Mr. Mister was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop rockPop rock is a mix of pop music and rock music utilizing a catchy pop style with light lyrics, and guitar-based songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
bandRock band redirects here. For the video game series, see Rock Band A musical ensemble is a group of two or more musicians who perform instrumental or vocal music...
of the 1980s. The band's name came from an inside joke about a
Weather ReportWeather Report was an influential jazz fusion band of the 1970s and early 1980s combining jazz and latin jazz with art music, ethnic music, r&b, funk and rock elements ....
record called
Mr. GoneMr. Gone is Weather Report's eighth studio album, and is perhaps best known for receiving a "one-star" rating by Down Beat magazine.According to Down Beat magazine, "Zawinul, Shorter, et al. have made the controversial music a commercial product; unfortunately .....
where they referred to each other as "Mister This" or "Mister That", and eventually selected "Mr. Mister." Mr. Mister may be considered as representative of the melodic sound of 1980s
pop rockPop rock is a mix of pop music and rock music utilizing a catchy pop style with light lyrics, and guitar-based songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
. The band consisted of
Richard PageRichard Page , was the lead singer and bassist in 1980s US band Mr. Mister, and is now a songwriter.-Career:...
on vocals and bass guitar,
Steve GeorgeSteve George was the keyboard player for the 1980s band, Mr. Mister. He co-wrote many of the Mr. Mister songs, together with his childhood friend Richard Page....
on keyboards,
Pat MastelottoPat Mastelotto is a rock drummer who has worked with Mr. Mister and King Crimson, amongst others. For King Crimson he initially formed part of the "double trio" lineup, joining Bill Bruford on drums.- Career :Mastelotto started playing the drums at the age of 10...
on acoustic and electronic drums and Steve Farris on guitars.
Richard PageRichard Page , was the lead singer and bassist in 1980s US band Mr. Mister, and is now a songwriter.-Career:...
had previously worked as a
session musicianSession musicians are instrumental performers or vocalists who are available for hire for live performances or recording sessions, as opposed to musicians who are either permanent members of a musical ensemble or who have acquired fame in their own right as bandleaders...
(for
Quincy JonesQuincy Delight Jones, Jr. is an American music conductor, record producer, musical arranger, film composer and trumpeter. During five decades in the entertainment industry, Jones has earned a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend Award in 1991...
) and had composed for
Michael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson , known as the "King of Pop", was an American musician and one of the most commercially successful and influential entertainers of all time...
,
Donna SummerDonna Summer is an American singer and songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of music, earning the title "The Queen of Disco"....
,
Kenny LogginsKenneth Clark "Kenny" Loggins is an American singer and songwriter best known for a number of soft rock and adult contemporary hit singles beginning in the 1970s...
,
Al JarreauAlwyn Lopez "Al" Jarreau is an American singer. A seven-time Grammy Award winner, he is the only vocalist in history to win in three separate categories: jazz, pop, and R&B...
, and many more.
Mr. Mister was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop rockPop rock is a mix of pop music and rock music utilizing a catchy pop style with light lyrics, and guitar-based songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
bandRock band redirects here. For the video game series, see Rock Band A musical ensemble is a group of two or more musicians who perform instrumental or vocal music...
of the 1980s. The band's name came from an inside joke about a
Weather ReportWeather Report was an influential jazz fusion band of the 1970s and early 1980s combining jazz and latin jazz with art music, ethnic music, r&b, funk and rock elements ....
record called
Mr. GoneMr. Gone is Weather Report's eighth studio album, and is perhaps best known for receiving a "one-star" rating by Down Beat magazine.According to Down Beat magazine, "Zawinul, Shorter, et al. have made the controversial music a commercial product; unfortunately .....
