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The Duran Duran Timeline
<< 1960s 1970s 1978 >>

The band members teenage years. They attend high school, and gather inspirations, attitude, fashion, and creative awareness.

1970[]

Date Event
? Andy is having a hard time at Whitley Bay Junior and Comprehensive School. He said "I totally lost interest in school, become a real bum and drop-out, never used to go at all. And then I became the black sheep kid at school cos I had long hair and played in groups, and all the rest of the lads were going camping or something. I wasnt into that." (source)
? John paints metal toy soldiers. "He didn't really have much homework to do. He spent a great deal of time painting toy soldiers. It was a very complicated and very skilled job. He was very enthusiastic, and we used to take him to exhibitions all over the country." (Article).
Apr ? Simon (?) starts at Pinner County Grammar School; the same school that Elton John had attended some years previously. (YT source)
April Simon (11) is awarded the Richmond Festival Cup for his choir boys solo. (source)
Apr 26 Roger Taylor is 10 years old today.
Apr 28 A photo of Simon is printed in the local newspaper, Midweek Observer and Gazzette. (source, background).
May 30 Stephen Duffy is 10 years old today.
? Simon sees A Hard Day's Night by The Beatles, when he was "About 11, or something?". Simon remembers thinking "Cor, that looks like fun!". Simon sights this as the moment when he first wanted to be involved in a band, having previously experienced stage acting. (YT source)
? Roger becomes "obsessed" with . The Jackson Five.
Jun 20 John Taylor is 10 years old today.
? John enjoys listening to the Radio in the living room, and often listen to Radio Luxembourg.
Oct 27 Simon Le Bon is 12 years old today.
Dec 8 Warren Cuccurullo is 14 years old today.

1971[]

Date Event
Feb 16 Andy Taylor is 10 years old today.
? Simon grows his hair long for the role of a Page Boy in The Critic. He keeps the long hair until at least 1974.
Mar Simon plays a page-boy in a production of The Critic.
Apr 26 Andy Wickett is 10 years old today.
Apr 26 Roger Taylor is 11 years old today.
? Simon (12) makes his first ever record with Mr. Turvey, the Church organist in Pinner.
? Simon moves to Nower Hill High school, on George V avenue, Pinner. (YT source (0:42))
May 30 Stephen Duffy is 11 years old today.
Jun 8 Nick Rhodes is 9 years old today.
Jun 20 John Taylor is 11 years old today.
? Simon sings at the Northwood and Runslip Music Festival, winning the first prize trophy by some margin, and is asked to sing an encore. (source)
? Simon performs at the Watford Festival Prizewinners concert. (source)
Sep John (11) starts at Redditch Grammar School.
? John paints metal soldiers, and plays wargames with longtime friend David Twist (who attends school with Nick Bates, see Dec 1973)
? Nick and John find they live right around the corner from each other in Hollywood (a suburb of Birmingham).
late Simon hears A Horse With No Name on the radio, and wants to listen to the song again so much, he realises the only way he will have control of the song is to go out and buy it. (YT source (4:10))
late Simon buys his first record - A Horse With No Name by rock band America. (YT source)
Oct 27 Simon Le Bon is 13 years old today.
Dec 8 Warren Cuccurullo is 15 years old today.

1972[]

