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Paris Grey

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Paris Grey is an American singer, born in 1965 in Glencoe, near Chicago. She was the original singer of Inner City, the group that producer Kevin Saunderson started in Detroit in 1987. Saunderson was, together with Juan Atkins and Derrick May, one of the Belleville Three, the founders of Detroit techno. With Inner City he brought that machine-made dance music together with pop vocals, and Grey supplied the voice.

Music and breakthrough

The first big success was Big Fun (1988), which reached number 8 in England and was number 1 on the American dance chart. Good Life followed, which reached number 4 in England, and in 1989 Ain't Nobody Better and Do You Love What You Feel. In total Inner City was number 1 on the American dance chart five times and had nine hits in the British top 40. The album Paradise (1989), called Big Fun in America, reached number 3 in England and went platinum there.

Influence

Inner City made techno suitable for the hit parade. The music remained built on drum machines, synthesizers and tight repetition, but with Grey's singing it acquired a chorus to sing along to. In this way Detroit techno, which began as music for clubs, also became music for the radio and the charts, especially in England. About Grey's later life the sources say little.

Listening

Listening tip. In Big Fun, listen to the contrast between the cool, mechanical beat and Paris Grey's singing, which turns it into a singalong. Notice the synthesizer chords that keep returning and give the song a cheerful colour.

In School of Rock

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Categories: Artists