Editing Culture Club (section)

== History ==
=== 1981–1983: Formation and ''Kissing to Be Clever'' ===
In 1981, [[Blitz Kids|Blitz Club]] regular Boy George occasionally sang with the group [[Bow Wow Wow]], performing under the stage name Lieutenant Lush with the group. After his tenure with that group ended, bassist Mikey Craig started Culture Club, inviting George to be the vocalist. Subsequently, drummer Jon Moss (formerly of [[The Damned (band)|the Damned]] and [[Adam and the Ants]]) and guitarist Roy Hay joined the new group. They originally called themselves Sex Gang Children, which would quickly be abandoned and adopted by [[Sex Gang Children|another band]].<ref name="Strong">Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Sex Gang Children", in ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, {{ISBN|1-84195-335-0}}</ref>

Realizing they had an Irish gay man as the lead singer, a [[Black British|black Briton]] on bass, a blond Englishman on guitar and keyboards, and a Jewish drummer, they came up with the name Culture Club. The group recorded demos, which were paid for by [[EMI]] Records, but the label was unimpressed and decided not to sign the group. [[Virgin Records]] heard the demos and signed the group in the UK, releasing their albums in Europe, while [[Epic Records]] released their albums in the United States and much of the rest of the world.

The band released two singles in May and June 1982, "White Boy" and "I'm Afraid of Me", though both failed to chart.<ref name="Cohen (1984) 76">{{cite book |last=Cohen |first=Scott |title=Boy George |url=https://www.google.com/search?q=cohen+%22culture+club%22+%22White+Boy%22+%22I%27m+Afraid+of+Me%22&btnG=Search+Books#sclient=psy&hl=en&tbo=1&tbs=bks:1&q=Scott+Cohen+1984++%22Culture+Club%22+%22White+Boy%22+%22I%27m+Afraid+of+Me%22&aq=&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&psj=1&fp=f989debfaff70b96 |publisher=Berkley Books |year=1984 |isbn=978-0-425-07639-2 |page=76 |access-date=28 October 2010 }}</ref> In September of that year, the group released their third single, "[[Do You Really Want to Hurt Me]]", a reggae-influenced number, which became one of their biggest hits.<ref name="Cohen (1984) 76"/> The song went to No.&nbsp;1 in the UK in late 1982 and became an international smash, topping the charts in twenty-three countries (No.&nbsp;2 in the US), and the top ten in several more countries.

The band's 1982 debut on ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' created [[Tabloid journalism|tabloid]] headlines, which focused on George's [[androgynous]] style of dress and sexual ambiguity. Magazines began to feature George prominently on their covers. [[Pete Burns]], lead singer of the pop band [[Dead or Alive (band)|Dead or Alive]], would later claim he was the first to wear braids, big hats, and colourful costumes, but George would cut back with a sharp-tongued remark, "It's not who did it first, it's who did it better."{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

The band's debut album, ''[[Kissing to Be Clever]]'' (UK No.&nbsp;5, US No.&nbsp;14) was released in October 1982, and the follow-up single, "[[Time (Clock of the Heart)]]", became another Top 10 hit in the US (Number 2) and UK (Number 3). "[[I'll Tumble 4 Ya]]" also became a Top Ten hit in the US (Number 9) and in Canada. This gave Culture Club the distinction of being the first group since [[The Beatles]] to have three Top Ten hits in America from a debut album.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0zQDAwAAQBAJ&q=Culture+Club+the+first+group+since+The+Beatles+to+have+three+Top+Ten+hits+in+America+from+a+debut+album&pg=PT196|title=The Million Sellers|last=Press|first=Omnibus|date=4 November 2012|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-85712-882-9|language=en}}</ref> ''Kissing to Be Clever'' was certified platinum in US for 1 million shipped copies.

