Toni Childs

Infobox musical artist
Name = Toni Childs


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Background = solo_singer
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Alias =
Born = Birth date and age|1957|10|29|mf=y Orange, California
Died =
Origin =
Instrument = Vocals, Guitar
Genre = Alternative rock Singer-Songwriter
Label = A&M Records DGC Records 429 Records
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Toni Childs (born October 29, 1957) is an American singer-songwriter from Orange, California. She has released three full albums and is best known for her songs "Don't Walk Away" (a Hot 100 hit in the United States in 1988) and "I've Got To Go Now", a Top 5 hit in Australia in 1991. In New Zealand she has achieved six Top 40 hit singles and three platinum albums.

Early life

Childs was born in Orange, California, but lived in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nevada during her childhood. Raised in a household dominated by her parents' religious values, Childs stated in a 1988 article for "Time" magazine that she and her three brothers "were not allowed to listen to pop music or rock or even go to the movies. There was a lot I missed out on." [Cocks, Jay. " [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,967610-2,00.html Catching The Sweet, Scary Feelings] ". "Time". 6 June 1988.] At the age of 15, Childs ran away from home and became a blues musician. In 1972, she saw Pink Floyd in concert and decided to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter." [http://www.tonichilds.com/bio/index.html Toni Childs: A Biography] . tonichilds.com]

Career

Childs joined the band Berlin in 1979, but left to form her own group before the recording of Berlin's first album. Her first band, Toni Childs and the Movers, included Jack Sherman (later to become a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Micki Steele (later a member of the Bangles). The Los Angeles-based band performed and toured for two years but did not release an album. In the summer of 1981, after the Movers had disbanded, Childs performed various improvised sets of music at Madame Wong's West and the Cathay de Grande clubs in Los Angeles under the name "Nadia Kapiche" with musicians including Steve Schiff (guitar), Micki Steele (bass), Mark Buchholtz (keyboards/sax), Richard Larsen (keyboards/sax), and any drummer that was available at the time. Demo (recording) sessions were also done in Hollywood with most of this band, with Ed Warnecke on drums. Still Childs was searching for her niche. Childs says now "I didn't know who I was", and that she was "trying to grab the brass ring like everybody else. Then I got out of town and went completely in another direction".

In 1981, she signed a song publishing deal with Island Music which financed her move to London. There she lived in an empty office of a local recording studio, sweeping floors and dusting consoles in exchange for rent and recording experience. While in London, Childs put together a new band called "Nadia Kapiche" which included Dave Rhodes (who has worked with Peter Gabriel), Mike Cotzi (Shreikback), Martin Swaine (The Waterboys, World Party), Steve Creese (World Party) and Duncan Kilburn (The Psychedelic Furs). [http://www.dharmajester.com/nadia_kapiche.html Nadia Kapiche] . DharmaJester.com] They performed in clubs and supported U2 at one of their early gigs. During her stay in the vitally global music scene of early-80s London, the seeds of world music were planted, later to be heard on Child's first album. In 1983, Childs provided backing vocals on Scottish band The Europeans' track "A.E.I.O.U". Band member Steve Hogarth later returned the favour by doing the same on Childs' debut album "Union". [" [http://www.btinternet.com/~europeans/Lyrics.htm Europeans & How We Live illustrated lyrics & song index] "]

In 1985, after returning to L.A., Childs was signed to A&M Records and soon began to work with songwriter/producer/musician David Ricketts (of David & David) on the soundtrack for the film "Echo Park", and provided backing vocals for David & David's album "Boomtown", on a track titled "Ain't So Easy".

"Union"

In 1988, Childs' debut album "Union" was released. Recorded in London, Paris and Swaziland, the album was an infusion of rock/pop and world music with its strong African percussion. The album garnered considerable critical acclaim, and though it peaked at #63 in the US, it was certified gold in 1995 by the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) for having shipped 500,000 units (with 180,000 of these recorded since Soundscan began tracking sales in 1991" [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002465345 Union Fire] ". Ask Billboard. 9 May 2006] ). It also enjoyed two weeks at #1 in New Zealand and was certified 5x platinum there (75,000 copies). Later that year, Childs was nominated for two Grammy Awards — Best New Artist and Best Rock Vocal Performance (female). Her first national tour was opening for Bob Dylan.

As with all of her albums, Childs wrote or co-wrote all the tracks for "Union". She embarked on a relationship with her "Union" collaborator David Ricketts, living and working together, and Union has much to do with their relationship. In a 1988 article that praised Childs' originality and the craftsmanship of "Union", "Time" magazine said, "if she can get an album like Union from a single relationship, the music she makes from the rest of her life should really be extraordinary".

In 1989, Childs recorded a cover version of Jimmy Cliffs' "Many Rivers to Cross" as part of the soundtrack for the film "Lost Angels".

