For a decade, suave Tony Hadley was the voice and image of Spandau Ballet, guiding the one-time New Romantic act to global success, crooning a string of smash hits like "To Cut A Long Story Short, "True," "Gold," and "Through The Barricades." Born on June 2, 1960 in Islington, Hadley had won a small singing competition in 1974 with his rendition of Gary Puckett's "Young Girl." In July of 1979, Hadley joined forces with guitarist Gary Kemp and Steve Dagger, who were putting together a band which soon was christened Spandau Ballet. The group would become a regular on the UK charts and, although their success in the States would be limited, they did manage to score with the mammoth hit "True," which hit #4 in late 1983 after topping charts world-wide. By the late ‘80s, the hit-making run was ending and group members were pursuing other interests. In 1991, hip-hop duo revived "True," sampling the song for their smash "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss" with Hadley making an appearance in the video. By this time, Hadley had signed a solo deal with EMI and would release his solo debut, The State Of Play, the following year. The record would chart a trio of minor singles in the UK, of which "Lost In Your Love" would be the most successful (although failing to crack the Top 40). Five years later, Hadley would return to the charts Tin Tin Out's hit "Dance With Me." He would also release his second solo outing that year with a self-titled album comprised mostly of covers including versions of Duran Duran's "Save A Prayer," Bryan Ferry's "Slave To Love," and Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'." Although it would fail to regain him commercial clout, Hadley continued to perform live at European festivals with the occasional record being released. ~ Tom Demalon, All Music Guide