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Paul Hardcastle

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Paul Louis Hardcastle
Birth namePaul Louis Hardcastle[1]
Also known asDeff Boyz[2]
Born (1957-12-10) 10 December 1957 (age 66)[1]
OriginKensington,[1] London, England, United Kingdom
GenresSynth-pop, freestyle, electronica, ambient, electro house, breakstep, smooth jazz, new age
Occupations
Instrument(s)Synthesizer, keyboards, piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussion, programming
Years active1981–present[3]
LabelsChrysalis, Motown, V2, Profile, Trippin 'N' Rhythm
Websitepaulhardcastle.com

Paul Louis Hardcastle[1] (born 10 December 1957)[4] is a British composer, musician, producer, songwriter, radio presenter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his song "19", which went to number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 1985.[5]

Early life

Born in Kensington in London on 10 December 1957,[4] he is the son of Joyce (née Everett, 1930–1991) and Louis Hardcastle (1915–2000).[1]

Career

Hardcastle began his career in 1981 when he became the keyboard player for British soul band Direct Drive.[3][6] In 1982, Hardcastle and lead vocalist Derek Green left the band to form a duo under the name First Light. They achieved some minor success in the UK charts, but the project was abandoned after two years and Hardcastle pursued a solo career.[3]

He achieved some success with his early singles, including the 1984 electro-funk/freestyle/instrumental track, "Rain Forest", which along with the track "Sound Chaser", reached number two on the dance chart.[7] "Rain Forest" also hit number five on the soul chart and number fifty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100.[8] Rain Forest, the album both tracks were released on, was nominated for Best R&B Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist) in the 28th Annual Grammy Awards. Musician by Ernie Watts would win the award that year.[9][10]

Hardcastle is best known for the 1985 single "19", which went to No. 1 in the UK (for five weeks),[11] as well as several other countries worldwide. It also reached number 15 in the U.S. Pop chart and number 1 in the U.S. Dance charts. The song received the Ivor Novello Award for Best-selling single of 1985.[12] The follow-up single to "19" was "Just for Money", which reached No. 19 in the UK. It also charted in several other European countries.[5]

In 1986, Hardcastle released a remix to "One Wish" by Hiroshima.[13] In the same year, Hardcastle's "The Wizard" was adopted as the theme tune for the BBC's Top of the Pops weekly chart show. The theme tune was used from 3 April 1986 to 26 September 1991.

The song "Don't Waste My Time", became Hardcastle's second UK top ten in March 1986.[5] It featured singer Carol Kenyon, a backing vocalist of Heaven 17. In late 1986, Hardcastle collaborated with the supergroup Disco Aid (later rebranded as Dance Aid in 1987) co-producing the charity single "Give Give Give".[14]

In 1989, Hardcastle resumed working on First Light, collaborating with vocalist Kevin Henry, whom he had worked with on previous recordings.[15]

Using his alias Deff Boyz,[2] he released the single Swing in 1990. It reached number 84 on the English charts,[16] number 27 in Germany,[17] and number 18 in the USA.[18]

Since the 1990s, Hardcastle has recorded several synth jazz albums, alternating releases under the pseudonyms Kiss the Sky (with Jaki Graham) and the Jazzmasters, as well as under his real name.[3]

Personal life

Hardcastle married Dolores Baker in 1985,[19] and they have three children including British DJ and singer Maxine as well as musician Paul Hardcastle Jr. who both contributed vocals to Hardcastle's Transcontinental, a 2011 collection of new music recorded with Ryan Farish.

Discography

Studio albums

Year Title Label Peak chart positions Certifications
UK
[5] 		US
[20] 		US R&B
[21] 		US Jazz
[22]
1985 Zero One
(with Universal Funk) 		Bluebird/10 Records, EMI Music[23] — — — —
Rain Forest Profile Records — 63 30 —
Paul Hardcastle Chrysalis Records 53 — — —
1988 No Winners — — — —
1989 Sound Syndicate
(also known as Are You Ready...) 		AJK Music, K-Tel International — — — —
1993 Time for Love Fast Forward Records, JVC[25] — — — —
1994 Feel the Breeze JVC — — — —
1996 Look to the Future — — — —
1996 Star of the Story — — — —
1997 First Light Connoisseur Collection — — — —
2009 Zer01 Hardcastle Music — — — —
2012 Perceptions of Pacha VIII
(remixed by Nacho Marco) 		Pacha Recordings — — — —
2012 19 Below Zero Hardcastle Music, Universal Music — — — —
2014 Moovin & Groovin Trippin 'N' Rythmn Records — — — 7
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Smooth jazz albums

