The Belle Stars
The Belle Stars are an all-female British pop group from London, active from 1980 to 1986. They form after splitting from the Bodysnatchers and perform with a line-up that includes Sarah-Jane Owen on lead guitar, Stella Barker on acoustic guitar, Miranda Joyce on saxophone, Clare Hirst on saxophone and keyboards, Judy Parsons on drums, Lesley Shone on bass, and Jennie Matthias as lead singer. Their sound sits within classic pop and rock, with associations to new wave and 1980s British pop.
Chart success
Between 1982 and 1983, The Belle Stars score four UK Top 40 hits: “Iko Iko”, “The Clapping Song”, “Sign of the Times”, and “Sweet Memory”.
Later activity and film use
After the group splits, Miranda Joyce, Sarah-Jane Owen and Lesley Shone continue as a three-piece version of The Belle Stars and have a US dancefloor hit with “World Domination” in 1986. Their song “Check In, Check Out” appears on the soundtrack to the Whoopi Goldberg film The Burglar. “Iko Iko” is later used in the film Rain Man, which helps turn it into a surprise US Top 40 hit in 1989.
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