June 2: Vocalist Tony Hadley - Spandau Ballet- "True"- is 53-years-old today.

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Anthony Patrick Hadley was born in the Hampstead area of Inner London. Originally intending to pursue a medical career, he decided to join friends who were forming a band.

Spandau Ballet formed in London in the late 1970s. They were initially inspired by, and an integral part of, the New Romantic movement, becoming one of the most successful groups to emerge during the era.

Their debut single "To Cut a Long Story Short," which reached number five in the UK in 1980, was the first of ten occasions in the 1980s that the band reached the top ten of the UK Singles Chart. They had a UK number one single in 1983 with the song "True." They also had four albums which reached the top ten of the UK albums chart between 1980 and 1990.

The band split acrimoniously in 1990, but reunited in 2009. The group released both their new album Once More, which featured two new songs plus reworked versions of their previous material, and the single of the same name on 19 October 2009.Virgin Media awarded Spandau Ballet as the Best Comeback of 2009 in their Virgin Media Awards.

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As lead singer of Spandau Ballet Tony Hadley has over the years earned himself the accolade of being one of pop music greatest vocalists. The group disbanded after their final studio album, Heart Like a Sky, failed to live up to the critical and commercial success of their earlier albums, such as True and Parade. Heart Like a Sky was not released in the U.S.

In April 1999, Hadley along with fellow band members Steve Norman and John Keeble failed in their attempt to sue Gary Kemp for a share of his royalties, as the band's principal songwriter. However, in recent years Norman is again on good terms with Gary and his brother, Martin Kemp, who used to play bass guitar in the band.

After Spandau Ballet disbanded, Hadley pursued a solo career, signing to EMI and recording his first album, The State of Play, in 1992. After leaving EMI, Hadley formed his own record company, SlipStream Records, and his first release was the single "Build Me Up," from the film "When Saturday Comes."

Hadley then signed a joint deal with PolyGram TV, and released his next  solo album, Tony Hadley, in 1997.The album featured some of his own self-penned songs, such as "She," which he wrote for daughter Toni. To plug the gap between studio albums, Hadley also released Obsession - later re-released as Obsession Live- a live album recorded, in just one night, in 1995, at the club Ronnie Scott's, in Birmingham.

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For more about Tony, visit his Website at –

http://www.tonyhadley.com/

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