Tina Charles
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Biography:
Session vocalist Tina Charles was no stranger to music by the time she partnered with Martin Jay in 5000 Volts, in 1975, to score the international hit &"I'm on Fire." Charles and Jay already had some time together under their belts in the little-remembered band Northern Lights, while she also released a string of unsuccessful singles for CBS during 1969-1970: &"Nothing in the World," &"In the Middle of the Day," &"Good to Be Alive," and &"Bo-Bo's Party." Another early outfit, Wild Honey, cut a brace of 45s for Gordon Mills' MAM label during 1971-1972. Solo again by 1974, Charles signed with Bell and released &"One Broken Heart for Sale," while also working as a vocalist for the Top of the Pops series of hit cover albums; she appears on around a dozen volumes in the redoubtable series, recorded between 1973-1975.
In 1975, Charles reunited with her old Northern Lights partner Martin Jay as Airbus. When their debut single &"Bye Love" was flipped by their UK imprint Philips (who also christened them the more electrifying 5000 Volts), the B-side &"I'm on Fire" became a major worldwide hit. More importantly, it brought her to the attention of the singularly named, and fast-rising disco producer Biddu.
Having already struck disco gold with Carl Douglas' massive hit, &"Kung Fu Fighting," Biddu approached Charles and had her cut the solo single &"You Set My Heart on Fire." Released on CBS (her permanent home through the 1970s), the single didn't do anything in the charts; undeterred, they promptly rebounded with the monumental disco anthem &"I Love to Love (But My Baby Just Loves to Dance)." Reaching number one on the UK singles charts in February 1976, the track also emerged a minor hit in the US, where it fared better in the discos than in the mainstream slipstream. With Biddu working magically behind the scenes, Charles brought yet another single, &"Love Me Like a Lover," into the U.K. charts that year. Backed by a band that included future Buggles Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, Charles released her first LP that summer. Dance Lady Dance brought a further two singles into the Top Ten at the end of 1976, the number six hit &"Dance Little Lady Dance" and the number four smash &"Dr Love." In total, Charles spent a remarkable 42 weeks on the UK chart in 1976 alone.
The following year was just as fruitful -- she recorded two more LPs, Rendezvous and Heart 'N Soul, and three of her singles were chart smashes: &"Rendezvous"; a medley of &"Love Bug" and the oldie &"Sweets for My Sweet" hit in 1977; but the most notable was the following year's cover of fellow-Biddu stablemate Jimmy James' hit &"I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me." Charles' star, though, appeared to be on the decline as disco gave way to a different kind of hedonism all together. Despite continuing to release singles during 1978, she began sinking from sight. A 1980 LP, Just One Smile, also failed to make any mark whatsoever. Charles returned to the British charts just one more time, with a 1986 remix of &"I Love to Love." Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
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