John Waite

One thing John Waite has come to understand during his illustrious career in music, is that you live and learn best the hard way. Take nothing for granted, maintain your integrity. And that's just what he's done over the past 30 years in the cuttthroat music industry.

Read the exclusive interview with John Waite!

How did you promote yourself and your music when you were first starting out?

The idea was to play as much as possible. Sometimes to simply play for free. It was all about the love of music. That drive carried me into a career.

Did you ever doubt yourself or think about giving up?

Giving up was never an option. It’s what I do. Whether you are selling a million or ten records it’s all the same. It’s who I am.

What's the wackiest thing you ever did to try and get a gig or sell a record?

I’m doing it now.

What other ways do you express yourself creatively outside your music?

I paint. I was an art student in England for 4 years. I have a diploma in graphic design. I still draw though not as much as I should.

How much did others encourage you to express yourself at an early age?

I have a musical family. Music was always playing in the house. The teachers at school encouraged me to paint and draw. The bad teachers were cynical and destructive but the good ones always tried to encourage me. Art was all I was good at.

What is your community today, and how do you stay connected to it?

The world. Were all in this together. I try to carry myself with in mind wherever I go.

Do artists and musicians have a responsibility to be leaders in their communities?

If the artist is skilled at communication. Some art isn’t positive. Just because it’s called art doesn’t make it important.

Who do you aspire to be compared to?

Donald Duck

Who are you sick of being compared to?

Mickey Mouse

Do you think music can change the world?

Plato said “Music can change politics. Music is more powerful than we think. Rock ‘n’ Roll has changed everything in the last 25 years. John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” was instrumental in ending the war in Vietnam.

Have your political views changed over the years?

I still see things the same but with more experience. I’m anti-violence but if I had to fight I probably would.

Your idea could be worth $25,000. Visit www.ideasHappen.com.

As a solo artist and as the lead singer of the Babys and Bad English, John Waite was a fixture of album-oriented rock radio stations during the '70s and '80s. Waite had a talent for power ballads and driving arena rock, occasionally touching on new wave-styled power pop, as well. Though he didn't consistently have hits, several of his songs -- including "Missing You," the Babys' "Isn't It Time," and Bad English's "When I See You Smile" -- became radio staples.

John Waite formed the Babys in London, England, in 1976 with Wally Stocker (guitar), Mike Corby (vocals, keyboards), and Tony Brock (drums). Initially conceived as a teen pop band, the group earned a record contract based on the strength of a video demo they constructed with producer Mike Mansfield. Chrysalis pushed the band heavily, resulting in "Isn't It Time" becoming a hit in the U.S. and U.K. in 1977. As their career progressed, the group began to experiment with synthesized, new wave-inspired power pop, which resulted in a handful of minor hits. Jonathan Cain became the band's keyboardist in 1978, and he and Waite developed a close relationship. When Cain left the Babys to join Journey in 1981, the group disbanded.

Waite began his solo career the following year, releasing Ignition on Chrysalis. While the album generated the minor hit "Change," his second album, 1984's No Brakes, became a genuine Top Ten hit on the strength of the number one single "Missing You." While "Missing You" was an international smash, eventually becoming one of the best-remembered songs of the early MTV era, No Brakes produced only one other hit, the Top 40 "Tears." Its failure to produce another blockbuster was indicative of how Waite's solo career would proceed. Mask of Smiles (1985) barely managed a Top 40 entry ("Every Step of the Way"), but Rover's Return (1987) produced no hits, bringing Waite's career to a standstill.

With his career stalled, Waite formed the supergroup Bad English with former Babys Jonathan Cain and Ricky Phillips (bass), ex-Journey guitarist Neal Schon, and drummer Deen Castronovo. The group's eponymous debut, released in 1989 on Epic Records, became a platinum success after the power ballad "When I See You Smile" became a number one hit. "Price of Love" was a Top Ten hit in the wake of "When I See You Smile," but their 1991 follow-up, Backlash, suffered from one. Bad English broke up shortly after the album's release. Waite resumed his solo career in 1995, releasing Temple Bar on Imago. Several albums appeared on various labels as the 21st century got under way, including Figure in a Landscape and Live & Rare Tracks from Gold Circle and One Way Records, respectively, in 2001, followed by Hard Way on Hard Brakes in 2004 and Downtown Journey of a Heart on Frontiers in 2006. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide