Boy George biography

The group soon abandoned their original name, instead settling on Culture Club. The name was a joke in reference to the group members' various backgrounds: George was Irish, Craig was Jamaican and British, Moss was Jewish, and Hay was an Englishman.

International Pop Star

Success came early. The band signed with Virgin Records in the U.K. and Epic Records in America, releasing their debut album, Kissing To Be Clever, in 1982. It was their third single from that album, "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" that scored a huge success for the group. The song reached the No. 1 spot in 16 different countries.

Culture Club already had the distinction of being the first group since the Beatles to have three songs from their debut album become top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. The group's second album, Colour By Numbers (1983) was also a success, with the single "Karma Chameleon" rocketing to the No. 1 spot in numerous countries including the U.S., where it stayed for four weeks.

George soon became a household name, making him a natural choice for one of the lead vocals on the Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984. However the pressure of fame began to take its toll, and by late 1985 George had developed an addiction to heroin. Culture Club began to lose their way musically. Work on their fourth album From Luxury To Heartache (1986) proved to be a headache as recording sessions dragged on for hours.

Personal Life

In July of that same year, George was arrested in the U.K. for possession of cannabis. A few days later, the band's keyboardist, Michael Rudetski, was found dead in George's home. The coroner's report revealed that he had suffered a heroin overdose.

During his time in Culture Club, George embarked on a relationship with drummer Jon Moss, and he has claimed that some of the songs he wrote during this period were aimed at Moss directly. The pair's romance did not last though, with speculation that Moss had broken off his engagement to a woman to be with George, but was never entirely comfortable in a homosexual relationship. Moss has since gone on to marry a woman and have several children.

Clearly the much-hyped furor over the band peaked too early and in late 1986, after their U.S. tour was canceled, Culture Club disbanded. Despite his ongoing battles with drug addiction, George began recording his first solo album. In 1987 Sold was released as a major success, but George never really managed to duplicate the same level of exposure in the U.S.

Over the years, George continued to release various solo albums and even formed his own record label in the early 90s. His most significant acclaim during the 90s was his 1992 hit single "The Crying Game," which featured in the film of the same name. The song reached the top 20 on the U.S. charts.

After a fall out with Virgin Records in the mid 90s, George's work was poorly promoted and subsequently failed to alight any kind of praise. Culture Club reunited briefly back in 1998 at the Big Rewind tour in America alongside Human League, and later the same year managed to secure a top five single in the U.K. with "I Just Wanna Be Loved."