Susan Ann Sulley

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Susan Ann Sulley


Img_capt = Susan Ann Sulley
January 2008
Img_size = 150
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Susan Ann Sulley
Alias = Susanne Sulley, Susan Ann Gayle
Born = birth date and age|1963|03|22|df=y
Died =
Origin = Sheffield,UK
Instrument =
Voice_type = Mezzo-soprano
Genre = Synthpop
Occupation = Vocalist
Years_active = 1980 - Present
Label = Virgin Records, A&M, EastWest, Papillon
Associated_acts = The Human League
URL = [http://www.susanne-sulley.net www.susanne-sulley.net]
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =

Susan Ann Sulley (formerly known as Susanne Sulley and Susan Ann Gayle) (born 22 March 1963) is a British singer best known as one of the two female vocalists of the British synthpop group The Human League.

Born and raised in Sheffield, England, as a schoolgirl in 1980 Sulley (aged 17) and her friend Joanne Catherall were "discovered" in the Crazy Daisy Nightclub in Sheffield by Philip Oakey, the lead singer and a founding member of The Human League. The pair were invited to join the new line-up, initially as dancers and incidental vocalists (and, as Oakey puts it, "to provide some glamour") for a European tour. They soon were asked to provide full vocals by Oakey as an experiment. The girls' distinctive vocals rapidly became the signature of new the Human League. Changing the band's style, its appeal to the mainstream public and subsequent commercial success dramatically.

Recruited into The Human League at 17 years old, now in her mid forties she is a joint business partner in the band [Liverpool Echo 02/12/2005 [http://www.the-black-hit-of-space.dk/articles_2005_liverpool_echo.htm] ] which is still recording and performing to this day. The Human League has dominated Sulley's life over the past three decades, she has been a pop star all her adult life and has never had any other full time job.

Early life

Sulley was born in the city of Sheffield. She was raised and spent all her early years in the city; and for her final education attended the city’s Frecheville Comprehensive School in the late 1970s until mid 1981.Her best friend from the age of 13 was fellow life long Sheffield resident and Frecheville student Joanne Catherall. By early 1981 she was calling herself 'Susanne Sulley', a familiar amalgamation of her two first names, a nickname which she had been casually known as at school. In 1980 while still at school she had a part time 'Saturday' job in a Sheffield hairdressing salon and a casual summer job selling ice cream at a Sheffield cinema, the only jobs she has had in her life apart from music [ [http://archive.thisislancashire.co.uk/2004/12/3/455971.html Lanashire Times 2004] ]

1980: The Crazy Daisy story

The story of how Sulley and Joanne Catherall came to join The Human League remains firmly embedded in pop legend. Although verified by all involved, it was questioned at the time in some quarters as a modern Cinderella story or a deliberate publicity stunt.October 1980 saw the acrimonious departure of Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware from the original line-up of the Human League at very short notice. It was decided that Philip Oakey would retain the title of The Human League. Oakey also would be responsible in honouring the current commitments to Virgin Records. One of these commitments included an imminent European tour, and the promoters were threatening to sue Oakey if it wasn't completed as scheduled. With a hostile music press writing off The Human League, Oakey hastily set about finding replacement group members for the tour that was due to statrt in less than a week.

With time rapidly running out before the tour Oakey needed a female backing vocalist to replace the high vocals originally provided by Martyn Ware. Visiting Sheffield city centre on a Wednesday night Oakey spotted two teen-aged girls dancing at the Crazy Daisy Nightclub. With unique dance moves, immaculate make-up, and an ultra-feminine dress style, Oakey felt they would be ideal and both were invited to join the tour. Catherall and Sulley accepted the offer, but then had to convince their parents. Fears were laid to rest when Oakey visited the girls' parents to assure them that, in Oakey's words: "it wasn't a heinous plan to take the girls abroad and sell them"."

Both girls still were studying for their final year at school, but eventually it was agreed that the chance of seeing Europe would be a good opportunity for them. The arrival of "dancing girls" was met with derision by the music press who now were convinced that The Human League were finished. History, however, proved that the girls' arrival in the group would be critical to its success. On completion of the tour both Sulley and Catherall were asked to join the group full time.

1981: "Dare" and "Don’t You Want Me"

In 1981, whilst Sulley was still at school, the group recorded their most commercially-successful album to date "Dare". The release of the album also coincided with the prevalence in use of music video and the launch of MTV. The initial success of "Dare" emboldened the record label (Virgin Records) to finance a (then) expensive and elaborate promotional music video for the single "Don't You Want Me".

In the video Sulley plays a successful actress walking out on her bitter Svengali lover (played by Oakey) who laments her success and departure. Set on a "film shoot" on a wet winter night, Sulley sings directly to the camera whilst walking through the atmospheric set, immaculately made up wearing a distinctive trench coat. The single, aided by the now-classic video was to prove a commercial breakthrough for the group, going to number one in the charts in both the UK and the U.S. [A Band Called The Human League, Alaska Ross 1982, ISBN 0862761034]

It also was the media by which most people remember first seeing Sulley; and in that video she provided one of the iconic images of the 1980s, an image which endures to this day.

