Judie Tzuke

British pop/rock singer Judie Tzuke enjoyed some commercial success back in her homeland for a spell during the 1980s, but was never able to translate it stateside. Born Judie Myers in London on April 3 (year unknown), her Polish-immigrant parents changed their last names from "Tzuke" to "Myers" shortly after relocating to England (it was a common last name in their new home of Yorkshire); but by the time Judie began establishing her singing career, she resorted back to her real last name. Both of Tzuke's parents were involved in music: her father, Sefton Myers, managed artists and singers (and supported both Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice as the duo penned Jesus Christ Superstar), while her mother, Jean Silverside, acted in several popular films and TV shows. By her teenage years, Judie began penning poems and setting them to a guitar accompaniment, showcasing her original compositions at local folk clubs. Soon after, Tzuke met a songwriting collaborator in Mike Paxman, as the duo (known as Tzuke & Paxo) caught the attention of renowned producer Tony Visconti, who signed them to his Good Earth record label. The duo managed to only issue an obscure, lone 1977 single, "These are the Laws" b/w "It's Only Fantasies," before Tzuke was signed as a solo artist to Elton John's Rocket label (Paxman would remain on board however as a singer/guitarist/songwriter for several years). Tzuke first issued a single for her new label, "For You," which was a moderate success on U.K. radio (scraping the Top 40), but around the time of the release of her full-length debut in 1979, Welcome to the Cruise, Tzuke scored a more substantial hit with "Stay With Me 'Till Dawn"; which resulted in the song staying on the British charts for 16 weeks and several appearances on the popular Tops of...