Hardcastle series

Year Title Label Peak chart positions
US
[20] 		US R&B
[21] 		US Jazz
[22]
1994 Hardcastle Hardcastle Records, JVC, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records 182 35 2
1996 Hardcastle II — — 7
2002 Hardcastle III Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — — 9
2005 Hardcastle 4 — — 2
2008 Hardcastle 5 Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records 176 — 5
2011 Hardcastle VI — — 4
2013 Hardcastle VII — — 3
2018 Hardcastle VIII — — 6
2020 Hardcastle IX — — 17
2022 Hardcastle X — — 14
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Jazzmasters series

Year Title Label US Jazz
[22]
1993 The Jazzmasters Fast Forward Records, Hardcastle Records, JVC, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records 16
1995 The Jazzmasters II Hardcastle Records, JVC, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records —
1999 The Jazzmasters III Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records 5
2004 The Jazzmasters 4 —
2006 Jazzmasters V —
2010 Jazzmasters VI[26] Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records —
2014 Jazzmasters VII 1
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Chill Lounge series

Year Title Label US Jazz
[22]
2012 The Chill Lounge, Volume 1 Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records 12
2013 The Chill Lounge, Volume 2 10
2015 The Chill Lounge, Volume 3 11

Kiss the Sky with Jaki Graham

Year Album Label
1991 Kiss the Sky JVC, Motown Records[3]
1994 Millennium Skyway
(also known as Kiss the Sky II) 		Hardcastle Records, JVC[3]

Transcontinental with Ryan Farish

Year Album Label
2011 Transcontinental (6-song EP) Rytone Entertainment[27]

Compilations

Year Title Label US Jazz
[22]
1993 The Definitive Paul Hardcastle Connoisseur Collection —
1996 The Very Best (The Gold Collection) EMI Music —
1997 P.H. (Paul Hardcastle Works) JVC —
1997 Cover to Cover: A Musical Autobiography Hardcastle Records, JVC, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records[28] 12
2000 Jazzmasters: The Greatest Hits Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records 5
2003 The Very Best of Paul Hardcastle 1983–2003 Jazz FM Records —
2004 Jazzmasters: The Smooth Cuts Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records[29] 17
2009 Paul Hardcastle: The Collection Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records[30] 8
2011 Desire: The Ultimate Seductive Album Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records[31] 6
2013 Electrofied 80s: Essential Paul Hardcastle Music Club Deluxe (division of Demon Records) —
2015 19: The 30th Anniversary Mixes Nusic Sounds, Caroline International —
2016 The History of Paul Hardcastle 1984–2016 Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records —
2023 Nineteen and Beyond: 1984–1988 Chrysalis Records[32] —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
[5][33] 		US
[34] 		US Dance
[34] 		US Jazz
[35] 		US R&B
[34] 		IRE
 SWI
 NOR
 GER
 NLD
 SWE
 ATR
 ITL
 FR
 AUS
[36] 		NZ
"You're the One for Me / Daybreak / A.M." 1984 41 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — The Definitive Paul Hardcastle
"Guilty" 53 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Eat Your Heart Out" 59 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Rain Forest
"King Tut" — — 10 — 32 — — — — — — — — — — —
"Rain Forest" 1985 41 57 2 — 5 — — — — — — — — — — —
"19" 1 15 1 — 8 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 15 10 1 Paul Hardcastle
"19 (German Version)" — — — — — — — — 17 — — — — — — —
"Just for Money" 19 — — — — 15 27 — 31 — — — — — — —
"Don't Waste My Time" 1986 8 — 31 — 65 15 9 — 15 12 — — — — 66 20
"Foolin' Yourself" 51 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — The Definitive Paul Hardcastle
"The Wizard" 15 — — — — 10 — — 51 — — — — — — —
"Walk in the Night" 1988 54 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — No Winners
"40 Years" 53 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Are You Ready" 1989 90 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Sound Syndicate
"Galaxy of Love" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Serene" 2005 — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle IV
"Marimba" 2008 — — — 3 — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle V
"Lucky Star" — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — —
"The Circle" 2009 — — — 8 — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle VI
"Rain Forest" / "What's Going On" 2011 — — — 16 — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Easy Come, Easy Go" — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — —
"No Stress (At All)" 2013 — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle VII
"Easy Street" — — — 2 — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Unlimited Love, Pt. 1" 2014 — — — 7 — — — — — — — — — — — — Moovin & Groovin
"Rhythm of Life" 2015 — — — 3 — — — — — — — — — — — — Jazzmasters VII
"Echoes Rising" 2016 — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — The History of Paul Hardcastle
"Cut Loose" 2018 — — — 3 — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle VIII
"Amber Skies" — — — 5 — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Happy Go Lucky" 2019 — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Dancing Galaxies" 2020 — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Latitude" — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle IX
"Welcome to the Beach" 2021 — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Tropicool" — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — —
"Wavelength" 2022 — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle X
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Unreleased promotional tracks

