Living In A Box singer Richard Darbyshire dies aged 65

Richard Darbyshire, the former frontman of Living In A Box, passed away on Monday 10 November.

His family told the BBC: “We are all very sad but his memory and songs will live on.”

His former Living In A Box bandmates paid tribute in a post on Instagram, saying: “It is with immense sadness that we have to announce the passing of Richard Darbyshire, founding member and lead singer with Living In A Box from 1987 to 1990.

“Richard was an incredible talent – what a voice! His vocal skills knew no bounds, from the driving raw power of our first eponymous hit song to the tender heart-melting charm of Room In Your Heart. Richard truly could do it all. His guitar playing, though less recognised, was equally accomplished. As a songwriter, Richard was at the heart of everything we did, a pure craftsman and master of his art.

“In some ways, Richard was the most reluctant of pop stars, always eschewing the limelight that inevitably came with the success we had. He hated the photo shoots, the interviews, the TV appearances and thought it was all a bit daft. He was happiest in the studio, guitar in hand, working on the next song.

“Richard, wherever you are, Tich and I [Marcus] will miss you dearly. The laughs we had, the wildcat ride we went on, will never be forgotten. Love you, man.”

Soulful Singer

Born in Stockport on 8 March 1960, Darbyshire was educated in Manchester before moving with his family to Japan at the age of 13. While in Japan, where he attended an American boarding school, he was introduced to legendary soul acts such as Marvin Gaye, Al Green and Curtis Mayfield via the US military radio.

On his return to the UK, he immersed himself in the Northern music scene and played in Gammer And His Familiars alongside The Durutti Column’s Vini Reilly, and Zu Zu Sharks which included Adam And The Ants bassist Gary Tibbs.

In 1985, while working on solo material as an independent artist, Chrysalis Records asked him to be the vocalist and guitarist for a fledgling group consisting of drummer Anthony ‘Tich’ Critchlow and keyboardist Marcus Vere. Invited to add vocals to a song his two future bandmates were working on in the studio, the three officially adopted the song’s title as their band name – Living In A Box.

Commercial Success

Released two years later, Living In A Box was their most commercially successful single, peaking at No.5 on the UK Singles Chart. Lifted from the eponymous debut album, which reached No.25, follow-up releases Scales Of Justice and So The Story Goes made No.30 and No.34 respectively, while a fourth single, Love Is The Art, narrowly missed out on the Top 40.

Their next album, the strong and sophisticated Gatecrashing, was released in 1989. A much more polished, confident affair, it generated two Top 10 hits. Lead single Blow The House Down, featuring Queen guitarist Brian May, made No.10, while the ballad Room In Your Heart became the band’s third Top 10 hit, peaking at No.5. The album itself peaked at No.21.

Talented Songwriter

In 1990, Living In A Box decided to split, but Darbyshire continued writing songs and his debut solo album, How Many Angels, was released in 1994. Singer Lisa Stansfield co-wrote two of the songs, This I Swear and Tell Him No, and sang backing vocals on the album. Darbyshire continued to work with other artists, most notably Stansfield: arranging and co-writing four tracks for her 1997 self-titled album as well as contributing songs for her Swing soundtrack LP (1999), Face Up (2001) and The Moment (2004).

Living In A Box reformed in 2016, with soul singer Kenny Thomas replacing Darbyshire on vocals. They are now touring with Bryan Chambers.

Prior to his passing, Darbyshire had opened songwriting workshops in London, offering lessons to young artists. He worked closely with vocalist, wife and vocal coach Sonia Jones.

Classic Pop extends its condolences to his family, friends, and fans.

Featured image credit: Michael Putland/Getty Images

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