Born on May 16: Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17), crooner of English electro pop

A founding member of Heaven 17, he was born in 1958 in Sheffield, England, and marvels at his own longevity in music.

Glenn Gregory grew up in an industrial town, plagued by factory closures and endemic unemployment. His father, who worked in the metallurgical industry, instilled in him a social and working-class awareness, which would later permeate some of Heaven 17's songs. Glenn even managed to make people dance to (We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang (1981), an anthem - already - against the resurgence of the brown plague.

He started in photography before turning to music. “I never really decided to be a singer. It was something that happened because I was in the right place, at the right time, with the right people,” he confided in an interview with The Guardian. It should be added that he has always displayed a certain humility as well as a sharp sense of humour…

Disillusioned by what they saw as the overly pop direction of their band The Human League, his friends Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh invited him to embark on a musical adventure together. Thus, Heaven 17 was born in 1980. In a striking contrast, Glenn brought an almost soulful voice to the synthetic music concocted by his two comrades. A contrast that was amplified by the addition of female vocals, those of Josie James and especially Karol Kenyon on the unstoppable Temptation.

Their first album, Penthouse and Pavement (1981), possesses two inextricably intertwined facets, hyper-danceable rhythms as well as a powerful social conscience. “We were fascinated by the idea of juxtaposing luxury with class struggle,” Gregory explained to the NME. In the video for the title track, the singer is portrayed as a cynical businessman, an uncompromising satire of the City and Wall Street.

At a time when MTV dictated terms, Heaven 17's stage performances were legendary, but their music videos, small gems of staging and rare effectiveness, still hold the same power today. After peaking in the 1980s, Heaven 17 no longer worried about renewing their repertoire. The latest album, Naked As Advertised (2008), following the departure of Ian Craig Marsh, offers new versions of tracks, notably Temptation, covers like Party Fears Two by the Associates, and even an update of Being Boiled which Martyn Ware composed for The Human League in 1978 (with lyrics by Phil Oakey). However, for several years now, Martyn and Glenn have been greatly enjoying playing together on stage. Besides the summer's nostalgic English festivals, they're preparing for a long autumn tour in the UK.

And let's give the last word to a singer himself astonished by the longevity of his career: “We didn't think we would last. We just wanted to do something genuine. The fact that people still listen to it today is the greatest gift,” he recently declared.

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Glenn Gregory with Heaven 17 on the set of Génération 80 in Brussels (Belgium) on 14 May 1983