Editing Berlin (band) (section)

===Early years===
The genesis of Berlin was the rock band the Toys, formed in 1976 in [[Orange County, California]], by [[John Crawford (musician)|John Crawford]] (bass guitar), Dan Van Patten (drums), Chris Ruiz-Velasco (guitar), and Tyson A. Cobb (vocals).<ref name="Berlin - Official Band">{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/berlinofficialband/posts/1177325525720344 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/315163908603181/1177325525720344 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Berlin - Official Band|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=2018-04-20}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/pg/johncrawfordberlin/about/?ref=page_internal|title=John Crawford - Berlin|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=2018-04-20}}</ref> After a few shows, the band changed its name to Berlin and stayed together for about three years but ultimately regrouped, discharging Cobb as lead singer. After a brief time when [[Toni Childs]] was lead singer, [[Terri Nunn]] joined the band after answering an ad through the Musicians Contact Service in Hollywood in 1979.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2018/01/10/eighties-acts-the-romantics-and-berlin-team-up-for-hard-rock-live-gig|title=Eighties Acts the Romantics and Berlin Team Up for Hard Rock Live Gig|last=Niesel|first=Jeff|work=Cleveland Scene|access-date=2018-04-20|language=en}}</ref> Despite its name, Berlin did not have any known major connections with [[Berlin|the sometime capital of Germany]]; the name was chosen to make them seem European and exotic.  Terri Nunn explained in a 2003 interview, "...Berlin started that way [electronic], and in a sense helped to bring that to America.  'Cause when we started, it was going on in Europe, but it wasn't really happening here yet."<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SlfyjOycQU&t=24m19s ''Berlin: Intimate'' DVD] (2003).</ref> The band was inspired by the keyboard-oriented groups [[Kraftwerk]], [[Devo]], [[Sparks (band)|Sparks]] and [[The Screamers]].

The band's first single, "A Matter of Time", was released in 1979 on Renegade Records<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Berlin-A-Matter-Of-Time/master/139617|title=Berlin - A Matter Of Time|website=Discogs|year=1979 |language=en|access-date=2018-04-20}}</ref> and they appeared on television for the first time on the short-lived ''[[Hollywood Heartbeat]]'', hosted by former Fleetwood Mac guitarist [[Bob Welch (musician)|Bob Welch]].<ref>{{Citation|last=morrisonAV|title=Berlin - A Matter of Time (1979)|date=2009-06-22|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=APPhaCUZj-0|access-date=2018-04-20}}</ref> Nunn left the group later that year to pursue an acting career, and was replaced by Virginia Macolino. The band released the 1980 album ''Information'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Berlin-Information/release/1009103|title=Berlin - Information|website=Discogs|year=1980 |language=en|access-date=2018-04-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.lostturntable.com/2016/03/21/10-years-of-being-lost-berlins-information/|title=10 Years Of Being Lost: Berlin's Information|work=Lost Turntable|access-date=2018-04-20|language=en-US}}</ref> with Macolino as lead vocalist, but the band struggled to sign with a mainstream label without Nunn. As band manager, Perry Watts-Russell explained, "Unfortunately, the record labels that had shown interest in December 1979, when Terri was the singer, were no longer keen to sign the band. So, by later that year, Berlin had effectively broken up, and John had formed and was the lead singer in another group, Fahrenheit, with Dan Van Patten. But he had some songs that he thought were better suited to Terri's voice, and he asked me if I thought she might be interested in singing them. We asked and she was."<ref name="Berlin - Official Band"/>