911

911 are a UK boy band formed in 1995 by Spike Dawbarn and Jimmy Constable, who first meet while working as dancers on the television show The Hitman and Her. They recruit Lee Brennan after he is recommended by their Scottish manager, Steve Gilmour. The group is based in Glasgow and builds an early following through school and under-18 club tours across Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Early releases and record label

After failing to secure a major record deal, the group and their management team Backlash set up their own label, Ginga Records, in 1996. Their first independent single, Night To Remember, enters the UK chart at number 38. The follow-up, Love Sensation, appears on the soundtrack to the film Casper and reaches number 21 in the UK. It also becomes the group’s only US hit.

Mainstream success

The success of those early singles leads to a deal with Virgin Records. Their first release for the label, Don’t Make Me Wait, reaches number 10 in the UK and gives them their first top ten hit. Their debut album, The Journey, becomes a major success in the UK, Europe and Asia and yields six singles. They sell out 35 theatre dates for their first headline tour.

Their next albums, Movin On and There It Is, follow soon after and produce further top five hits including More Than A Woman, All I Want Is You and Private Number. By the end of 1998 they headline an arena tour and the Smash Hits Tour.

Later releases, tour activity and split

In January 1999 the group scores a UK number one single. In September 1999 they release their 13th and final single, Wonderland, alongside a greatest hits collection and the album A Little Bit More. They complete a sold-out arena tour in October that year. In January 2000 they tour Asia and perform sold-out shows in China, becoming one of the first Western pop acts to do so since Wham! in the 1980s.

The trio split in February 2000 during an appearance on BBC Radio 1. In 2013 Lee Brennan, Jimmy Constable and Spike Dawbarn reunite for ITV2’s The Big Reunion.

Members

The group consists of Lee Brennan, Jimmy Constable and Spike Dawbarn. Their sound is associated with contemporary R&B, pop, pop soul and teen pop.