In May 1980, Simon Le Bon was introduced to Duran Duran by Fiona Kemp, a bartender at the Rum Runner nightclub where the group practiced. She suggested him as a possible lead singer.
According to legend, Le Bon showed up for the audition with a notebook full of his enormous collection of poems, some of which subsequently appeared as songs on Duran Duran’s early studio albums, and wore pink leopard-print pants.
Le Bon spent time modifying one of his poems, “Sound of Thunder,” to one of the band’s instrumentals after listening to their already-existing songs. He discovered a wonderful fit. Le Bon consented to give Duran Duran a “try out” for the season.
The band started playing frequently in Birmingham, London, and Nottingham within six weeks. They signed a recording deal with EMI Records in December of that same year as a result of their nationwide tour supporting Hazel O’Connor.
After the publication of their first studio album, “Duran Duran,” in 1981, Duran Duran gained notoriety as a leading figure in the New Romantic movement. Three other albums by the group—”Rio” (1982), “Seven and the Ragged Tiger” (1983), and the live album “Arena” (1984—were released swiftly after.
Each album release was supported by protracted concert tours and substantial media promotion. The band decided to take a sabbatical in the middle of 1984, with their only other project that year being a cameo on the Band Aid charity hit “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
What is Simon Le Bon doing now?
Together with Katy Krassner, Le Bon is now hosting the Duran Duran radio show “WHOOOSH!” that can be heard on SiriusXM and Spotify. Le Bon and English model Yasmin Parvaneh have been wed since 1985. Since 2018, the couple has had three daughters and will ultimately have grandchildren.
What car does Simon Le Bon drive?
Simon Le Bon has been observed driving a variety of cars throughout the years, including a Citroen DS and a vintage MINI Cooper, but his 1989 Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante—one of only 37 produced—may have been the most eye-catching. Its angular shape and squared-off grille are very different from modern Aston Martins.