East 17 — British band
In 1991, an aspiring musician Tony Mortimer brought his work to the recording label London Records. The songs were approved by the company, which offered Tony a contract. One of the contract clauses included forming a boyband according to the label’s wishes. That’s how East 17 appeared. Besides Tony, the lineup included Brian Harvey, John Hendy, Mark Briggs, and Terry Coldwell.
According to the rumors, the name East 17 (or East-17) was chosen because Tony’s birth town Walthamstow’s postal code is E17.
In early 1992, the band released its first official single, “House of Love.” It immediately became an international hit. Unexpectedly, the song topped Israeli, Swiss, and Finnish charts. It also entered top-10 in Germany, Austria, and the UK. In 1993, the song reached the 3rd spot in Japan and came in fifth on ARIA charts. In the USA, the song made it into Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and settled on the 41st position. Eventually, the single earned a gold certification in Switzerland, Australia, and Germany.
In November 1992, the debut album, Walthamstow, came out. Besides "House of Love", it featured two more singles, "Deep" and "It's Alright", which climbed to the fifth and third spots of the UK Singles Chart accordingly.
