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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZFORDHAM, Julia(b 10 Aug. '62, England) Classy torch singer who was a member of Mari Wilson's Wilsations for two years and worked as a backing singer for Kim Wilde. Her eponymous first album on Virgin '88 had her trying to touch all the crossover bases, didn't quite make the top 100 albums in the USA but stayed in the chart there 25 weeks. There were two top 40 singles in the Adult Contemporary chart '89 and her album Porcelain that year saw her more in control; it reached the US top 75 early '90 (but only stayed 20 weeks) along with another top 40 single in the grownup chart. Swept '91 did not chart but presumably big people bought it. She had two pieces of bad luck: '(Love Moves In) Mysterious Ways' was featured in a big-budget film, but The Butcher's Wife '91 was actress Demi Moore's only box-office flop; a duet with Peter Cetera (ex- Chicago) was to be used in Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves '91, but the producers chose Bryan Adams instead, putting a rock band in mediaeval Sherwood Forest (the Adams single was a US no. 1 for seven weeks, 15 in UK). Her rich multi-octave voice had some grit beneath the AOR surface; she made friends with Joni Mitchell, whose husband Larry Klein prod. Falling Forward '94, and Michael Bolton decided that she was too good to continue opening for him on tour, a good sign. |