=== 1983–1984: ''Colour by Numbers'' ===
[[File:Culture Club 1983.jpg|thumb|upright=1.13|Culture Club in 1983]]
The band's second album, ''[[Colour by Numbers]]'' (UK No.&nbsp;1, US No.&nbsp;2), was released in 1983. The first single, "[[Church of the Poison Mind]]", featuring backing vocalist [[Helen Terry]], reached the UK and US Top 10. The second single, "[[Karma Chameleon]]", gave the band their biggest hit, hitting No.&nbsp;1 in the UK (the band's second chart-topper there), where it became the best-selling single of 1983 and has sold 1.5&nbsp;million copies there to date.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/daft-punks-get-lucky-becomes-one-of-the-uks-biggest-selling-singles-of-all-time-2315/|title=UK Official Charts Company (Top Selling Singles of All-Time)|website=Officialcharts.com|access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref> It also peaked at No.&nbsp;1 in the US for three consecutive weeks, and would ultimately hit No.&nbsp;1 in 30 countries, thus becoming one of the top twenty best-selling singles of the 1980s sold seven million copies worldwide,<ref>{{cite web|first= Eric |last= Bodrero |year= 2005 |title= The Culture Club - Greatest Hits Review |work= antiMusic |access-date= 13 September 2024 |url= http://www.rocknworld.com/features/05/cultureclub.shtml}}</ref> with one of the most iconic images of Boy George on the cover shot by photographer [[David Levine (photographer)|David Levine]].

The album ''Colour by Numbers'' would spawn more hits including "[[Miss Me Blind]]" (#5 US), "[[It's a Miracle (Culture Club song)|It's a Miracle]]" (#4 UK, No. 13 US), and "[[Victims (song)|Victims]]" (#3 UK), and sold four million copies in the US and another five million worldwide at its time of release. The album gave Culture Club the distinction of being the first group in music history to have an album certified diamond in Canada (for sales of one million copies in that country). The band also won the 1984 [[Brit Award]] for Best Group and the [[Grammy Award]] for Best New Artist, where George gave a speech via satellite stating, "Thank you, America. You've got taste, style, and you know a good drag queen when you see one."

The group's back-up singer, [[Helen Terry]], began work on her solo album, for which George and Hay wrote the song "Love Lies Lost". The pair also wrote "Passing Friend" for the [[The Beach Boys (album)|Beach Boys' album]]. Culture Club wrote two songs for the soundtrack to the movie ''[[Electric Dreams (film)|Electric Dreams]]''. George and Hay wrote "The Dream" and "Love Is Love", with the latter being released as a single in Canada, Japan and South America, the E.P "Love is Love" became a major hit in Brazil. George also collaborated on the song "Electric Dreams", sung by [[P. P. Arnold]]. The song was written with [[Phil Pickett]] (former member of the 1970s band [[Sailor (band)|Sailor]]) who had also co-written "Karma Chameleon" and frequently played keyboards for the group.

Despite Culture Club's commercial success, there were significant pressures within the band. George was using drugs with money from his new-found fame. George and Moss were also romantically involved with each other, which was unknown to the public and the media at the time. Their relationship lasted for over four years and was often turbulent, with alleged physical and verbal abuse from both sides. Their constant arguments and the pressure to hide the relationship from the public started to take its toll on the band.

=== 1984–1986: ''Waking Up with the House on Fire'', ''From Luxury to Heartache'' and decline ===
In 1984, the group released their third album ''[[Waking Up with the House on Fire]]'' (UK No.&nbsp;2, US No.&nbsp;26). Although certified platinum in both the UK and the US, it was a commercial and critical disappointment compared to their first two albums. The album contained the hit single "The War Song", which reached No.&nbsp;2 in the UK, and Top 20 in the US. Other singles like "Mistake No.&nbsp;3" (US No.&nbsp;33) and "The Medal Song" (UK No.&nbsp;32) would become modest hits. George later stated he felt the album experienced a lukewarm reception because of half-hearted material he felt they released due to pressure from Virgin and Epic. According to him, the band had just come off an exhausting world tour in 1984.
At the end of 1984, Boy George was recruited by [[Bob Geldof]] to join the [[Band Aid (band)|Band Aid]] recording, consisting of mostly internationally known UK and Irish recording stars. George was in New York City for an appearance on ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'' when Geldof called him, but managed to catch the final [[Concorde]] of the day to London and was the last singer to record a lead vocal track for the song "[[Do They Know It's Christmas?]]". The song would become the biggest selling single of all time in the UK and a huge international hit, raising millions for famine victims in several African nations, particularly Ethiopia.

Due to the break-up of his relationship with Moss, and all the ensuing tension with the rest of the band, George turned to relief in drugs. Consequently, he soon developed a self-destructive drug [[Substance use disorder|addiction]], which in merely four months escalated from [[marijuana]] to [[heroin]]. By 1986, George had become seriously [[Substance use disorder|addicted]]. The recording of their fourth studio album, 1986's ''[[From Luxury to Heartache]]'' (UK No.&nbsp;10, US No.&nbsp;32) dragged on for so long that producer [[Arif Mardin]] had to abandon the sessions due to prior commitments and leave it to engineer Lew Hahn to finish the sessions. Nevertheless, the first single "[[Move Away]]" became a hit, peaking at UK No.&nbsp;7 and US No.&nbsp;12 and appeared the album would return the group back to its previous success. But by the time of the release of the second single "God Thank You Woman", news of George's drug addiction began to circulate in British and American [[Tabloid journalism|tabloids]], and the second single stalled on its way up the charts, failing to make a big impact.

George and Moss also no longer wanted to be around each other due to the constant relationship battles and with George's addiction. ''From Luxury to Heartache'' began to fade from the charts as well, and the album ultimately sold fewer than one million copies worldwide at the time of release. By the summer of 1986, George finally admitted that he was indeed addicted to drugs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/boy-george-comes-clean-and-tries-to-come-back-after-heroin-addiction-and-his-pals-drug-deaths-vol-28-no-8/|title=Boy George Comes Clean—and Tries to Come Back—After Heroin Addiction and His Pals' Drug Deaths|website=PEOPLE.com|language=EN|access-date=30 January 2020}}</ref> In July of that year, he was arrested by the British police for possession of heroin. The band broke up and George pursued a solo career, having several European hits and a couple of US Top 40 hits.

=== Reunions ===
==== 1989 ====
The band first tried to reunite in 1989, after many requests from Tony Gordon, the group's former manager and George's manager at that time. George agreed to try some songs with the band again, resulting in recording sessions and producing more than a dozen songs that remain unreleased. George, however, was more excited about his future projects like his record label, More Protein, and his new [[acid house]] project [[Jesus Loves You (band)|Jesus Loves You]]. The proposed reunion ended up being cancelled.

==== 1998–2000, 2002 ====

In 1998, George and Moss put their differences aside and the band reunited to do a reunion tour, kicking off with a performance on ''[[VH1 Storytellers]]''.<ref name="LAT (1998)"/> George said about the reunion, "Culture Club's reunion couldn't have come at a better time for rock", adding that, "It's a nostalgia trip, there's no way of avoiding that."<ref name="LAT (1998)">{{cite news |title=Culture Club Reunites, but It May Be Just Nostalgic Fling |first=Roger |last=Catlin |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=12 August 1998 |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/32812009.html?dids=32812009:32812009&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+12,+1998&author=ROGER+CATLIN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Culture+Club+Reunites,+but+It+May+Be+Just+Nostalgic+Fling;+Pop+music:+Lead+singer+Boy+George+says+regrouped+%2780s+band+members+are+putting+aside+differences,+at+least+while+on+tour.&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131163752/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/32812009.html?dids=32812009:32812009&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+12,+1998&author=ROGER+CATLIN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Culture+Club+Reunites,+but+It+May+Be+Just+Nostalgic+Fling;+Pop+music:+Lead+singer+Boy+George+says+regrouped+'80s+band+members+are+putting+aside+differences,+at+least+while+on+tour.&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 January 2013 |access-date=15 November 2010 }}</ref> The tour was a major success. ''Greatest Moments'', a compilation album based around the ''Storytellers'' performance, was released, and went platinum in UK. It included new songs such as "[[I Just Wanna Be Loved]]", which hit UK No.&nbsp;4.<ref name="ABK (1998)">{{cite news |title=Culture Club Reunion Bus Is Rolling To Blossom Boy George Back with the Original Band |newspaper=Akron Beacon Journal |date=9 August 1998 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AK&s_site=ohio&p_multi=AK&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB6C1EE8F43EB63&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |access-date=18 December 2010 |quote=A new two-CD set features music from the Storytellers special and a greatest hits CD that includes the new single and soon-to-be hit [[I Just Wanna Be Loved]]}}</ref><ref name="TH (1998)">{{cite news |title=Cher leads the way to pop chart history |newspaper=The Herald |location=Glasgow |date=26 October 1998 |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/smgpubs/access/60580542.html?dids=60580542:60580542&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+26%2C+1998&author=&pub=The+Herald&desc=Cher+leads+the+way+to+pop+chart+history&pqatl=google |access-date=18 December 2010 |quote=The Irish band U2 went straight in at number three with a song recorded in 1987, "The Sweetest Thing", previously a B-side to their hit "Where The Streets Have No Name". And Culture Club returned with their first single since reforming, "[[I Just Wanna Be Loved]]" at number four, ahead of the only truly nineties act in the top five, Alanis Morissette, with Thank U |archive-date=4 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104182017/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/smgpubs/access/60580542.html?dids=60580542:60580542&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+26,+1998&author=&pub=The+Herald&desc=Cher+leads+the+way+to+pop+chart+history&pqatl=google |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, their new-found success was short-lived and their fifth studio album, ''[[Don't Mind If I Do (Culture Club album)|Don't Mind If I Do]]'', released in 1999, peaked at No.&nbsp;64 in the UK.<ref name="Warwick; Kutner; Brown (2004) 282">{{cite book |last1=Warwick |first1=Neil |last2=Kutner |first2=Jon  |last3=Brown |first3=Tony |title=The complete book of the British charts: singles & albums |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ib4MyAIpe3MC&q=The+complete+book+of+the+British+charts:+singles+%26+albums+%22culture+club%22+%22your+kisses+are+charity%22&pg=PT239 |publisher=Omnibus Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-84449-058-5 |page=282 |access-date=24 December 2010 }}</ref> It included minor UK hits in "Your Kisses Are Charity" (UK No.&nbsp;25) and "Cold Shoulder" (UK No.&nbsp;43).<ref name="Warwick; Kutner; Brown (2004) 282"/>

The band went on to tour, then reunited again for a 20th anniversary concert in 2002 at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London.<ref name="TVL (2004) 70">{{cite book |author=Indiana University |title=The Video librarian, Volume 19 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EbzjAAAAMAAJ&q=Culture+Club++Live+At+The+Royal+Albert+Hall++The+20th+Anniversary++2002 |publisher=Randy Pitman  |year=2004 |page=70 |access-date=20 January 2011 |quote=Filmed live at London's Royal Albert Hall, this 2002 concert finds Culture Club celebrating its 20th anniversary with an infectious and expansive grandeur, all the while basking in the love of adoring fans}}</ref> This performance was released on DVD the following year.<ref name="TVL (2004) 70"/> Culture Club then became inactive again, largely due to George's successful DJ career, as well as his semi-autobiographical musical ''[[Taboo (musical)|Taboo]]''. It was a success in London, but was a flop on Broadway, only running for 100 performances, as well as losing $10 million for its producer, Rosie O'Donnell.

==== 2006 ====
In 2006, original members Craig and Moss tried to launch a new tour with another lead singer, as George and Hay had declined to tour. Early that year, the band's record company placed an ad for a lead singer to "...take part in a 2007 World Tour and TV Series." The new singer, Sam Butcher was selected because of his own personality, "not a Boy George lookalike." After watching a video on MySpace, George described the singer who replaced him as "terrible" and "dreadful". George said: "I wanted to like it but I couldn't. They're my songs, they're my heart, they're my life."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6043794.stm | title=Boy George slams new club singer |work=BBC News  | date=12 October 2006 | access-date=15 August 2011}}</ref> A proposed tour for December 2006 in the UK did not take place.

==== 2011 ====
In late 2011, George was part of a three-man Culture Club band that performed two live concerts, in Dubai and Sydney, the latter being a New Year's Eve concert, although Moss did not appear due to a back injury.<ref>[http://shapersofthe80s.com/2012/01/02/2012-➤-moss-misses-culture-clubs-new-dawn-in-australia/ "Moss misses Culture Club's new dawn"]. Shape of the 80s</ref> However, the band were unable to tour in the US, due to George being denied a visa 3 years prior.

==== 2014–present ====
In 2014, the band reformed and announced a tour and a new album. A new picture of the four members was also posted on the band's official website, along with the list of the 11 UK concert dates.

The band travelled to Spain for a two-week recording session. 18 new tracks were completed for a new album produced by [[Youth (producer)|Youth]]. The new album, entitled ''Tribes'', was scheduled for release in early 2015 on the band's own label Different Man Music (via [[Kobalt Label Services]]). At the end of that year, the album had still not materialised.

On 19 July 2014, the band were among the line-up for a two-hour concert in [[Edinburgh Castle]], ahead of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in [[Glasgow]]. Hay did not perform with the band because he was in recovery after having knee surgery. The band played two songs, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" and "Karma Chameleon" which were shown on BBC TV.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/taXIx80tzeU Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20180307205149/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taXIx80tzeU&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taXIx80tzeU| title = HD Culture Club Live on the BBC Edinburgh Castle Show | website=[[YouTube]]| date = 17 March 2015 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In mid-November 2014, two days before the start of their 21-date US and UK tour, Culture Club announced they had to cancel the tour due to George suffering from a serious throat condition. The cancelled tour would have represented the full original line-up's first tour in 12 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boygeorgeuk.com/?p=4050 |title=Culture Club Tour Cancelled |work=Boygeorgeuk.com |date=28 November 2014 |access-date=26 August 2018 |archive-date=23 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623033243/http://www.boygeorgeuk.com/?p=4050 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Sean |last=Michaels |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/14/culture-club-cancel-first-tour-for-12-years |title=Culture Club cancel first tour for 12 years |work=The Guardian |date=14 November 2014 |access-date=26 August 2018}}</ref> The North American tour was eventually rescheduled and started on 17 July 2015 in Canada. A television documentary, ''Boy George and Culture Club: Karma to Calamity'', aired on [[BBC Four]] on 6 March 2015. The programme documented the band's reunion in 2014 and the making of their new album in Spain, up to the announcement to cancel the tour.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b054v27d|title=BBC Four – Boy George and Culture Club: Karma to Calamity|publisher=BBC|access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref> Based on the popularity of 2015's mini-tour, Culture Club embarked on a 60 city world tour in 2016. The major success of this tour culminated in a DVD/CD/Blu-ray release, ''Live at Wembley: World Tour 2016''.

In August 2016, the band announced that the album ''Tribes'' was permanently shelved, and offered refunds to all those who had pre-ordered the album online.

In 2018, Culture Club toured the US and Europe from June to December. Dubbed ''The Life Tour'', the band toured in support of their [[Life (Boy George and Culture Club album)|namesake album]], along with supporting acts [[the B-52s]], [[Tom Bailey (musician)|Tom Bailey]] (formerly of [[the Thompson Twins]]) and [[Belinda Carlisle]] (Europe dates only). Jon Moss was originally part of the line-up, but did not participate in the European leg of the tour. A spokeswoman for Boy George confirmed: "Jon's taking a break from Culture Club but the door is open in the future."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/boy-george-culture-club-tour/ |title=Boy George slams 'fact-starved' report |work=Gay Star News |date=30 October 2018 |access-date=30 October 2018 |archive-date=30 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181030212903/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/boy-george-culture-club-tour/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In December 2019, Moss filed a writ at London's High Court naming the band trio as defendants. Moss' lawyers say he was told to "take a break" by manager [[Paul Kemsley]], demanding nearly £200,000 in missing payments and a share of profits.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twnews.co.uk/gb-news/boy-george-sued-by-ex-lover-and-drummer-jon-moss-after-he-booted-him-out-of-culture-club |title=Boy George sued by ex-lover and drummer Jon Moss after he booted him out of Culture Club |work=TWNEWS|access-date=15 December 2019}}</ref> Moss officially left Culture Club in May 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/BoyGeorge/status/1396828726663462917 |title=Boy George on Twitter |work=Twitter|access-date=25 May 2021}}</ref>

Culture Club returned to the SSE Arena in Wembley on 19 December 2020 for a livestream concert broadcast around the world, in response to the ongoing [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]]. Titled 'Rainbow in the Dark', the concert saw the band play their classic hits, new material, including a new ballad version of "[[Karma Chameleon]]" featuring Mila, and covers of [[T. Rex (band)|T. Rex]]'s "[[Get It On (Bang a Gong)]]" and George's solo cover of [[Bread (band)|Bread]]'s "[[Everything I Own]]".

Culture Club toured in 2022 with a residency in Las Vegas and select amphitheaters across the United States. They also served as an opening act for [[Rod Stewart]] on his ''Greatest Hits'' tour in the UK in June and July 2023, and in addition to continuing their Las Vegas residency that February, Culture Club embarked on a U.S. summer tour titled ''The Letting It Go Show'', with [[Howard Jones (British musician)|Howard Jones]] and [[Berlin (band)|Berlin]] serving as opening acts.