After Dinner Speakers: Bananarama, Oprah Winfrey, The Human League

Formed in London in 1980, this all-female pop trio comprised Keren Woodward (b. 2 April 1961, Bristol, Avon, England), Sarah Dallin (b. 17 December 1961, Bristol, Avon, England) and Siobhan Fahey (b. Siobhan Marie Deidre Fahey, 10 September 1958, Dublin, Eire). After singing impromptu at various parties and pubs in London, the group were recorded by former Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook on the Swahili Black Blood cover version, "Ai A Mwana". The single caught the attention of Fun Boy Three vocalist Terry Hall, who invited the girls to back his trio on their revival of "It Ain't What You Do, It's The Way That You Do It". In return, the Fun Boy Three backed Bananarama on their Velvelettes cover version, "Really Saying Something", which reached the UK Top 5 in 1982. From the outset, Bananarama had a strong visual image and an unselfconsciously amateur approach to choreography that was refreshing and appealing. Although they initially played down their talents, they retained considerable control over their careers, eschewing the usual overt sexism associated with the marketing of female troupes in pop. A tie-up with producers Tony Swain and Steve Jolley brought them Top 10 hits with "Shy Boy", the Steam cover version, "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" and "Cruel Summer". Their high point during this phase was the clever and appealing "Robert De Niro's Waiting", which justly reached the Top 3 in the UK. In an attempt to tackle more serious subject matter, they next released "Rough Justice", a protest song on the political situation in Northern Ireland. The title prophetically summed up the disc's chart fate. A lean period followed before the girls teamed up with the Stock, Aitken And Waterman production team for a remake of Shocking Blue's "Venus", which brought them a US number 1 in 1986. "I Heard A Rumour" maintained the quality of their recent output, with some excellent harmonies and a strong arrangement. Their biggest UK hit followed with the exceptional "Love In The First Degree", which reached number 3 and proved to be their finest pop moment. In early 1988 Fahey left the group, married the Eurythmics' David A. Stewart and subsequently formed Shakespears Sister. Her replacement was Jacquie O'Sullivan (b. 7 August 1960, London, England), an old friend whose image fitted in reasonably well. During the early 90s, the hits continued making Bananarama the most consistent and successful British female group in pop history. This effective formula underwent yet another change in 1991 when Sullivan departed for a solo career, resulting in Dallin and Woodward continuing for the first time as a duo. The duo's last chart entry was "More, More, More" in spring 1993, and they recorded one further album, Ultra Violet. The original line-up re-formed in 1998 to record a cover version of Abba's "Waterloo' for Channel 4"s Eurotrash Eurovision tribute. Dallin and Woodward went on to record a new album, Exotica, which was released in France in 2001