Tracey Ullman, real name Trace Ullman, is an English actress-producer-singer who forged a strong personality from an early age following the death of her father from a heart attack when she was only 6 years old.
It was by playing in plays at her school that she first stood out at the age of 12 by the school principal. Director who recommends that she be oriented towards a specific school for children with early artistic talents. This is how she joined the Italia Conti Academy, a school experience that unfortunately ended in failure.
At 16, she managed to join a German dance company and left for Berlin. But the adventure came to an end and she quickly returned to England, a comeback that allowed her to join the Second Generation dance troupe. Unfortunately, the experience will also be short lived as she will be fired for forgetting to wear panties during a performance ...
Subsequently, she still manages to participate in musicals such as Grease or Rocky Horror Show. But this environment hardly suits her and the disillusions are numerous. She then turned to the theater and participated in an improv-based competition organized by the Royal Court Theater in London. Her performance was so remarkable that the main English television channel, the famous BBC, immediately took an interest in her.
This is how she starts a television career where she will literally 'explode' and become one of the biggest English stars of the small screen, thanks in particular to TV shows like the Tracey Ullman show which starts in 1987 or series like Three of a Kind which started earlier in 1981.
At the same time, she therefore pursued a career as a singer, a career that began in 1983 with the release of a first album "You broke my heart in 17 places". And this despite her future husband and TV producer Alan McKeown strongly advising her not to take this musical break.
We knew she was good at acting, she will prove that she is far from being ridiculous when she comes to song. The album is a real success and will be a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. In particular thanks to 2 flagship titles which are "Breakaway" but also, and above all, its luxury cover of the title of Kirsty MacColl dating from 1979 "They don’t know". Single which will remain as the best classified of all its - short - discography and which will see Kirsty MacColl herself play the backing vocals on this revisited version !
Bolstered by this unexpected success, the apprentice singer took the opportunity to release a new album "You caught me out" a year later in 1984. Album with less success and which was - already - the last. But who will still produce several high-caliber Singles including "My guy", a revisited version of the title of the group Madness "My girl". As well as "Sunglasses", another luxury cover of the title of Skeeter Davis dating from 1965.
A great musical adventure that will end in 1985 with the release of a last Single "Terry", yet another luxury cover of a Kirsty MacColl track, this time dating from 1983.
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
80s Decade :
Brakeaway 1983
They don’t know 1983
Move over, darling 1983
Bobby's girl 1983
My guy 1984
Sunglasses 1984
Helpless 1984
Terry 1985
Shattered 1985
Tracks :
1983 ... a single title, THIS title, was enough to bring the singer One Shot into the musical legend of the 80s. Here she delivers an over-boosted version of Irma Thomas' title dating from 1964 which undoubtedly exceeds the original. HU-GE !
1983 ... new luxury cover this time of the title of Kirsty MacColl dating from 1979. And as for the previous title, the copy is well worth the original. We want more !
1983 ... luxury covers that have become her business. This time, she takes over the title of Doris Day dating from 1963 in a revisited version which works my faith very well once again
1983...a title which will only be released in Germany, hence its very limited influence. Here it is brought back into the light a little more...
1984 ... this time, it's Madness dating from 1979 that she takes over. And as on previous times, it brings a really new breath to the titles that she revisits
1984 ... new luxury cover on this title by Skeeter Davis dating from 1965 and which she brings up to date with the usual lightness and good humor
1984 ... communicative good humor and joie de vivre. A light discography but which will at least have had the merit of doing us good quite simply !
1985 ... a very sympathetic adventure which is drawing to a close. The artist will not remain as the greatest singer of the decade but undoubtedly as one of the nicest !
1985...a title which will be released late but which dates from 1983. We might as well bring it back into the spotlight as much as possible...
Top Bonus : 2005...we never thought we would see her again on the music side but here she is indeed again on the soundtrack of the film 'Corpse bride'. A participation that is masked to say the least...
Wiki :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :