Icon Music Group’s Latest Signing Worth the “Waite”
Los Angeles, CA, July 22, 2010 --(PR.com)-- The Icon Music Group is pleased to announce the signing of John Waite to a North American record deal. The highly successful English rock singer and musician has made it big both as a lead vocalist for the bands The Babys and Bad English, as well as a solo artist with his #1 hit “Missing You.” His highly anticipated forthcoming solo album of new material comes out early next year on the Icon/Vantage label.
Waite’s career spans over 30 years, including nine solo albums, chart-topping records and sold-out concerts around the world. The start of his success came in the late 1970s with his band The Babys. They had five studio albums together and a number of Top 40 hits including “Isn’t It Time?” and “Everytime I Think Of You.” Waite released his first solo album, Ignition, in 1982 which boasted the MTV/rock radio staple “Change.” A year later, back with a new record No Brakes, Waite found himself at the top of the charts with his hit “Missing You.” The song was huge around the world and made it to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Twenty years on, “Missing You” remains a radio staple, covered by artists from Tina Turner to Rod Stewart, and most recently, pop artist Orianthi covered the classic in her 2010 album Believe.
In the late 1980s, Waite released more solo albums before returning to the top of the charts during a two-album tenure as front man for the pop/rock super group Bad English, which featured Waite’s former Babys bandmates Jonathan Cain and Ricky Phillips along with Neal Schon from Journey and drummer Deen Castronovo. The band’s number one single, “When I See You Smile,” sparked sold-out concert tours and a succession of Billboard Hot 100 Hits. But when the group’s spark was gone, Waite packed his bags and returned to life as a solo songsmith.
Waite now prefers to balance his life between singing on stage and composing and recording honest, heartfelt solo albums. He has written and recorded several songs for feature films. He even enjoyed a brief stint a few years ago on a Ringo Starr concert tour. Not one to be deterred by the changing face of the music industry, John Waite is content in simply being true to himself and his art.
Waite is currently working on a new studio album with Matchbox 20 lead guitarist/songwriter Kyle Cook. “It’s pretty much extraordinary,” Waite says of the material he is creating with Cook, who he met through a mutual friend. “It’s not like what people would expect from me. It’s a step to the left. There’s a rock imprint on the music and a melodic presence, but it’s just shifted gears. It has an identity and a philosophy of its own, which is really fresh for me.” The as-yet-untitled eclectic collection of brand new music, Waite’s first studio album since 2007’s Downtown…Journey of Heart, is set for an early 2011 release. Waite said, "I'm very excited about the new music, and I'm looking forward to a long and successful relationship with Icon."
The deal was negotiated by The Icon Music Group Head of Business Affairs David McLees and Grant Noblin, along with Icon/Vantage President Tony Valenziano for The Icon Music Group. Bob Burwell handled negotiations on behalf of John Waite.
Valenziano commented, “John Waite is an icon in the music industry, so we are really excited to have him join the Icon Music Group roster. We’re more so excited about the new album. It shows the growth of an artist whose career, over three different stages, keeps pushing his art. I know his fans and new listeners will really grab hold of this stage of John’s music. As Rui Da Silva (Icon Music Group Chairman) stated, most artists aspire to have a successful career, John Waite has had 3 of them (solo, along with being a member of The Babys and Bad English) and he asked me to make signing John to our label a priority.”
About Icon/Vantage:
Icon/Vantage specializes in the release of rock music format CD’s and DVD’s and operates under The Icon Music Group along with the Icon Records DG label. The Icon Music Group is owned by The Da Silva Group of Companies and is based in Los Angeles, California and Edmonton, Alberta. The Da Silva Group is a well-established media group with radio interests in Canada as well as music and film labels.
For more information please contact:
Christine Perez
christine@theiconmusicgroup.com
310-202-3455
###
Waite’s career spans over 30 years, including nine solo albums, chart-topping records and sold-out concerts around the world. The start of his success came in the late 1970s with his band The Babys. They had five studio albums together and a number of Top 40 hits including “Isn’t It Time?” and “Everytime I Think Of You.” Waite released his first solo album, Ignition, in 1982 which boasted the MTV/rock radio staple “Change.” A year later, back with a new record No Brakes, Waite found himself at the top of the charts with his hit “Missing You.” The song was huge around the world and made it to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Twenty years on, “Missing You” remains a radio staple, covered by artists from Tina Turner to Rod Stewart, and most recently, pop artist Orianthi covered the classic in her 2010 album Believe.
In the late 1980s, Waite released more solo albums before returning to the top of the charts during a two-album tenure as front man for the pop/rock super group Bad English, which featured Waite’s former Babys bandmates Jonathan Cain and Ricky Phillips along with Neal Schon from Journey and drummer Deen Castronovo. The band’s number one single, “When I See You Smile,” sparked sold-out concert tours and a succession of Billboard Hot 100 Hits. But when the group’s spark was gone, Waite packed his bags and returned to life as a solo songsmith.
Waite now prefers to balance his life between singing on stage and composing and recording honest, heartfelt solo albums. He has written and recorded several songs for feature films. He even enjoyed a brief stint a few years ago on a Ringo Starr concert tour. Not one to be deterred by the changing face of the music industry, John Waite is content in simply being true to himself and his art.
Waite is currently working on a new studio album with Matchbox 20 lead guitarist/songwriter Kyle Cook. “It’s pretty much extraordinary,” Waite says of the material he is creating with Cook, who he met through a mutual friend. “It’s not like what people would expect from me. It’s a step to the left. There’s a rock imprint on the music and a melodic presence, but it’s just shifted gears. It has an identity and a philosophy of its own, which is really fresh for me.” The as-yet-untitled eclectic collection of brand new music, Waite’s first studio album since 2007’s Downtown…Journey of Heart, is set for an early 2011 release. Waite said, "I'm very excited about the new music, and I'm looking forward to a long and successful relationship with Icon."
The deal was negotiated by The Icon Music Group Head of Business Affairs David McLees and Grant Noblin, along with Icon/Vantage President Tony Valenziano for The Icon Music Group. Bob Burwell handled negotiations on behalf of John Waite.
Valenziano commented, “John Waite is an icon in the music industry, so we are really excited to have him join the Icon Music Group roster. We’re more so excited about the new album. It shows the growth of an artist whose career, over three different stages, keeps pushing his art. I know his fans and new listeners will really grab hold of this stage of John’s music. As Rui Da Silva (Icon Music Group Chairman) stated, most artists aspire to have a successful career, John Waite has had 3 of them (solo, along with being a member of The Babys and Bad English) and he asked me to make signing John to our label a priority.”
About Icon/Vantage:
Icon/Vantage specializes in the release of rock music format CD’s and DVD’s and operates under The Icon Music Group along with the Icon Records DG label. The Icon Music Group is owned by The Da Silva Group of Companies and is based in Los Angeles, California and Edmonton, Alberta. The Da Silva Group is a well-established media group with radio interests in Canada as well as music and film labels.
For more information please contact:
Christine Perez
christine@theiconmusicgroup.com
310-202-3455
###
Contact
The Icon Music Group
Christine Perez
310-202-3455
www.theiconmusicgroup.com
Christine Perez
310-202-3455
www.theiconmusicgroup.com
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