John Waite November 20, 2008

As a solo artist and as the lead singer of the Babys and Bad English, John Waite was a fixture of album-oriented rock radio stations during the '70s and '80s. Waite had a talent for power ballads and driving arena rock, occasionally touching on new wave-styled power pop, as well. Several of his songs - including "Missing You," the Babys' "Isn't It Time," and Bad English's "When I See You Smile" - became radio staples. John Waite formed the Babys in London, England, in 1976. Initially conceived as a teen pop band, the group earned a record contract based on the strength of a video demo they constructed with producer Mike Mansfield. Chrysalis pushed the band heavily, resulting in "Isn't It Time" becoming a hit in the U.S. and U.K. in 1977. As their career progressed, the group began to experiment with synthesized, new wave-inspired power pop, which resulted in a handful of hits. Waite began his solo career the following year, releasing Ignition on Chrysalis. While the album generated the minor hit "Change," his second album, 1984's No Brakes, became a genuine Top Ten hit on the strength of the number one single "Missing You." While "Missing You" was an international smash, eventually becoming one of the best-remembered songs of the early MTV era, No Brakes produced the Top 40 "Tears."

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