John Waite (born John Charles Waite, 4 July 1955, Lancaster, Lancashire, England) is a rock singer and musician. He was the lead vocalist for the bands The Babys and Bad English. As a solo artist, he scored a #1 hit in the United States with "Missing You" in 1984.

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Biography

Waite first came to attention as the lead singer and bassist of The Babys, a British group which had moderate chart success and a solid following for their concert tours. Over the course of five years, the Babys produced five albums ending with the final album On the Edge in October 1980, after which the group broke up.

Waite subsequently launched his solo career with his 1982 debut album Ignition , which produced the hit single "Change". The Chrysalis 45 failed to chart on Billboard's Hot 100 during its initial release but was a top track on AOR (Album-Oriented Rock) radio stations as well as a very popular music video on MTV as the 'new' cable channel celebrated its first full year of operation. The pulsating track was written by Holly Knight and later included on the Vision Quest soundtrack. "Going To The Top" was released as the follow-up single to "Change".

His next album, No Brakes , resulted in international attention - and was a Top 10 Billboard album in the US - due to the hit single "Missing You" which went to #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It knocked Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It?" out of #1. For that very reason, Turner later recorded and released Waite's smash song herself. (Turner's single peaked at a disappointing #84 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1996.) The album sold over a million and a half US copies yet, ironically, has never been certified above the Gold standard. Two more singles from No Brakes followed, including "Tears" which was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts.

The next album Mask of Smiles followed in 1985, and another single "If Anybody Had a Heart" was released from the soundtrack of the 1986 film About Last Night... , starring Demi Moore. In 1987, "Rover's Return" was released with the single "These Times Are Hard For Lovers". Waite would have another soundtrack appearance in 1990 from Days of Thunder with "Deal for Life", written by Martin Page and Bernie Taupin.

In 1988, Waite joined former Babys bandmates Jonathan Cain and Ricky Phillips along with Neal Schon from Journey and drummer Deen Castronovo, to form the supergroup Bad English. In 1989, the Bad English ballad "When I See You Smile" (penned by Diane Warren) went to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and was certified Gold. Bad English would release two albums before tensions amongst the members led to the band's dissolution by 1992.

Waite returned to solo work and since 1995 has produced five solo albums including his latest album Downtown... Journey of a Heart . He still tours, including in 2003 with Ringo Starr's All Starr Band, and as an opening act for Journey in 2005.

In 2006, "Missing You" was released as a duet with Alison Krauss and reached the Top 40 on the Country Charts in the United States. Waite appeared with Krauss on the Tonight Show on February 5, 2007 to perform "Missing You."

A longtime resident of New York City, Waite currently resides in California.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album	Chart Positions		Label
		US	UK [1]
1982	Ignition	68	—	Chrysalis
1984	No Brakes	10	46	EMI America
1985	Mask of Smiles	36	—
1987	Rovers Return	77	—
1995	Temple Bar	—	—	Imago
1997	When You Were Mine	—	—	Mercury
2001	Figure in a Landscape	—	—	One Way
2004	The Hard Way	—	—	No Brakes
2007	Downtown: Journey of a Heart	—	—	Rounder
"—" denotes releases that failed to chart

Compilation and specialty albums

Year	Album	Label
1992	The Essential John Waite	Chrysalis
2001	Live & Rare Tracks	One Way

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions				Album
		US	US Main	US AC	US Dance
1982	"Change"	—	16	—	—	Ignition
1984	"Missing You"[A	1	12	7	27	No Brakes
	"Tears"	37	8	—	—
1985	"Restless Heart"	59	28	—	—
	"Change" (re-issue)	54	—	—	—	Vision Quest (soundtrack)
	"Every Step of the Way"	25	4	—	—	Mask of Smiles
	"Welcome to Paradise"	85	—	—	—
1986	"If Anybody Had a Heart"	76	24	—	—	About Last Night (soundtrack)
1987	"These Time Are Hard for Lovers"	53	6	—	—	Rover's Return
	"Don't Lose Any Sleep"	81	—	—	—
1988	"Rover's Return"	—	—	—	—
1995	"How Did I Get By Without You?"	89	—	20	—	Temple Bar
2001	"Fly"	—	—	27	—	Figure in a Landscape
2005	"New York City Girl"	—	—	23	—	The Hard Way
2006	"Missing You" (with Alison Krauss)[B	—	—	—	—	Downtown: Journey of a Heart
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

See also

• The Babys
• Bad English

References

1. British Hit Singles & Albums