This is a list of several unreleased tracks that were made by Paul Hardcastle that were originally intended to have been used to promote the Lego Bionicle toyline in 2001.

These tracks were originally meant to have been included with the Bionicle Power Pack CD package that was later released in the same year.

Title Year Album Label
Bionic Age (also referred to as the Bionicle Age) 2001 Extreme Global Hardcore Warner Chappell Music (division of Warner Music Group)
Killing Machines (also known as the original full version of The Bionicle Music track that was cut following the final release of the CD & later uses in commercials for the toyline) 2001 Extreme Global Hardcore Warner Chappell Music (division of Warner Music Group)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Birth of Paul Louis Hardcastle", England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2005.
  2. ^ a b "BBC - Top of the Pops 2 - Where Are The Now?". BBC Online. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Collar, Matt. "Paul Hardcastle - Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b Sexton, Paul (1993). The Definitive Paul Hardcastle (Liner notes). Connoisseur Collection.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Paul Hardcastle - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  6. ^ "Top of the Pops 2: Where Are They Now? - Paul Hardcastle". BBC. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003. Record Research. p. 117.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 244.
  9. ^ "Paul Hardcastle". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Ernie Watts". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  11. ^ McAleer, Dave; Gregory, Andy; White, Matthew (15 November 2010). The Virgin Book of British Hit Singles, Volume 2. Random House. p. 210. ISBN 9780753522455.
  12. ^ "NUA - Paul Hardcastle Biography". Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  13. ^ Chin, Brian (10 May 1986). "Dance Trax" (PDF). pp. 39–40. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  14. ^ "Disco Aid is Back". Blues & Soul (538–551). Napfield Limited: 6–10. 1987. Retrieved 24 April 2022 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ Blues & Soul, Issues 552-563. Napfield Limited. 1990. p. 14. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  16. ^ https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/26361/deff-boyz-and-tony-mac/
  17. ^ "Deff Boyz - Songs".
  18. ^ "Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021.
  19. ^ "Marriage of Paul Louis Hardcastle and Dolores Baker", England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916–2005.
  20. ^ a b "Chart History - Paul Hardcastle: Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Chart History - Paul Hardcastle: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  22. ^ a b c d e "Chart History - Paul Hardcastle: Jazz Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  23. ^ "Zero One – Paul Hardcastle – Releases – AllMusic". AllMusic.
  24. ^ "Paul Hardcastle - Paul Hardcastle (album)". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Time for Love". Amazon.co.uk.
  26. ^ "The holidays are coming and so is Jazzmasters 6 – Paul Hardcastle". Chatterboxworldwide's Blog. 8 December 2009. Archived from the original on 12 December 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  27. ^ "Transcontinental - EP by Paul Hardcastle & Ryan Farish". Music.apple.com. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  28. ^ "Cover to Cover – Paul Hardcastle – Releases – AllMusic". AllMusic.
  29. ^ "Jazzmasters: the Smooth Cuts – Paul Hardcastle – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic.
  30. ^ "The Collection - Paul Hardcastle | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  31. ^ "Desire – Paul Hardcastle – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic.
  32. ^ "Nineteen And Beyond: Paul Hardcastle 1984–1988". Chrysalis Records. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  33. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 243. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  34. ^ a b c "Paul Hardcastle Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  35. ^ "Chart History: Paul Hardcastle - SMOOTH JAZZ SONGS". Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  36. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 133. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  37. ^ "Paul Hardcastle - 19". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
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