Date Event
Feb 16 Andy Taylor is 11 years old today.
Mar Simon is listed under Chorus of Gondoliers & Contadine, Men at Arms & Pages in the production of The Gondoliers by Gilbert & Sullivan.
Apr 26 Roger Taylor is 12 years old today.
May 9 Simon (13) makes his London West End debut at the Cambridge Theatre in a production of Tom Brown's Schooldays, which included Keith Chegwin and Russell Grant.
May ? Simon is recorded with the cast of Tom Brown's Schooldays on a Decca album, late during production. Recorded in one day at the Decca recording studio, near Charlton Athletic Football Ground.
May The Decca album of Tom Brown's Schooldays released. Tom Brown's Schooldays (acetate). Simon sings a solo line of the song "In The Swim", which is "swing the right kind of bat".
? Simon buys A Clockwork Orange (soundtrack), featuring instrumental music that would later open Duran Duran shows during 2008 and 2009.
? Andy's parents split up Andy's mother Blanche leaves the Taylor family; some time later his father remarries, to Sandra, who brings Andy's two step-sisters to join the family. Note: some sources say Andy got his first electric guitar this same year.
Jun 8 Nick Rhodes is 10 years old today.
Jun 14 Dominic Brown is born today.
Jun 20 John Taylor is 12 years old today.
? John helps Cousin Eddie with his paper round, and also gets into Eddie's record collection and David Bowie.(ITTPG)
Jul 6 Thursday 6th of July 1972 is when Nick claims to have seen David Bowie for the first time, performing Starman on Top of the Pops. This is the moment he wanted to become a musician. (YT source (18:20)), (YT source (Starman))
? Andy receives first "real" guitar.
Aug Roxy Music debut on Top of the Pops, seen by John; he says the fashion "changed everything for me".
Sept John attends Redditch County High School.
? John is put in the most disruptable class in school, and does not fit in with anybody. (ITTPG)
? John is kicked out of music class at school for showing more interest in Alice Cooper than in the standard curriculum.
? Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards form their first band, the Big Apple Band, in New York City.
Oct 27 Simon Le Bon is 14 years old today.
? Simon's second job was for a printing company, a book tearer - ripping the book bindings from mis-printed books all day long; which he kept up for two weekends. (YT source (from 27:00))
Nov 9 Roger Taylor attends his first concert; The Jackson Five at The Odeon Birmingham England. (YT source)
Dec 8 Warren Cuccurullo is 16 years old today.

1973[]

Date Event
Feb 16 Andy Taylor is 12 years old today.
? All three Le Bon Brothers are seen in a 1973 Agency Z card. The trio is presented as "Le Bon Boys". The caption says "All sing and dance. Commercials". It is unknown if Jonathan, David and Simon found work as a result of this ad. (Image).
Apr 6 Drive-In Saturday single is released by David Bowie and the Spiders From Mars on Friday the 6th of April.
Apr 14? During a hot sunny drive in his car, on a Saturday, Simon (14?) hears "Drive-In Saturday" on the radio and decides to buy the full album. At the record store he has a choice of the Spiders from Mars album, or Aladdin Sane (released April 13th 1973). He chooses Aladdin Sane as it was the more recent album. (YT source (5:14)), (YT source (5:00)).
? The Big Apple Band and their Bronx friends New York City go out on tour to promote the NYC album, and latest single I'm Doing Fine Now. The single is a success, reaching #17 on the Billboard 100 by the end of June. (Chart Peak). The Big Apple Band would perform as NYC's backing group whilst on tour. (German TV clip), (German TV Clip).
Apr 26 Roger Taylor is 13 years old today.
May 5? Due to the success of I'm Dong Fine Now, The Big Apple band open for The Jackson Five during the first(?) American leg of their 1973 tour. Nile becomes friends with Michael, and later played on his greatest hits album HiStory. (YT source)
? Nile Rodgers buys a new guitar, a white Fender Acoustasonic Stratocaster, which he would later call "The Hitmaker".
Jun 8 Nick Rhodes is 11 years old today.
? Nick's first concert was seeing Gary Glitter live at Birmingham Town Hall. Gary only performed here in 1973, date unknown. (YT source)
? John is still skiving off school, and has become a master at forging report cards, changing E to B+, and forging his parents signatures. (ITTPG)
? David Bowie performs at Birmingham, attended by Nick (age 10) (but not John). Nick says this was the moment he decided he wanted to be in a band. Note, this is probably false. (source).
Jun 20 John Taylor is 13 years old today.
? Photo of John, perhaps age 13? (JT 13?).
Jul 3 John (13) hears the news that David Bowie had stopped performing as Zippy Stardust, announced from the stage of the Hammersmith Odeon, on the 8:30 news, sitting on a school bus. He claims it was like hearing the Queen had abdicated.
Sep ? Andy (12) starts at Marden High School in Cullercoats. "It was great having an older brother at the same school", brother Ronnie recalls. "Right handy. He used to stop me from getting beat up. He was quite tough too, but very clever, artistic and always interested in music." (source).
Oct 27 Simon Le Bon is 15 years old today.
Nov 10? Nile Rodgers flies to London, but his luggage (guitar?), money and passport are stolen before they are stowed on the aeroplane. While Nile is stranded and trying to get a new passport, a British girlfriend takes him to see Roxy Music at the Rainbow Theatre. Roxy had just released their third album two months earlier. Nile was blown away by Brian Ferry, and the band's style, and phoned a friend in New York saying the band had "Chic". He would later claim this event was significant to the formation of Chic. (YT source)
Dec 8 Warren Cuccurullo is 17 years old today.
Dec ? David Twist introduces Nick (11) and John (13) at a music swap meet.

