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| The Duran Duran Timeline | ||
| << 1970s | 1978 | 1979 >> |
|
Duran Duran is born, as John Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Stephen Duffy pull together its earliest lineups and begin playing shows in and around Birmingham, England. | ||
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| ? | Andy joins another covers band as lead singer and guitarist, and they begin performing at strip clubs and American airbases in Germany, playing six 45-minute sets a night |
| ? | Nick leaves school at sixteen as John fails his A-levels; they begin planning a band together |
| ? | Terry Bozzio leaves Frank Zappa's band |
| Jan 5 | "The first time I ever went to Nick's house we listened to Autobahn by Kraftwerk, we watched the Elvis 1968 Special and played Elvis Costello's Armed Forces because it was the day it came out" - Stephen Duffy |
| spring | After leaving Shock Treatment, John and David Twist join Dada. John begins playing electric guitar. |
| May | Dada begin a residency at the Crown on Hill Street in Birmingham. |
| summer | John enrolles at the Birmingham Polytechnic's College of Art and Design for a twelve-month foundation course. |
| end of summer | 'Dog Days: Harrow Tech, Harrow, England (with Supercharge, 98th Precinct, and another band) Simon's punk band plays its first and only show |
| autumn | John attends art college, where he meets Stephen Duffy |
| ? | John, Nick, and Stephen create the first incarnation of their band |
| ? | Nick and John spend an afternoon at the Hole in the Wall pub in Birmingham, brainstorming on a name for their band; after briefly considering RAF, John suggests Duran Duran, after the Milo O'Shea character in Jane Fonda's classic camp sci-fi movie Barbarella |
| ? | About the same time that they decide on a name for the band, Nick decides to change his last name from Bates to Rhodes, "for aesthetic reasons" |
| ? | Stephen Duffy writes most of the melodies and lyrics, and the first song they write together is "Lost Decade" (inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story of the same name, and The Great Gatsby) |
| ? | Stephen Duffy records one of Duran's live performances, then sticks the tape in a drawer in his civil service post-office desk, to be rediscovered in 1999 (leading to the founding of The Devils project with Nick Rhodes) |
| ? | Stephen Duffy writes the song "Kiss Me" (to become a top ten hit for him in 1985) |
| ? | Simon Le Bon writes the lyrics to "The Chauffeur" |
| ? | Bassist Eamonn Duffy (of The Prefects) plays briefly with Duran Duran |
| Oct 31 | At one of Frank Zappa's famous New York Halloween shows, a young Warren narrates a story ('Ms. X') onstage, accompanied by the band |
| ? | Simon performs with Bolleaux (a pub style R&B band) and Eddie and the Hotrods (a rock band). |
| Dec | Frank Zappa phones Warren to invite him to Los Angeles to audition with his band |
| << 1970s | 1978 | 1979 >> |
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