Paul Rutherford (Frankie goes to Hollywood)
For 4 ecstatic, exhausting years, Paul Rutherford was one fifth of the biggest band in the world. Frankie Goes to Hollywood weren’t just the musical phenomenon of the 80s, they were beyond a marketing man’s most ambitious dream.
Liverpool born Paul Rutherford is best known as the flamboyant backing vocalist, dancer and keyboardist in the hugely successful and equally controversial Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
Following the band’s split in 1987, he became their first member to launch a solo career a year later with the seminal acid house anthem Get Real produced by Sheffield popsters ABC and his debut album Oh World in 1989.
Before finding fame with Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Paul studied fine art at college and worked in a San Francisco antiques shop before he became a regular on his hometown’s live circuit, performing in bands the Spitfire Boys, the Opium Eaters and Hambi & the Dance.
In February 1983, Frankie Goes to Hollywood were invited to record a video for Relax by The Tube, the key music show on fledgling network Channel 4. The iconic clip was shot at the State Ballroom in Liverpool. After the broadcast, their John Peel session was repeated on radio and a new session recorded for the B.B.C. These performances, along with a repeat of the Tube video, convinced Trevor Horn to sign the group for his new label, ZTT Records, in May 1983.
After emigrating to New Zealand, Paul released his belated second solo album in 2010, The Cowboy Years, under the guise of Paul Rutherford/Butt Cowboys, while a year later his debut was reissued with several B-sides and remixes.
Following the band’s split in 1987, he became their first member to launch a solo career a year later with the seminal acid house anthem Get Real produced by Sheffield popsters ABC and his debut album Oh World in 1989.
Before finding fame with Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Paul studied fine art at college and worked in a San Francisco antiques shop before he became a regular on his hometown’s live circuit, performing in bands the Spitfire Boys, the Opium Eaters and Hambi & the Dance.
In February 1983, Frankie Goes to Hollywood were invited to record a video for Relax by The Tube, the key music show on fledgling network Channel 4. The iconic clip was shot at the State Ballroom in Liverpool. After the broadcast, their John Peel session was repeated on radio and a new session recorded for the B.B.C. These performances, along with a repeat of the Tube video, convinced Trevor Horn to sign the group for his new label, ZTT Records, in May 1983.
After emigrating to New Zealand, Paul released his belated second solo album in 2010, The Cowboy Years, under the guise of Paul Rutherford/Butt Cowboys, while a year later his debut was reissued with several B-sides and remixes.
Paul is now available to DJ an Eclectic mix of music along with Classic House sets including a live PA of “Get Real” to more the contemporary electronic sounds of today.