1978-Simon Le BonVocals
Andy TaylorGuitar1980-1986, 2001-2006
John TaylorBass
Roger TaylorDrums1979-1985, 2001-
Nick RhodesKeyboards
Warren CuccurulloGuitar1989–2001
Duran Duran were native to the music video era and understood the form quite well. Nick Rhodes said, "Video to us is like stereo was to Pink Floyd."
It helped that they were very photogenic and willing to travel to exotic locales for shoots. It also helped that MTV launched in 1981, just as they were making their ascent. They quickly became stars on the network, accounting for much of their American success.
They are named after the bad guy in the 1967 Jane Fonda movie Barbarella. It's a very campy film that spoofs more serious sci-fi movies. John Taylor came up with the idea for the name after watching the film on BBC TV.
They first toured in the US in 1982 as the opening act for Blondie.
In 1985, John and Andy Taylor released an album with The Power Station while Rhodes, Le Bon, and Roger Taylor formed a group called Arcadia. The Power Station, with Robert Palmer on lead vocals, had a hit with "
Some Like It Hot." Arcadia's hit was "
Election Day."
Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy spent some time as lead vocalist before they settled on Simon Le Bon.
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Suggestion credit:
Mark - San Francisco, DC
John Taylor once described Duran Duran's sound as "Sex Pistols meets Chic." For the 2005 reunion album
Astronaut, John Taylor played late Chic bass player Bernard Edwards' StingRay. John has cited Edwards as a big influence on his playing style and approach.
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Suggestion credit:
Mark - San Francisco, DC
John Taylor's full name is Nigel John Taylor. He didn't like the name Nigel because he thought it didn't sound "Rock N Roll Enough" for a pop star. So, when he joined the band, he told them his name was John Taylor.
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Suggestion credit:
Annabelle - Eugene, OR
Princess Diana said soon after her royal wedding that Duran Duran was her favorite band - she and Le Bon went to the same gym. On July 1, 2007, Duran Duran played at a memorial concert for her at Wembley Stadium.
Rolling Stone described them as "The Fab 5" when they put them on their cover in 1985. This was in reference to the Beatles-like throngs of screaming girls the band attracted.
When he was 6 years old, Simon Le Bon starred as a little boy with an off-white shirt in a Persil washing powder TV advert.
Forget "Yours Sincerely" and "Kind Regards." Simon Le Bon signs off his emails with "WHOOSH."
Simon Le Bon and his old bandmates used to take part in Duran Duran lookalike contests. "We'd all put our 1980s mullet wigs on and big shoulder pads suits and enter Duran Duran competitions - and win," the frontman told Virgin Radio.
Three of their core members have the last name Taylor (Andy, John and Roger) but none are related.
Duran Duran were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2022. Andy Taylor had to skip the ceremony because his prostate cancer made it too difficult to perform. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2018, but didn't reveal it publicly until the ceremony, where Simon Le Bon read a letter on his behalf.
Simon Le Bon does this thing at concerts where he opens his arms wide and absorbs the energy from the audience. He calls it "crowdbathing." "You get a special kind of suntan," he said on his SiriusXM show Whooosh!