Sulley totally refutes the claim, by some, that the song is in any way an analogy about Catherall and her joining the group. It was actually written by Oakey after reading a story in a magazine. Another falsehood often repeated by the media is that she was once actually a real cocktail waitress. When asked about this Sulley points out that she was still at school when "Dare" was recorded and often jokes that she "has never had a proper job in her life". [NME 18 November 1995]

The remaining 1980s

The international stardom that "Dare" brought was to be short-lived. The group took three long years to release their next full album, 1984's "Hysteria". A stop-gap E.P., "Fascination!", was issued in America in 1983. From these releases the group had a number of top-ten singles in the UK and the U.S., including "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" and "Mirror Man" which both charted at number two in the UK. The single "Human" from "Crash" was the group's last real commercial success of the decade, charting at number one in the U.S. and number eight in the UK. From then the group’s mainstream popularity plunged, with subsequent releases not even breaking the top forty. It also was about 1986 that she stopped calling herself Susanne, opting for the more formal Susan.When recently asked to describe that period Sulley now says: cquote|I hated the 1980s, it was horrible ... absolutely all of it. [NME 18 November 1995]

The 1990s

In 1990, the band released their last album for Virgin Records, "Romantic?", which included the minor hit single "Heart Like a Wheel"). The "Romantic?" album did not re-capture the group's huge commercial success of 1981 (with its second single "Soundtrack for a Generation" flopping), and Virgin chose not to renew their recording contract. Although disheartened, the group remained together and persevered with new material. The Human League made a surprise comeback in 1994, now signed to East West Records, with the single "Tell Me When", giving them their first major hit since 1986's "Human", and the accompanying album "Octopus" going Gold.

In 1995 the "Octopus" album gave the UK another hit single with "One Man in My Heart". This was a ballad sung by Sulley on lead vocals, with Oakey and Catherall providing supporting vocals. The stylish accompanying video, set in a Parisian cafe, gave (the now 32 year old) Sulley the best opportunity to demonstrate her considerable screen presence since "Don't You Want Me". Although only moderately successful (it reached number thirteen in the UK charts), it was described years later in the music media as one of the best love songs of the 1990s.

2000 to the present

After two decades in the business, the 21st Century has seen something of a Human League renaissance. Events conspired against the group when, in 2001, record label problems (Papillion Records had financial difficulties and eventually went bust) caused the critically-acclaimed "Secrets" album to be starved of adequate promotion. The album was widely believed to be the group's best since the mid-1980s. Starved of airplay, the single "All I Ever Wanted" didn't realise its full potential.

By now Sulley was being credited by her married name Susan Ann Gayle which caused some confusion with the public when it appeared unannounced on the album credits; although she still remained better known to Human League fans by the name Sulley and she would eventually stop using Gayle as a professional name in 2007.Also in 2001, the group embarked on the "Secrets" tour to accompany the album. The tour was a major success, and demonstrated that the group's strength was as a live act. The tour also proved that they had a huge following - not just as a nostalgia band to those who remember the 1980s material - but also to a new generation with new material.

They regularly play to sell-out venues worldwide. In 2006 they played to an audience of 18,000 at the Hollywood Bowl, and appeared on the network U.S. television show "Jimmy Kimmel Live". In late 2006 The Human League completed another tour of the UK and Europe, again with many venues sold out. The stated main effort of The Human League in the immediate future is the recording of new material, with the possibility of a new studio album; while continuing to play live at a variety of venues both in the UK and Internationally. [Susan Sulley speaking to Falkirk Herald 05/05/2007]

Ms. Sulley, When asked to pick the highlight of her career (in 2004):

Today

Today Sulley still lives in her native Sheffield. She continues to record, perform and tour with The Human League. Off stage she often acts as The Human League’s media 'officer' and is responsible for most interviews, press statements and publicity. She has also guest presented on music TV channel VH1 and is an independent media personality in her own right. She also does occasional charity work in Sheffield.

Film and Television

*1999 "Hunting Venus" (Buffalo Films, D. Martin Clunes) - Played Herself
*2007 VH1 - Presenter

Professional name chronology

Although her birth name is Susan Ann Sulley, she has been known professionally by a number of variants throughout her career, the table below shows the chronology. Because she rarely corrects journalists using an incorrect name, it is possible to find any of these currently in use in the media. [http://www.susanne-sulley.net/bio Online Biography] ]

Awards

* 1982 BRIT Awards - (as 'The Human League') - 'Best British Breakthrough Act'
* 2004 Q Awards - (as 'The Human League') - 'The Q Innovation In Sound Award'

Further reading

* "Story of a Band Called "The Human League" by Alaska Ross (Proteus July 1982) ISBN 978-0862761035

ee also

External links

* [http://www.susanne-sulley.net www.susanne-sulley.net]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1782331/ Susan Sulley on IMDB]

References