Mummy Calls were a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

band based in

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Pri ...

. The group is best known for their single " Beauty Has Her Way", which was prominently featured in the film ''

The Lost Boys ''The Lost Boys'' is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard, and with the screenplay written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer, and James Jeremias, from a story by Fischer and Jeremias. The ...

''.

History

Mummy Calls were formed in 1982 and were active throughout the early to mid-1980s. The band's line-up consisted of vocalist David Banks, keyboardist Alan Bint, drummer David Everingham - replaced in 1984 by Paul Brook (formerly of

Level 42 Level 42 are an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s. Their highest-charting single in the UK was " Lessons in Love", which reached number three on th ...

), bassist Andrew Hingley (brother of Tom Hingley of the

Inspiral Carpets Inspiral Carpets are an English rock band, part of the late-1980s/early-1990s Madchester movement. Formed in Oldham in 1983, the band's most successful lineup featured frontman Tom Hingley, drummer Craig Gill, guitarist Graham Lambert, bassist ...

) and saxophonist Paul Howard. Following a bidding war, Mummy Calls signed with

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

and issued their self-titled debut album in 1986. The first single from the album, "Beauty Has Her Way", was released to critical acclaim followed by "Let's Go" which received a more lukewarm response. The band achieved their enduring fame, however, when " Beauty Has Her Way" was used on the multi-million selling soundtrack of the vampire film ''

'' (

Joel Schumacher Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939 – June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designe ...

1987). The song, soundtrack and film maintain a level of cult status. A shift in priorities at the band's record label halted the group's chart rise in the U.S. and U.K. as promotional dollars were spent on other artists on the roster. The group disbanded in 1987 in order to free themselves from their record contract.

After disbandment

Vocalist David Banks later joined the group Unicorn Jones in 1996 with former

It Bites It Bites are an English progressive rock and pop fusion band, formed in Egremont, Cumbria, Egremont, Cumbria, in 1982 and best known for their 1986 single "Calling All the Heroes", which gained them a Top 40, Top 10 UK Singles Chart hit. Initi ...

members John Beck and Dick Nolan. David Banks is an author and solo artist, living in London, working on a new solo album. Drummer Paul Brook became an in-demand session drummer, touring and recording with

Nik Kershaw Nicholas David Kershaw (born 1 March 1958) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He came to prominence in 1984 as a solo artist. He released eight singles that entered the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart during the decade, i ...

Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career, he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, Heavy metal music, heavy ...

Greg Lake Gregory Stuart Lake (10 November 1947 – 7 December 2016) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock bands King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP). Born and b ...

Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer. Known for her distinctive husky voice, Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' and its ...

Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A session bassist, he has played bass for a number of acts such as the Who, the John Mayer Trio, Gary Numan, Paul Young, Don Henle ...

and

The Dream Academy The Dream Academy was a British Indie pop, alternative pop band consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist and primary songwriter Nick Laird-Clowes, woodwinds player and pianist Kate St John, and keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel. The band is most no ...

. Brook died May 3, 2007, following a battle with cancer. Bass guitarist, Andrew Hingley, worked in professional audio as a musician, R&D engineer, product specialist and sales manager. He died in 2023, age 62.

Discography

Albums

*'' Mummy Calls'' (1986)

Singles

Soundtrack appearances

*''

'' (1987)

References

External links

Mummy Calls tribute page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mummy Calls English pop music groups Musicians from Leamington Spa Musical groups established in 1982 English new wave musical groups 1982 establishments in England