1974[]

Date Event
Feb 16 Andy Taylor is 13 years old today.
Apr 26 Roger Taylor is 14 years old today.
May 3 Sterling Campbell is 10 years old today.
? John (13) reads Diary of a Rock’n’Roll Star by Ian Hunter, he says "changed my life at 13. It was all I needed to know about life on the road, and that my life ahead lay on a freeway somewhere between Chattanooga and Memphis." (source).
? Andy is now playing professionally at the age of 13.
? David Black secures Andy Taylor an audition with a covers band. At thirteen, Andy leaves high school and tours men's clubs around Northern England for £30-40 a week.
? Warren graduates from Canarsie high school, plays in local New York bands, gives guitar lessons, and travels to any Frank Zappa show within 500 miles, trying to meet Zappa and submit tapes of his guitar work.
? Roger begins drumming along with his favorite records, and occasionally with local bands.
? John begins washing cars for money to spend on his hobbies: wargames and music.
? Simon sings "Feeling Groovy" on the First Impressions show for UK ATV (ITV). Video says 1974 but SLB claims 1973. (YT source)
Jun 8 Nick Rhodes is 12 years old today.
Jun 20 John Taylor is 14 years old today.
Sept Nick attends Woodrush High School, at 93 Shawhurst Lane, Hollywood.
? Nick buys his first record -- David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, released 1972.
? John goes around to Nicks house to look and talk about his Ziggy Stardust posters.
? John goes with Nick to attend his first concert - Mick Ronson at the Birmingham Town Hall.
Oct 27 Simon Le Bon is 16 years old today.
Oct 27 Simon has sex for the first time, on his 16th Birthday, in his Mum and Dad's bed. (YT source)
Nov 30 John and Nick attend a concert by The Faces at Birmingham Odeon. source,(Set).
Dec 8 Warren Cuccurullo is 18 years old today.

1975[]

Date Event
Feb 16 Andy Taylor is 14 years old today.
Mar Simon played the part of 'Mr Podgers' in Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime by Constance Cox; based on a short story by Oscar Wilde. In the critique of the play it was said ‘I think the fortune - telling charlatan Mr Podgers managed to suggest that he felt somewhat ill at ease in his formal dress. He certainly looked “no gentleman”. ’Simon Le Bon as Mr Podgers expressed by voice & movement the common bounder & outsider.’ (source)
Apr 26 Roger Taylor is 15 years old today.
May 1 Nick and John attend a concert by Genesis at the Birmingham Hippodrome.(source), (Set)
? Sterling Campbell begins playing drums at 11.
Jun 8 Nick Rhodes is 13 years old today.
Jun 20 John Taylor is 15 years old today.
Sep John and Nick stand in line for hours to get tickets to a Roxy Music show.
Oct 22 John and Nick attend a concert by Roxy Music at Bingley Hall. (source), (Set),(Roxy History)
Oct 27 Simon Le Bon is 17 years old today.
Dec 8 Warren Cuccurullo is 19 years old today.
Dec 9 Nick and John attend a concert by Queen at the Birmingham Odeon. (source), (Queen History).

1976[]

Date Event
Feb 16 Andy Taylor is 15 years old today.
Apr ? John (16) finishes at Redditch Grammar (High) School, and thinks about getting into selling cars; his fathers business.
Apr 26 Roger Taylor is 16 years old today.
? Roger works in a yacht shop and buys his own boat.
Jun 8 Nick Rhodes is 14 years old today.
Jun 20 John Taylor is 16 years old today.
? Roger (16) sells his boat to buy a drum kit, sets it up in his bedroom, and drives his parents crazy.
? Simon hears about punk music for the first time, but doesnt take it seriously. (YT source (7:00))
? Roger joins his first band is called The Ripper Band. (YT source)
? The Big Apple Band tour with a collection of cover songs. (YT source (You Should Be Dancing)), (YT source (Get Away))
Oct 27 Simon Le Bon is 18 years old today.
Oct 31 Warren Cuccurullo meets Frank Zappa at Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden, NY. He is introduced by Davey Moire, FZ's sound engineer.
Dec 8 Warren Cuccurullo is 20 years old today.
Dec ? Simon and kids at school dress up on stage in garbage bags/bin liners in sympathy for the punk movement. (YT source (7:00))