"House of Hope"

Her follow-up album "House of Hope" yielded a large hit in Australia with "I've Got To Go Now", but it did not sell well in the US and she was dropped from the A&M label. According to Soundscan, "House of Hope" has sold 203,000 units in the US since its release in 1991. The title track was featured on the "Thelma and Louise" soundtrack, and instrumental excerpts from "Heaven's Gate" have been used in American television shows. The album covered some rather dark ground — such as domestic abuse in "I've Got To Go Now", world troubles in "House of Hope", incest and sexual abuse in the harrowing "Daddy's Song", addiction in "Where's The Light" and "Put This Fire Out", and death in "Heaven's Gate", "Dead Are Dancing", and "Three Days". Of the album, Childs stated she believed that "when we have the courage to share our darkest parts and our purest nature with each other we are evolution in action. We are creating our own 'House of Hope'". [" [http://www.tonichilds.com/music/house_of_hope.html House of Hope] ". tonichilds.com] Like its predecessor, it achieved platinum status in New Zealand.

"The Woman's Boat"

Following her departure from A&M, Childs was signed by DGC Records, a subsidiary of Geffen Records. She then released her third album, "The Woman's Boat", in 1994. The album's emphasis on femininity and womanhood was framed by the opening track "Womb" and the closing track "Death". Cameos on the album from Peter Gabriel, Robert Fripp, and Zap Mama echoed the world beat of her earlier albums. "The Woman's Boat" features more programming and computer-based textures than the previous two albums, notably "Welcome To The World" and the single "Lay Down Your Pain", and it contains some darker tracks such as "Predator" and "I Just Want Affection", mixed with mellow highlights "Long Time Coming" and "I Met A Man" (featuring Peter Gabriel). While the album did not elicit a lot of reviewer response, "Q" magazine described it as "epic" in its scope. Although she was nominated for another Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Performance, the album sold poorly, and Childs was again left without a recording label. Accordingly to Soundscan, "The Woman's Boat" has sold 66,000 units in the US since its release in 1994.

Childs recorded another album, tentatively entitled "Bare", in 1996, but could not find a label to release it. Also in 1996, "The Very Best Of Toni Childs" was released, becoming the fifth biggest-selling album of 1996 in Australia on the back of a belated release of her cover of Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross", which she recorded in 1989. The "Best of" collection also became her third platinum-selling top-10 album in New Zealand. She retired from touring in 1997 after contracting Graves' disease and starting the "Dream a Dolphin" charity.

Because You're Beautiful and "Keep The Faith"

Eve Ensler, the founder of V-Day, met Childs in early 2003 when Childs was performing in a production of Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" in Kauai, Hawaii. Ensler was already a big fan of Childs' music, which she claims had a profound impact on her and had been a lifeline. [http://www.myspace.com/thetonichilds Toni Childs] . MySpace.com] Ensler asked Childs to write an anthem for her documentary "Until The Violence Stops". Childs wrote and released a song entitled "Because You're Beautiful", which was awarded the 2004 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music & Lyrics.

Childs now resides in Hawaii where she has made a recovery from Graves Disease and has slowly re-entered into performing live and recording. In a surprise appearance, in October 2006, Childs took the stage at Darcy's Pub in Victoria, British Columbia at an "open mike" night.

She has recorded a new album entitled "Keep the Faith", which has seen her once again team up with David Ricketts who collaborated with her on her critically acclaimed debut album twenty years earlier. The new album draws heavily from material Childs wrote in the mid 1990s and she has stated that "Keep The Faith" is "an apt title given personal and world events". It consists of 11 new songs and the track "Because You're Beautiful". Originally available direct from the artist, "Keep The Faith" is due to be distributed on general release in the United States by 429 Records (part of the Savoy group of record companies) from January 2009. It is also expected to be available in New Zealand, distributed by MGM Distribution Pty Ltd. The album was released in Australia in August 2008 featuring first single "One Life". Childs will be touring the country in September 2008.

Discography

Albums

*"Union" (1988) – (A&M Records). #63 US (Gold), #19 Germany.
*"House of Hope" (1991) – (A&M Records). #115 US.
*"The Woman's Boat" (1994) – (DGC Records).
*"The Very Best Of Toni Childs" (1996) – (Polydor, A&M Records).
*"Toni Childs: Ultimate Collection" (2000) - (Hip-O Records).
*"Keep The Faith" (to be released in 2009) - 429 Records, MGM Distribution Pty Ltd.

Filmography

*"Toni Childs - The Videos" (VHS) (1989)

ingles

References

External links

* [http://www.tonichilds.com/ Toni Childs website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/thetonichilds Toni Childs MySpace page]
* [http://www.myspace.com/tonichildsofficialfansite Toni Childs MySpace fan page]