Formed in Beckenham, Kent, England in 1980, the group began on a part-time basis with a line-up comprising Heyward, Nick (b. 20 May 1961, Beckenham, Kent, England; vocals), Les Nemes (b. 5 December 1960, Croydon, Surrey, England; bass) and Graham Jones (b. 8 July 1961, Bridlington, North Yorkshire; guitar). Early the following year they were augmented by Memphis Blair Cunningham (b. 11 October 1957, Harlem, New York, USA; drums) , Phil Smith (b. 1 May 1959, Redbridge, Ilford, Essex; saxophone), and Mark Fox (b. 13 February 1958; percussion). Engineer/manager Karl Adams secured them a deal with Arista Records where they were placed in the hands of producer Bob Sargeant. Their teen appeal and smooth punk-pop sound was perfect for the time and it came as no surprise when their debut single "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" climbed to number 4 in the UK charts.
The follow-up, "Love Plus One", did even better, firmly establishing the group as premier pop idols in 1982. Their career received a serious setback, however, when the engaging frontman Nick Heyward split for a solo career. In January 1983 Haircut 100 were relaunched with replacement vocalist Mark Fox. Although the group hoped to succeed with a new audience, their singles sold poorly, and following the release of their 1984 album Paint On Paint, they disbanded. Drummer Cunningham later reappeared in one of the many line-ups of the Pretenders (The).
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