Central Line, Manchester

Central Line biography

Named after the underground train line which caters to certain areas of East London, and originally a sextet, the main protagonists were Linton Beckles who supplied vocals and percussion, keyboardist Lipson Francis, Camelle Hinds who played bass guitar and gave the group more vocals, and Henry Defoe who played lead guitar. Eventually, additional musicians helped to fill out the mix, as Peter Hinds appeared on this group and Beggar & Co.’s recordings, along with Nat Augustin and Gee Bello from Light Of The World. Such was this cross-pollination, that Lipson Francis also performed on Beggar & Co.’s album. They joined the roster of Mercury Records, which was a division of Phonogram, and Wot We Got It’s Hot in 1979 was among a number of their first singles. The early 1980s were a much more rewarding period for the quartet, as Walking Into Sunshine gave them chart success in March 1982. Linx producer and keyboardist Bob Carter remixed (You Know) You Can Do It on their Breaking Point LP of that year, and other singles such as I Need Your Love, and Don't Tell Me along with the instrumental title track solidified a good all round album. Olympic Runners chanteur George Chandler also supplied backing vocals, along with a young chanteuse called Dee Sealy. Mel Gaynor, a soon-to-be member of pop band Simple Minds, also provided his skills on the drum kit, and in 2006 he went on a UK tour with a reformed Light of the World. The singles You’ve Said Enough and Time For Some Fun were not included on that set, or their subsequent one Choice. But even more accomplished was their take on Nat King Cole's Nature Boy which assured them another entry onto the UK singles charts. Among later releases were the singles Betcha Gonna, Lovely Day, and Surprise Surprise. Camelle Hinds and partner Henry Defoe went on to become Hindsight, and in 1987 the duo did well with their single Heaven's Just A Breath Away. In the early 1990s, Hinds earned himself some major recognition, with the track Sausolito Calling. copyright (c) Brit Funk Heaven

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