Londonbeat

Londonbeat — British-American pop group At the end of 1980’s an American singer Jimmy Helms decided to establish a new band. The lineup included American musicians Jimmy Chambers and George Chandler as well as a British guitar player William Henshall. They called the band Londonbeat. In 1988, in the Netherlands, the band released its debut single "Killer Drop / One Blink / Beat Patrol". The song didn’t make it into the charts, but the group kept working hard. Soon they released the new track "There's a Beat Going On" and "9 A.M. (The Comfort Zone)", which reached good spots on Dutch, British, and New Zealand charts. All three singles were featured on Londobeat’s debut album, Speak, which came out the same year. In 1989, the band released its fourth single, "Failing in Love Again", which reached the 11th spot on the Dutch charts and the 60th on UK Singles Chart.

The year 1990 was very important for the band. The group presented its most famous hit, "I've Been Thinking About You". The song immediately conquered the hearts of dance music lovers all over the world and topped the charts in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and 10 more countries, including Zimbabwe. The track topped Billboard Hot 100 in April. The song was highly commercially successful and earned a variety of platinum, gold, and silver certificates in different countries. At the peak of its popularity, in the early 1990’s, the band was touring the world. Their concert schedule was so tight that it was impossible to book Londonbeat for any private events. However, the fans kept trying, making the band even more popular. In 1990, the group released its second LP, In the Blood, which featured the hit "I've Been Thinking About You". Another hit, "A Better Love”, was also included in the album. The LP reached the 21st spot of Billboard 200 and the 34th position in UK Albums Chart. It also reached top-20 on the charts of other countries, including Switzerland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden.

In 1991, Londonbeat recorded a cover of Bob Marley’s "No Woman, No Cry". It became a hit in many European countries, including the Netherlands, where it climbed to the 14th spot of the national chart. In 1992, the band released a new single "You Bring on the Sun", which was highly successful in Germany and the Netherlands. The next two singles, which were about to be featured in the upcoming album, weren’t as popular but still made it into the chart. In September, the next LP, Harmony, came out. It reached the 15th spot on the Dutch chart but didn’t appear on UK Albums Chart. In the early 90’s, the band was touring the world and had little time for studio work. For example, in 1994, they released only one single, "Come Back", which made it into Billboard Hot 100 and settled on the 69th spot. Shortly, the band presented its fourth studio LP, Londonbeat. After the release, the group went on a hiatus.

In 2001, the lineup has changed. George and William left the group and were replaced by Myles Kayne and Marc Goldschmitz. In 2003, Londonbeat signed a contract with a German label Coconut and released a new single "Where Are U", which was successful in Germany. In November, the 5th LP, Back in the Hi-Life, came out. A year later the next album, Gravity, appeared. Neither of the last two albums made it into the world charts. The band continues working on new music and performing live.