1977[]

Date Event
? Big Apple Band recruit drummer Tony Thompson, formerly with Labelle and Ecstasy, Passion & Pain, to join the band; they performed as a trio doing cover versions at various gigs.
Feb 16 Andy Taylor is 16 years old today.
Mar Simon played the part of Henry VIII, King of England, in A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt. A critique says, ‘Simon Le Bon as Henry gave a remarkable portrayal of the bluff, extrovert king, arrogant & intolerant of all opposition. Apart from a few lapses into a faultless London accent, he really sounded like a monarch’. (Source).
Mar 4? Andy Taylor attends a life-changing AC/DC concert in 1977, at the Newcastle Mayfair Theatre (Ref.). AC/DC first played there on March 4th 1977 and also October 14th 1977, and May 5th 1978. (Date Ref.). It was not long after this that he joined The Gigolos.
Mar 17 John and Nick attend a concert by T.Rex and The Damned. (Source), (Set).
Apr 26 Roger Taylor is 17 years old today.
Spring Power Station Studios is created from a Consolidated Edison power plant, at 441 West 53rd Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood in Manhattan, New York City. Power Station Studios was founded and designed by Tony Bongiovi, who designed its wooden rooms specifically for multitrack recording to achieve a live sound. The studio was named "Power Station" in relation to the building's original use. One of their first clients was Big Apple Band/Chic. (Image: 1930s), (Streetview: The Building Today)
May? Roger joins punk band Crucified Toad.
May Simon tries out for a commercial for Coca Cola, which was designed in a 1950's style. There was a lot of cross-over with punk due to the rock and roll music. While on the set, he meets someone with the punk fashion look, and thinks it looks amazing. He falls in love with the 'mental violence' in the way they dressed. (YT source (8:00))
May 20 Simon attends The Stranglers at Brunel University, along with punk band 'London' (who had a hit with 'Everybody's a Winner'). Simon (18) said this was his first concert. (YT source)
? Andy joins pop punk band The Gigolos, which soon changes its name to Motorway.
? Andy's Motorway signs a singles deal with A&M Records, and put out their first and only record, a single called "Teenage Girls".
? Warren becomes friends with Frank Zappa and his band (including Vinnie Colaiuta, Patrick O'Hearn and Terry Bozzio, who had recently begun living with girlfriend Dale.
? Bernard Edwards and Nile Rogers recruit singers Norma Jean Wright, and Alfa Anderson, along with keyboardist Raymond Jones (previously in the EPP band with Tony Thompson).
Summer The Big Apple Band record their first demo song; "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" at Power Station Studios, New York. They take the song to all the major labels, but nobody is interested. (source).
Summer The Big Apple Band are renamed to Chic, to avoid confusion with another group.
Jun 8 Nick Rhodes is 15 years old today.
Jun 20 John Taylor is 17 years old today.
? Roger in the studio working on demos with Crucified Toad. (YT source (1:20))
? A Newcastle contest for punk bands under 16 offers as a prize the opportunity to be recorded in studio; the producer is unable to be there and offers Andy a chance to fill in.
? Andy (16) produces a single for the contest winners, Ward 34 (who were about thirteen at the time).
? John (17) joins first "real" band, Shock Treatment, with singer David Twist.
? John makes a poster for Shock Treatment, using his student artist skills to carve up newspaper headlines. (Poster).
? Photo of Shock Treatment. (Image).
Jul Shock Treatment: Forshaw Heath Rugby Club, Birmingham, England
John plays his first live show; TV Eye, which Dave Twist would later join, also played that night.
? Roger moves on to join another punk band, the Scent Organs (frequently referred to as Sex Organs), with singer Jeff Thomas.
? The Scent Organs take turns rehearsing at band members' houses, until Roger's mother arranges for them to practice at the local church hall.
? The vicar turns The Scent Organs out of the church hall for annoying the neighbours.
Aug 22 Shock Treatment plays: Rebecca's, Birmingham, UK (with The Verdicts and The Prefects)

