The Belle Stars

Biography

The Belle Stars were an all-female British pop/rock band formed in 1980 in London, England, emerging from the breakup of the 2-Tone ska band The Bodysnatchers. Original members included guitarists Sarah-Jane Owen and Stella Barker, saxophonist Miranda Joyce, keyboardist Penny Leyton, drummer Judy Parsons, bassist Lesley Shone, and lead vocalist Jennie Matthias (also known as Jennie Bellestar), with early involvement from Black Sabbath keyboardist Gerald Woodroffe. Their first performance occurred on Christmas Day 1980 before they settled on a name, quickly gaining traction in London's music scene and signing with Stiff Records, which featured acts like Madness.[1][2][3][4]

Fun Facts

• Their first live performance was on Christmas Day 1980, before the band had even chosen its name.[1][2][3]
• "Iko Iko" became a major US hit in 1989 after featuring in the Rain Man soundtrack, a favorite of Dustin Hoffman, reaching #14 on the Billboard Top 100 despite being released years earlier.[2][4]
• After most members left, the remaining trio of Sarah-Jane Owen, Miranda Joyce, and Lesley Shone continued as a three-piece, adopting a Bananarama-style unison singing approach and scoring a US dance chart hit with "World Domination" at #2 in 1986.[1][2][4]
• In 2019, four previously unreleased tracks from an abandoned second album were released as Turn Back the Clock.[4]

Members

• Stella Barker - original
• Clare Hirst
• Miranda Joyce - original
• Jennie Matthias - original
• Sarah‐Jane Owen - original
• Judy Parsons - original
• Lesley Shone - original

Musical Connections

Key Collaborators

• The Bodysnatchers - predecessor band from which key members split off (early ska performances) [1979-1980]
• Gerald Woodroffe - keyboardist recruited early on (initial performances) [1980]
• Peter Collins - producer for key single ("Sign of the Times") [1983]
• Clare Hirst - replacement keyboardist/saxophonist (various singles including "Iko Iko") [1981-1984]

Artists Influenced

• Jennie Matthias (Jennie Bellestar) - lead singer who continued in new projects post-breakup (Big 5 ska-punk band albums, Dance Like A Mother singles) [1990s]

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #classic-pop-and-rock