In 1983, Culture Club became the first band since The Beatles to have three Top 10 hits from a debut album, which led to the band’s receiving the Grammy in 1984 for “Best New Artist.”  They were also nominated, that year, in the category of “Best Pop Vocal by a Duo or Group” (but lost to another reggae-influenced British New Wave quartet, known as The Police).  In the conclusion of their now-famous acceptance speech (via satellite, from London), Boy George quipped “Thanks America!  You’ve got taste, style, and you know a good drag-queen, when you see one!” 

A few months earlier, I’d been at my grandmother’s, and in her solarium, she had a copy of Newsweek on the coffee-table, with a photo of British androgenes Boy George and Annie Lennox, on its cover.  It’s interesting (looking back at ten-year-old me), that the two of them would continue to be so important to my musical growth, over the three decades that followed.

Sure, lots of attention was given to the fact that their lead singer knew his way around a make-up counter and a wig-shop (from what I understand, in those days, drag queens in the UK frowned upon the wearing of high heels and/or falsies), but if that was all they’d had to offer, they’d have had a hit song or two, helped along by then-fledgling network MTV, never to be heard from, again.

Instead, because of their musicality – intelligently blending British new wave, American soul, and Jamaican reggae, steeped with funk, salsa, country, and calypso; described by George as “a bridge between white rock and black soul” – Culture Club went on to sell 50 million records, with ten singles reaching the Top 40 in the US, and a dozen doing so in the UK.

Through the band’s highs and lows (the latter of which came as a result of getting high, as they so often do), the music always delivered.  So, when I heard that – for the first time in a dozen years – Culture Club had reconstituted (again), and was touring (again), I was beyond excited.  I was on the horn to The Palms, as soon as their US tour dates were announced.  Unfortunately, the day before they were scheduled to start their tour (the same afternoon I was scheduled to interview George, for this very website) the band announced that they were cancelling the tour, due to serious throat problems that George had developed.  Disappointed, I shrugged and thought, “Well, what’re you gonna do?” and figured that was that.

Read what happened at the concert, in Part 2!

Culture Club
The Greek Theatre | Los Angeles, CA
Click HERE for tour info and tickets

Get into it!