where they referred to each other as "Mister This" or "Mister That", and eventually selected "Mr. Mister." Mr. Mister may be considered as representative of the melodic sound of 1980s
pop rockPop rock is a mix of pop music and rock music utilizing a catchy pop style with light lyrics, and guitar-based songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
. The band consisted of
Richard PageRichard Page , was the lead singer and bassist in 1980s US band Mr. Mister, and is now a songwriter.-Career:...
on vocals and bass guitar,
Steve GeorgeSteve George was the keyboard player for the 1980s band, Mr. Mister. He co-wrote many of the Mr. Mister songs, together with his childhood friend Richard Page....
on keyboards,
Pat MastelottoPat Mastelotto is a rock drummer who has worked with Mr. Mister and King Crimson, amongst others. For King Crimson he initially formed part of the "double trio" lineup, joining Bill Bruford on drums.- Career :Mastelotto started playing the drums at the age of 10...
on acoustic and electronic drums and Steve Farris on guitars.
Early work
Richard PageRichard Page , was the lead singer and bassist in 1980s US band Mr. Mister, and is now a songwriter.-Career:...
had previously worked as a
session musicianSession musicians are instrumental performers or vocalists who are available for hire for live performances or recording sessions, as opposed to musicians who are either permanent members of a musical ensemble or who have acquired fame in their own right as bandleaders...
(for
Quincy JonesQuincy Delight Jones, Jr. is an American music conductor, record producer, musical arranger, film composer and trumpeter. During five decades in the entertainment industry, Jones has earned a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend Award in 1991...
) and had composed for
Michael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson , known as the "King of Pop", was an American musician and one of the most commercially successful and influential entertainers of all time...
,
Donna SummerDonna Summer is an American singer and songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of music, earning the title "The Queen of Disco"....
,
Kenny LogginsKenneth Clark "Kenny" Loggins is an American singer and songwriter best known for a number of soft rock and adult contemporary hit singles beginning in the 1970s...
,
Al JarreauAlwyn Lopez "Al" Jarreau is an American singer. A seven-time Grammy Award winner, he is the only vocalist in history to win in three separate categories: jazz, pop, and R&B...
, and many more. In the late 1970s, he and his childhood friend
Steve GeorgeSteve George was the keyboard player for the 1980s band, Mr. Mister. He co-wrote many of the Mr. Mister songs, together with his childhood friend Richard Page....
founded the band Pages (most notable song: "I Do Believe in You") in
Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the fifth most populous city in the United States...
, from which Mr. Mister was founded in 1980. The two continued to apply their tight harmonies to background vocals on albums by successful pop artists like
Laura BraniganLaura Branigan was a Grammy Award-nominated American singer-songwriter and actress of Italian and Irish ancestry. She is arguably best known for her 1982 Platinum-certified hit "Gloria"...
and the
Village PeopleVillage People is a concept disco group formed in the late 1970s, well known for their on-stage costumes as well as their catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics. Original members were: Victor Willis , Felipe Rose , Randy Jones , Glenn Hughes , David Hodo and Alex Briley...
, while working to break their own material. All four members had done extensive session work for other artists and brought numerous influences to the band.
Mainstream success
When the first Mr. Mister album,
I Wear the FaceI Wear the Face is the debut album released from Mr. Mister, released in 1984 on the RCA label. It was re-released on October 5, 1990.The only single released was "Hunters of the Night" which was co-written with George Ghiz, who was the band's manager at the time...
, was released in 1984, Page was offered the chance to replace
Bobby KimballBobby Kimball is an American singer best known for being a member of the rock band Toto.- Early life:Robert Troy Kimball was born in Orange, Texas, but was raised in nearby Vinton, Louisiana, as Vinton did not have a hospital...
as lead singer of
TotoToto was an American rock band founded in 1977 by some of the most popular and experienced session musicians of the era. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the 1980s, beginning with the band's self-titled debut, released during 1978...
, and later was offered
Peter CeteraPeter Paul Cetera is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitar player and producer best known for being an original member of the rock band Chicago, before launching a successful solo career...
's place in
ChicagoChicago is an American pop rock/jazz fusion band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The band began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had a steady stream of hits...
; he refused both offers.
The second album, 1985's
Welcome to the Real World, with lyrics from Page's cousin John Lang, was the breakthrough for Mr. Mister, with three top 10 singles, two of which hit #1 on the U.S. pop charts (most notably "
Broken Wings"Broken Wings" is a #1 hit song released as a 1985 single by the band Mr. Mister.The band's first single from their 1985 Welcome to the Real World album, "Broken Wings" reached the number one position on the U.S. charts in December 1985, where it remained for two weeks. It was released as the band...
", which was inspired by the
bookThe Broken Wings is a poetic novel written by Khalil Gibran and first published in Arabic in 1912. It is a tale of tragic love, set in turn-of-the-century Beirut. A young woman, Selma Karamy is betrothed to a prominent religious man's nephew. The protagonist, a young man, perhaps even Gibran...
of the same title by
Khalil GibranKhalil Gibran also known as Kahlil Gibran, was a Lebanese American artist, poet, and writer...
). They had several #1
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
videos and headlined the first
MTV Spring Break show in 1986. Mr Mister had several
Grammy AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
nominations, including the 1986 Grammy for "
Best Pop BandThe Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals has been awarded since 1966. The award had several minor name changes:*From 1966 to 1967, the award was known as Best Contemporary Performance - Group ...
" (which was awarded to the "
We Are the World"We Are the World" is a song and charity single recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and co-produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
" ensemble,
USA for AfricaUSA for Africa was the name under which forty-seven predominantly U.S. artists, led by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, recorded the hit single "We Are the World" in 1985. The song was a US and UK Number One for the collective in April of that year...
).
During this time, Mr. Mister toured with other popular acts including
Don HenleyDonald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American rock singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful seven time Grammy Award-winning solo career. His solo hits include "The Boys of Summer", "Dirty Laundry" and "The End of the Innocence"...
,
The BanglesThe Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles through much of the decade.-Formation and early years :...
,
EurythmicsEurythmics are a British musical duo, formed in 1980 by Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart.The pair have achieved significant global, commercial and critical success, selling 75 million records worldwide, winning numerous awards, and have undertaken several successful world tours...
,
Tina TurnerTina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have earned her the title "The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, and
Adam AntAdam Ant is an English musician, who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1979 and 1983, including three No.1s...
. The band's third album was
Go On...Go On... was the third album by American pop band Mr. Mister. It was released in 1987, and featured a more serious tone than their previous album Welcome to the Real World, which was commercially successful...
, which the band said was "some of the best stuff we ever did," showing a much more mature band and a sound that hinted at
progressive rockProgressive rock is a form of rock music that evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility."...
. Nevertheless,
Go On... was not a commercial success.
Guitarist Steve Farris left around 1989, replaced by
Buzz FeitenHoward "Buzz" Feiten is a North American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and session musician.He is best known as a lead and rhythm electric guitarist and for having patented a unique, scientifically-designed tuning system which re-configures its stringboard / neck for more accurate tonality...
and later
Trevor RabinTrevor Charles Rabin is a South African-born musician, best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British progressive rock band Yes from 1983–1994, and since then, as a film composer.- Early years :...
. The band began working on a fourth album,
Pull, with session guitarists, but were dropped by their label before it could be released, and the band decided to break up. The album remains unreleased to this day, although one track ("Waiting in My Dreams") later appeared on a 2001
greatest hitsThe Best of Mr. Mister is a compilation album of the eighties band Mr. Mister's billboard hits and some of their other well known songs. It contains the billboard hits "Broken Wings", "Kyrie", "Hunters of the Night", "Is It Love", Black to White" and "Something Real ." It ends with the previously...
collection by the band. However, in December 2008 Page told the internet
radio stationRadio broadcasting is an audio broadcasting service, broadcast through the air as radio waves from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast common programming, either in syndication or simulcast or both...
