Unafraid to experiment with different images and express herself in any way she sees fit,
Annie Lennox has nonetheless carved out a niche for herself as one of the most popular female vocalists of the last few decades. Lennox was born in Aberdeen, Scotland on December 25, 1954. She played the flute and piano as youngster and when she was 17 was accepted to London’s Royal Academy of Music, only to drop out a few weeks shy of graduation. She met
Dave Stewart 1n 1976 and the two soon became romantically and musically involved, playing together in a succession of semi
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-successful bands. When their last band, The Tourists, broke up in 1981, Lennox and Steward stayed together and rechristened themselves The
Eurythmics after a Greek dance, playing sleek synthesizer based music. “
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" was released in January 1983. Within a few short weeks it was sitting at the number two position in Britain. The UK success of "
Sweet Dreams" was soon matched around the world, as the single and accompanying video received heavy airplay throughout 1983. The duo knew they had truly arrived when the song topped the American charts in late summer that year. Subsequent hit Eurythmics’ songs included “
Here Comes the Rain Again” and “Would I Lie to You” and “I Need a Man.”
In 1990, following the release of Eurythmics' commercial disappointment We Too Are One, Lennox announced that she was taking a two-year sabbatical to have a child. During this time, the group quietly dissolved. In April 1992, Lennox released her first solo album—Diva. It went to #1 in the UK, and garnered Lennox her first Grammy (she was nominated for three Grammy awards). The following year saw the birth of her second daughter, Tali. A collection of cover songs, entitled Medusa, came out in 1995. It too reached #1 on the British album charts. In the U.S., both of Lennox's solo albums sold in excess of two million copies each. After almost a decade apart, the Eurythmics reunited to release Peace in 1999. Annie Lennox was invited to perform at the Queen's 50th Anniversary Jubilee concert in June 2002, a bill that included Paul McCartney and
Ozzy Osbourne. In honor of her brilliant career, Annie Lennox was awarded the Billboard Century Award in 2002. Much to the delight of her fans, she continues to record and perform.
