ex-Bees Make Honey drummer Fran Byrne (b. 17 March 1948, Dublin, Ireland) had replaced Witherington. The album, Five-A-Side, was a creditable debut. The single "How Long", culled from this record, gave them an enormous hit that they were never able to repeat. It was a perfectly crafted pop song with a hypnotic bass introduction directly "borrowed" from "Travelling Song" by Pentangle, followed by Carrack's sweet electric piano. The simple tale of infidelity captured people's attention and it became a Top 20 hit in the UK and also reached number 3 in the USA charts.

The band eventually moved to America but disbanded in July 1977 when most of the remaining members joined Frankie Miller's band.

Of the members of the band Carrack has enjoyed most post-Ace success, playing in Eric Clapton's band, joining Squeeze, and latterly playing with Mike & the Mechanics. Carrack re-recorded "How Long", which became a UK Top 40 hit again in 1996.


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Carrack re-recorded "How Long", which became a UK Top 40 hit again in 1996. As of 2004 she is reported to working on an album of new material. Of the members of the band Carrack has enjoyed most post-Ace success, playing in Eric Clapton's band, joining Squeeze, and latterly playing with Mike & the Mechanics. Arena completed her contract with Sony Music in early 2004, with a "Greatest Hits" album to be released marking the end of her association with them. The band eventually moved to America but disbanded in July 1977 when most of the remaining members joined Frankie Miller's band. The song was one of the year's longest running hits on the Billboard Magazine Club Charts where it reached number one. The simple tale of infidelity captured people's attention and it became a Top 20 hit in the UK and also reached number 3 in the USA charts. In 2003 she was recruited by techno DJ Ray Roc to sing on his single "Never (Past Tense)".

It was a perfectly crafted pop song with a hypnotic bass introduction directly "borrowed" from "Travelling Song" by Pentangle, followed by Carrack's sweet electric piano. Later that year she received a lifetime achievement ARIA Award for her career achievement, with the award also specifically recognising her success in France. The single "How Long", culled from this record, gave them an enormous hit that they were never able to repeat. Also in 2000, she performed to the largest audience of her career at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The album, Five-A-Side, was a creditable debut. In 2000, Arena was invited to perform the role of Esmerelda in the West End production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame in London. 17 March 1948, Dublin, Ireland) had replaced Witherington. Her 1999 album Just Me was a moderate success and included such hit singles as "Soul Mate #9", "Dare You To Be Happy" and "Symphony of Life".

Before the recording of their first album, ex-Bees Make Honey drummer Fran Byrne (b. A repackaged version of the In Deep album including the new French versions, and a cover version of the Edith Piaf song "Les Trois Cloches" was a major hit throughout Europe and reached number 3 in France. Carrack and Comer came from Warm Dust, and King arrived via Mighty Baby, whose antecedents were the highly regarded 1960s band The Action. Ace became one of the darlings of the UK pub rock circuit with their polished funky pop music. During this period her greatest successes were these French recordings and they were major hits in France. The members were assembled from various other known bands and were all competent musicians. This song was highly successful in Europe, and Arena embraced European culture, recording several songs in French and relocating temporarily to France. 26 December 1953, Enfield, Middlesex, England; drums). During this time she recorded the theme song for the film The Mask of Zorro, a duet with Marc Anthony titled "I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You".

23 February 1949, Burnley, Lancashire, England; bass), Steve Witherington (b. In Deep was the highest selling Australian album of the year. 18 July 1948, Muswell Hill, London; guitar, vocals), Terry "Tex" Comer (b. Her next album In Deep (1997), produced by Foreigner's Mick Jones contained a cover version of their hit "I Want To Know What Love Is" (with backing vocals by the song's original vocalist Lou Gramm) and another major hit single "Burn". 18 September 1946, Kentish Town, London; guitar, vocals) Phil Harris (b. After more than twenty years she was finally accepted as a credible performer by both the record buying public and the Australian music industry. 22 April 1951, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England; keyboards, vocals), Alan "Bam" King (b. The album won Arena five ARIA Awards for "Album of the Year", "Song of the Year" ("Chains"), "Pop Release of the Year" ("Chains") and "Best Female Vocalist", as well as a special award for "Highest Selling Female Artist in Australian History".

