Jack Hues

Jeremy Allan Ryder, better known as Jack Hues (born 10 December 1954), is an English singer, songwriter and musician who is best known for forming and fronting the 1980s English new wave band Wang Chung.

Hues was also a member of the one-off band Strictly Inc.

Jack Hues was born on 10 December 1954 in Gillingham, Kent, England, the oldest of four children of Robina (née Pratt) and Allan Sidney Ryder.

He was an avid listener to artists such as the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix before becoming interested in progressive rock groups like Yes and Genesis.

Hues then found a passion in classical music, and attended London's Goldsmiths College to study music.

After three years, he went on to attend the Royal College of Music.

It was at this time that Hues befriended Dave Burnand, who went on to be a member of Huang Chung.

After one year at RCM, he decided on leaving to pursue a career in music.

With the rising punk music movement around England in the late 1970s, the two formed together as 'The Intellektuals' in mid-1977.

Two years later, Hues and Feldman formed the band, '57 Men'.

While in 57 Men, the two met future Wang Chung drummer Darren Costin.

Like their first band together, Hues and Feldman broke up within eighteen months, but took along Costin.

In 1977, Hues answered an advertisement in the British weekly music magazine, Melody Maker.

This was the first time he met future Wang Chung bass guitarist Nick Feldman.

In late 1979 the threesome became referred to as Huang Chung (anglicization of Chinese words meaning "Yellow Bell").

They released several singles in 1980 for the independent music company, Rewind Records.

In May 1981 Huang Chung signed a recording contract with Arista Records for a two-album deal.

The next year the band released their self-titled debut studio album.

By 1983 the spelling of the band's name was changed to Wang Chung, and Hues became the band's lead vocalist.

The Quartet is signed with Helium Records, headed by Chris Hughes who helped produce Wang Chung's Points on the Curve in 1983.

After the summer tour for Points on the Curve in 1984 Costin left the band to pursue a solo career.

Despite not having a full-time drummer, Wang Chung continued to thrive.

For the next six years, Wang Chung enjoyed success, especially in the UK and US.

The director of the film, William Friedkin, chose Hues because of his work on his 1985 film To Live and Die in L.A..

Before Wang Chung's break-up in 1991 Hues scored the soundtrack of the supernatural horror film The Guardian (1990).

He also made a solo studio album, The Anatomy Lesson, in 1992 for Sony Records.

However, for reasons unknown, his solo debut album was shelved.

In 1994, Tony Banks of Genesis heard samples of Hues' work.

He admired it and asked him to compose a new album together.

On 11 September 1995 Strictly Inc. was released.

The studio album received mixed reviews.

In 1997 Hues and Nick Feldman briefly reunited for the release of the compilation album Everybody Wang Chung Tonight: Wang Chung's Greatest Hits.

In 2000, Wang Chung performed in the Club 80's Flashback Tour and headlined a tour of their own afterwards.

In the early 2000s, Hues began teaching songwriting at Christ Church University in Canterbury.

In 2003, Hues was one of the founding members of a jazz-influenced quintet with Sam Bailey called Illuminated.

Their inspirations included Miles Davis, Johannes Brahms, and Aphex Twin.

Eventually the quintet became The Quartet.

In 2005, Wang Chung appeared on the competition reality show Hit Me, Baby, One More Time to perform "Everybody Have Fun Tonight".

They lost the round to Irene Cara.

Their debut studio album Illuminated was released in 2007 and their second Shattering in 2008 – both released to critical acclaim.