Born on September 5: Sal Solo, new wave voice of Classix Nouveaux

Christopher Scott Stevens for the civil status, Sal Solo was born in 1961 in Hatfield, England.

Sal Solo began his musical career with the band The News. Between late 1979 and 1985, he joined Classix Nouveaux, formed by former members of X-Ray Spex. This punk band boasted a high-pitched singer who went by the pseudonym Poly Styrene, so adopting a singer named Sal Solo didn't bother them too much. Nor did his tall, bald, beanpole look...

The band most often associated with the New Romantic movement is distinguished by a synthetic pop repertoire and, above all, a stunning theatrical aesthetic. Floating between Ultravox and Japan, the band never really won over their compatriots, with the exception of "Is It A Dream," which reached the Top 10 in 1981. Just for the title alone, I admit a soft spot for "The Robots Dance," their very first single a year earlier.

Classix Nouveaux, however, racked up a few Top 5 hits in Portugal, Israel, Iceland, and especially in Poland, where "Never Never Comes" narrowly missed the top spot. After three albums, among which "La Vérité" (1982) remains the most interesting, the band threw in the towel, and it must be said that, at the time, their music had aged considerably.

After the breakup of Classix Nouveaux in 1985, Solo began a career... a solo one (obviously), which featured vocal arpeggios, a sort of electronic gospel, as seen on "San Damiano (Heart and Soul)," which Poland once again propelled to the top of the charts. This turning point was closely linked to a spiritual pilgrimage he made to the San Damiano community in Italy. Since the album "Heart & Soul" (1985), this return to the Catholic faith has marked compositions that combine his synthpop style with a strong Christian sensibility. Before moving to the United States, he recorded three albums of Christian music for the specialist label Word Records.

Becoming as much a preacher as a singer, Sal Solo now uses music to invite his listeners to follow him on the path of Christian faith. Will you convert?

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo : © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Sal Solo with Classais Nouveaux on the set of the show Génération 80 in Brussels (Belgium) in 1982.