95.7 StarFM about plans to release
Pull on his new website: "I'm in the process of getting it back from the record company and publish it on the website." After a Jan. 2009 podcast interview with Page,
Inside MusiCast posted a portion of a follow-up
e-mailElectronic mail, often abbreviated as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages, designed primarily for human use...
from Page stating "The
Pull album might be released. We're talking to the record company about it now."
Post-breakup
After Mr. Mister broke up, Page released a solo record and a band record as
Third MatineeThird Matinee was formed by vocalist Richard Page and Patrick Leonard after the breakup of Page's band, Mr. Mister. The band released one album, Meanwhile , a moderately progressive album with pop rock leanings....
(with
Patrick LeonardPatrick Raymond Leonard is an American songwriter, keyboardist and music producer, known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna on many different recordings....
) in 1994, and continued to write hit songs for many artists including "
I'll Remember"I'll Remember" is a song by American recording artist Madonna. It was released on March 8, 1994, by Warner Bros. Records as the soundtrack single of the 1994 film With Honors...
" (with Leonard and Madonna), a 1993 hit for
MadonnaMadonna is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance...
. Two years later, he released
Shelter Me, his first solo album. Steve George worked extensively as musical director with Kenny Loggins and
JewelJewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actress, and poet. She has received three Grammy Award nominations and has sold twenty-seven million albums worldwide, and almost twenty million in the United States alone.Kilcher debuted on February 28,...
. Steve Farris went on to work with
Rod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer and songwriter born and raised in London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English lineage....
,
WhitesnakeWhitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1977 by David Coverdale . The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple but by the mid eighties Whitesnake had moved away from the early blues-rock influenced heavy metal to a more commercial hard rock style.They were recently...
,
Tori AmosTori Amos is a pianist and singer-songwriter of American citizenship. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
(during her tenure in
Y Kant Tori ReadY Kant Tori Read was a 1980s synthpop band, fronted by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. The band released one album, also called Y Kant Tori Read, which was largely unsuccessful, perhaps in part because Atlantic Records abandoned promoting the record completely after only two months of release...
), and
4 Non Blondes4 Non Blondes were an American rock band formed in 1989. They consisted of bassist Christa Hillhouse, guitarist Shaunna Hall, drummer Wanda Day and vocalist Linda Perry. Prior to the release of their first album, Roger Rocha replaced Hall on guitar, and Dawn Richardson replaced Day on drums. They...
. Pat Mastelotto recorded several hits with
The RembrandtsThe Rembrandts is an American popular-rock musical band formed by Phil Solem and Danny Wilde in 1989. They had previously worked together as members of Great Buildings in 1981....
,
Jude ColeJude Cole is a singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, manager, film composer and actor. Cole recorded the 1990 single "Baby, It's Tonight", which reached the top 20 on the Billboard chart. Cole's song, "Time for Letting Go", was also a top-40 hit....
,
Cock RobinCock Robin is a U.S. pop-rock band, mostly popular in the 1980s, particularly in Europe where they were to become famous. The band was founded by singer-songwriter Peter Kingsbery in 1982, split up in 1990, and was reformed in 2006.-History:...
,
MartikaMarta Marrero and better known by her nickname/stage name, Martika, is an American pop singer and actress.-Early life and career:...
, as well as alternative bands (
XTCXTC were a New Wave/Alternative rock band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. Though the band enjoyed some significant chart success, including the UK hits "Making Plans For Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , they are better known for their long-standing critical success than...
,
Robyn HitchcockRobyn Rowan Hitchcock is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar....
,
The SugarcubesThe Sugarcubes were an Icelandic alternative rock band formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. They received critical and popular acclaim internationally.-History:...
), and many others. Since 1994, Mastelotto has been a member of
King CrimsonKing Crimson is a progressive rock band founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969. They have typically been categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, although they have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation drawing from jazz, classical and...
and done thousands of live shows and participated in several Crimson records, including producing and mixing the
King Crimson ProjectsThe ProjeKcts is a 1999 box set of four live albums recorded between 1997 and 1999 by four side projects of the band King Crimson, known as ProjeKcts.-Overview:...