Formed in the UK during December 1972 and originally called Ace Flash And The Dynamos - quickly abbreviated after a couple of gigs - Ace comprised; Paul Carrack (b. Other hits followed in Australia and Europe, including "Heaven Help My Heart", "Wasn't It Good" and "Sorrento Moon". Ace were a British rock music band who enjoyed moderate success in the 1970s. Arena's career was said to be a priority of record executive Tommy Mottola who envisioned her achieving the level of success of Céline Dion or Mariah Carey, but the album failed to sell well in the US, and Mottola moved on to other projects. The song also reached the Top 10 in the United Kingdom and Top 40 in the United States. It became one of the highest selling albums of the year in Australia and provided her with her first substantial hit single "Chains".

After signing a contract with Sony Music, Arena released the album Don't Ask in 1994. Despite the success of the further singles, "The Machine's Breaking Down" and the Diane Warren title track, the album failed to establish her as a major act, and she relocated to the United States. The contrast between her adult image and that of the seven year old child she had been when she first became famous attracted considerable publicity in Australia, but some elements of the media insisted that she was little more than a novelty act. Her album Strong as Steel, released in 1990, contained one major hit single, the uptempo dance track, "I Need Your Body", whose accompanying video demonstrated Arena as a sexy and confident adult.

Arena persevered, playing nightclubs in Melbourne and in several stage musicals, before finally being offered a contract. She was invited to support Lionel Richie on his Australian tour, but despite this success and the profile it gave her, record companies were unwilling to offer her a recording contract. Like most of the children who left the show, Arena carried with her a stigma that made it difficult to be taken seriously as an adult vocalist, and for a short time she contemplated ending her career, and found employment with an insurance company. As one of the show's youngest performers, Arena's nine year stint was also one of the show's longest.

The show's policy was to promote talented children, and at the age of sixteen team members would leave, ostensibly to follow an adult career. Often billed as "Tiny Tina Arena", she was seen on weekly television singing and dancing the current pop hits. As a child Arena attracted attention for the power of her voice, which was considered remarkable for such a young child. Her career began at the age of seven when she was selected as a regular performer for the music television program Young Talent Time.

Tina Arena (born Filippina Lydia Arena on November 1, 1967, in Melbourne, Australia) is a pop singer. Greatest Hits 1994-2004 (2004). Vous Etes Toujours La (2002). If I Was a River (2002).

Just Me (2001). Souvenirs 2000. Tiny Tina and Little John (1998). In Deep (1997).

Don't Ask (1994). Strong as Steel (1990, re-issued in 1996). Summer was sufficiently pleased by the result that it was included on her live album. Years after performing Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park" for Young Talent Time as an eleven year old, Arena was approached by Summer to perform a live duet with her of "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)".

Arena has frequently collaborated with fellow Australian singer/songwriter Rick Price and has co-written songs with him. She provided backing vocals on several of his recordings - he provided backing vocals on several of hers. Arena's duet album with fellow Young Talent Time member John Bowles, titled Tiny Tina and Little Johnny and originally released in the mid 1970s, was reissued on CD in 1998 to capitalise on her success. "Heaven Help My Heart" was a hit for Wynonna Judd, "Unsung Hero" for Terri Clark, and Jo Dee Messina's version of "Burn" reached number two on the US Country Chart. Several of Arena's songs have become country hits in the United States when recorded by other artists.

In 2003, three former "Young Talent Time" performers were simultaneously in the United States Billboard Magazine Dance Top 10 - Arena with "Never (Past Tense)", Dannii Minogue with "I Begin to Wonder" and Kylie Minogue (whose first television singing performance was on YTT despite never being an official member) with "Slow". Arena is credited as being one of only five non French artists to achieve album sales in excess of one million units in France.