From 1982’s sultry “White Wedding” and “Eyes Without A Face” to 1990’s thumping power ballad “Cradle Of Love,” Billy Idol has consistently delivered fist-pumping hits. Idol combines the energetic spirit of punk rock with the sleek sound of new wave.
English-degree student William Broad entered the embryonic 1970s punk scene with Chelsea and later Generation X, where his smouldering looks and ever-present sneer made him a standout among the MTV-driven Second British Invasion.
Born on November 30, 1955
The spiky blonde rocker from London first made his name as a member of Generation X in the ’70s. He then launched a solo career that found him at the forefront of the second British Invasion and MTV.
Idol embraced all the cliches that come with being an international rock star in the ’80s. From his sex-charged hit “White Wedding” to 1984’s anthemic “Rebel Yell” and the seductive “Eyes Without A Face,” to the sleazy “Mony Mony,” Idol had America swooning for him.
Michael Henrichsen spent two years trying to convince Billy Idol to play his 26th birthday party in Seattle, Washington. Henrichsen’s persistence paid off, and Idol walked the walk Friday at Showbox SoDo. His ’80s cover band even got to open the show. The event raised money for local charities.
Born in Goring-on-Thames
Idol attended Orpington College before retaking his entrance exams to attend Sussex University. However, his education was soon interrupted by the punk rock scene, which captured his imagination more than his studies. He became a member of the Bromley Contingent, a loosely organized group of fans that followed the band Sex Pistols around the London music venues.
He joined the Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1976 and later the bands Chelsea and Generation X. He later launched a successful solo career that gained him international recognition and made him one of the lead artists during the MTV-driven second British Invasion in the United States. His moniker “Billy Idol” stemmed from a school instructor’s description of him as idle and helped him develop his bad boy persona.
Idol spent much of the 1990s keeping his personal life private, but he made a comeback with Devil’s Playground and Kings & Queens of the Underground. He also took part in a charity show and performed at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.
Education
The son of an RAF pilot and his wife, Billy Idol attended the Ravensbourne School for Boys and Worthing High School before studying at Sussex University. While there, punk rock captured his imagination and he began hanging out at the Malcolm McLaren Sex clothes shop. Idol joined the Bromley Contingent, a group of punks inspired by bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Clash, and the Sex Pistols.
In 1976, Idol quit the band he was playing with and became a member of Chelsea, where he played guitar and eventually became the lead singer. Idol moved to New York City in 1981 and released his first solo album, Billy Idol, with Steve Stevens on guitar and Phil Feit on bass. The album‘s singles included White Wedding and Dancing with Myself. In 1993, he followed up with the album Cyberpunk, which was criticized for being padded with pretentious speeches and sampled dialogue. He has since starred in several films and television shows.
Career
William Michael Albert Broad, better known as Billy Idol, became an integral part of the punk rock revolution, crossing over into ’80s pop mainstream and becoming one of MTV’s first stars. His music combines anger, subtlety, rhythm and romance to form an artful, original, attractive noise, as well as a seductive persona that lustily embraces the cliches of rock and roll.
Idol has never been afraid to take risks — in the music he makes, as well as the way he lives his life. His penchant for speed, danger and sex drove him to leave New York in 1987, a city where his rock star dreams collided with the devilish debauchery that he loved.
But his spirit of invention wasn’t dead yet. He forged ahead, introducing the spacious and mobile grooves of dance music to rock by insisting that Generation X record a dub mix for their single “Youth, Youth, Youth”; and he was ready when MTV arrived with its demand for new sounds and visuals.