. He also currently runs several side projects including Mastica,
TUTU is a band formed by Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto. They released one eponymous album in 2003.They opened for Tool on its 10,000 days tour on a few dates.-Track listing:#"Untamed Chicken"#"Absinthe & a Cracker"#"The NOOOSE"#"XTCU2"...
, Tuner, and
KTUKTU is a progressive/experimental musical supergroup. In 2004 Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto started collaborating with Kimmo Pohjonen and Samuli Kosminen, forming KTU out of their respective duos TU and Kluster.-History:...
. Mastelotto is also a member of the melodic rock band Mecca.
Albums
- 1984 - I Wear the Face
I Wear the Face is the debut album released from Mr. Mister, released in 1984 on the RCA label. It was re-released on October 5, 1990.The only single released was "Hunters of the Night" which was co-written with George Ghiz, who was the band's manager at the time...
- #170 U.S.
- 1985 - Welcome to the Real World - #1 U.S. (1 week), #6 UK
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus.To qualify for the UK albums...
(RIAA: Platinum)
- 1987 - Go On...
Go On... was the third album by American pop band Mr. Mister. It was released in 1987, and featured a more serious tone than their previous album Welcome to the Real World, which was commercially successful...
- #55 U.S.
- 1989 - Pull - (unreleased album)
U.S. compilations
- 1999 - Broken Wings: The Encore Collection
Broken Wings: The Encore Collection is the first U.S. compilation album of the eighties band Mr. Mister. It contains the billboard hits "Broken Wings", "Kyrie", "Hunters of the Night", "Is It Love" and "Something Real ." The album contains all full album versions of the songs except for "Broken...
- 2001 - The Best of Mr. Mister
The Best of Mr. Mister is a compilation album of the eighties band Mr. Mister's billboard hits and some of their other well known songs. It contains the billboard hits "Broken Wings", "Kyrie", "Hunters of the Night", "Is It Love", Black to White" and "Something Real ." It ends with the previously...
Singles
| Year |
Song |
U.S. Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|
U.S. MSR Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock stations are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981 issue...
|
U.S. A.C. |
Canada The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
|
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
|
Album |
| 1984 |
"Hunters of the Night "Hunters of the Night" is the first single and hit song released by the band Mr. Mister. The song is from their 1984 debut album, I Wear the Face.-Background and music:...
" |
57 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
I Wear the Face |
| 1985 |
"Broken Wings"Broken Wings" is a #1 hit song released as a 1985 single by the band Mr. Mister.The band's first single from their 1985 Welcome to the Real World album, "Broken Wings" reached the number one position on the U.S. charts in December 1985, where it remained for two weeks. It was released as the band...
" |
1 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
Welcome to the Real World |
| 1986 |
"Kyrie "Kyrie" was a #1 hit song by the 1980s pop/rock band Mr. Mister, from their 1985 album Welcome to the Real World. Released in late 1985, it hit the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in March of 1986, where it was #1 for two weeks. It also hit the top spot on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks...
" |
1 |
1 |
11 |
1 |
11 |
| 1986 |
"Is It Love "Is It Love" is a 1986 single by the band Mr. Mister, and is the third single from Welcome to the Real World. The song hit #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in June of 1986...
" |
8 |
17 |
- |
20 |
- |
| 1986 |
"Black/White" |
- |
- |
- |
93 |
- |
| 1987 |
"Something Real (Inside Me/Inside You) "Something Real" is a 1987 single by the band Mr. Mister, and is the first single from Go On.... The song hit # 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1987.-Track listing:7" Single#"Something Real " - 4:19#"Bare My Soul" - 4:31...
" |
29 |
27 |
- |
38 |
- |
Go On... |
External links