"My first band - Shock Treatment [...] played their debut gig at Rebecca's club in Birmingham in late '77....we couldn't play a note...the guitarist (John Taylor - later of Duran Duran) simply made a 'bar' across all the strings with his left hand and strummed till he, literally, bled. Gareth, our bass player, stood with his back to the crowd, Stu Sutcliffe style, to hide his lack of ability. My lack of ability as a rather camp 17 year old Johnny Rotten wannabe was all too apparent. We left the stage to stunned silence." -- Dave Twist, Sleazegrinder Magazine

? Shock Treatment plays a couple more dates supporting The Prefects.
Sept Simon signs up for one term (September - April) at Harrow Technical Collage, as an Art student.
Sept 30 Chic finally get their song "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" released as a 12" record, pressed by the small independent Buddah Records label, with B-side São Paulo. The song becomes very popular on the dancefloors.
? Andy Taylor forms a punk band Automatic Pop with legendary blues man Byron Baddoo on bass and vocals. As well as practising at Andys home, they also practised at Byrons mums house in the attic. Andy moved on to perform in US army bases in Germany, while Byrons mum made him complete his apprenticeship so he would have "something to fall back on" if the rock n roll life style failed.
Oct Chic record their first song as Chic - "Everybody Dance" - at Power Station Studios, Hell's Kitchen, New York. Meanwhile, "Dance, Dance, Dance" has become a big underground success. The band are offered a contract from Atlantic Records, and return to the studio to record songs for their first album.
? Roger in the studio with The Scent Organs' working on demos. (YT source)
Oct? Simon recalls having a great time in London with his punk friends David Miles, Pete Johns, and a whole group of boys from Pinner, in the punk movement of 1976/77. They made their own cloths, wore safety pins and black zips. They took the train to (Notting Hill) where the Teddy Boys hung out, who hated punks. Memories of Waldorf Street, the Marquee. Once they slept in a boat on the Serpentine in the middle of Hyde Park, after breaking down the door to the boat house. Once he slept in Euston Station. (Source).
Oct? Simon plays in a pub band called Bollow - written as Bolleaux; also works as a hospital porter, and does one term at art school. Note: this could be 1978?
? Simon performed with punk band Dog Days (he says when he was 17?). At the gig they were fourth on the bill and were not allowed to play on the stage, they had to play on the floor! Note: this could be 1978?
Oct 27 Simon Le Bon is 19 years old today.
Oct 28-31 Warren (20) is filmed backstage (with his girlfriend Gracy) as part of Frank Zappa's movie Baby Snakes. (YT source) He talks the influence of Frank in his life. This is his first appereance in public.
Nov 17 Nick and John attend a concert by Blondie at Barbarella's in Birmingham. Blondie returned Feb 27th 1978. (source)
Nov 22 Chic by Chic is released by Atlantic Records. Chic's debut album reached #27 on the US Pop charts, #12 on the R&B charts, and was certified Gold by the RIAA, selling more than half a million copies.
Dec 8 Warren Cuccurullo is 21 years old today.
Dec 31 Warren attends Zappa's New Year's Eve show in Los Angeles and is invited to Zappa's home after the show to listen to the unreleased Baby Snakes soundtrack.
Dec 31 Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards are invited by Grace Jones to attend Studio 54's New Years party, and to perhaps work with her in the future. They wear their best cloths and wait to get inside, but the doorman says "Chic..? Shit! Your names ain't on the door so you ain't coming in!". Disgruntled, Nile and Bernard go back to their Hell's Kitchen residence and angrily jam furiously all night in response to the snubbing. The chorus for their new song is ""A-a-a-a-a-a-ah, F*CK OFF!", but the line is later changed to "Freak Out". Le Freak is born. The name Freak was in reference to Freaking out to music, and also a local dance craze. (Source), (YT source (Freak 21:00))
<< 1960s 1970s 1978 >>

Timeline duran duran wikipedia discography archive collection MESSAGE BOARD PRO

1950s · 1960s · 1970s · 1978 · 1979
1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989
1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999
2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009
2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019
2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · 2026 · 2027 · 2028 · 2029
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