The Belle Stars

A female septet formed in 1981 by musicians from ska band The Bodysnatchers, Sarah-Jane Owen (guitar, vocals), Stella Barker (guitar), Miranda Joyce (saxophone), Penny Leyton (keyboards) and Judy Parsons (drums), The Belle Stars also included singer Jennie McKeown and bassist Lesley Shone. The Stiff Records-signed band broke into the UK charts with their covers of 1960s classics: "Iko, Iko" (The Dixie Cups), "The Clapping Song" (Shirley Ellis) and "Mockingbird " (Inez & Charlie Foxx). In 1983, The Belle Stars scored their biggest international success with the No. 3 hit "Sign of the Times". A heady guitar riff and alternating vocals made the fortune of this must-have song of the decade. The band disappeared after another handful of lower-rated singles, leaving only an album of the same name (#15 in 1983).

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