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John Waite
John Waite
	Waite Performing at the Tulalip Amphitheatre in 2021
Background information
Birth name	John Charles Waite
Born	4 July 1952 (age 72); Lancaster, Lancashire, England
Origin	London, England
Genres	Pop rock; hard rock; power pop; country;
Occupation(s)	Singer, musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, bass
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Chrysalis; EMI; Epic; Gold Circle; Rounder; No Brakes; Imago; Frontiers;
Formerly of	The Babys; Bad English; Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band;
Website	johnwaiteworldwide.com

John Charles Waite (born 4 July 1952)^[1] is an English rock singer and musician. As a solo artist, he has released ten studio albums and is best known for the 1984 hit single "Missing You", which reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the top ten on the UK singles chart. He was also the lead vocalist for the rock bands the Babys and Bad English.

Early life

Waite was born and raised in Lancaster, Lancashire,^[2] and was educated at Greaves Secondary Modern and Lancaster Art College (The Storey Institute).

Career

As a performer, Waite first came to attention as the lead singer and bassist of the Babys, a British rock band that had moderate chart success. The band achieved two pop hits that each peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Isn't It Time" (1977) and "Everytime I Think of You" (1979),^[3] and a solid following of their concert tours. Over the course of five years, the band produced five albums ending with the final album On the Edge in October 1980, after which the group disbanded.^[4]^{[better source needed]}

Waite subsequently launched his solo career with his 1982 debut album Ignition, which produced the hit single "Change".^[5] The Chrysalis 45 failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 during its initial release (May 1982) but was a top track on AOR radio stations, as well as a very popular music video on MTV as the 'new' cable channel celebrated its first full year of operation. The song was originally recorded in 1981 (with slightly different lyrics) by the American rock band Spider (which featured Amanda Blue, Holly Knight, and Anton Fig) and in 1985 was included on the platinum-selling Vision Quest soundtrack. When the single was reissued, it reached the Top 50 on the Hot 100. "Going to the Top" was released as the original follow-up single to "Change".

In 1984, Waite guest-starred on three episodes of the TV series Paper Dolls. The shows featured his songs "Missing You" and "Tears".

Waite's next album, No Brakes, resulted in international success.^[5] It was a Top 10 Billboard album in the US due to the smash hit "Missing You" which went to No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.^[6] It knocked Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It?" out of No. 1. For that very reason, Turner later recorded and released Waite's smash song herself. (Turner's single peaked at No. 84 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1996). "Missing You" also hit No. 1 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks as well as the Top 10 of Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. No Brakes sold over a million and a half US copies, yet has never been certified above the RIAA Gold standard (a record company must apply to the RIAA for such certification). Two more singles from No Brakes followed, including "Tears" which was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

The next album Mask of Smiles followed in 1985,^[5] featuring the hit single "Every Step of the Way". Another single, "If Anybody Had a Heart", was released from the soundtrack of the 1986 film About Last Night.... In 1987, Rover's Return was released with the single "These Times Are Hard for Lovers". Waite would have another soundtrack appearance in 1990 from Days of Thunder with "Deal for Life".

In 1988, Waite joined former Babys bandmates Jonathan Cain and Ricky Phillips, along with Neal Schon and drummer Deen Castronovo from Journey, to form the supergroup Bad English.^[5] In 1989, the Bad English ballad "When I See You Smile" (penned by Diane Warren) went to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Gold-certified single. Its parent album reached Billboard's Top Five and sold nearly two million copies in the United States alone. Bad English released two albums before tensions amongst the members led to the band's dissolution by 1992.^[5]

Waite then returned to solo work. He released the album Rough and Tumble. He has continued to tour, such as in 2003 with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band.

In 2006, "Missing You" was released as a duet with Alison Krauss and reached the Top 40 on the Country Charts in the United States. Waite appeared with Krauss on The Tonight Show on 5 February 2007 to perform the song. Waite's songs have reappeared in other media as well: 2013 saw "Missing You" featured heavily in the movie Warm Bodies, and "Change" is on the soundtrack of the US movie Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

On 5 February 2019, Waite and Joe Ely filed a class-action lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) claiming the company had violated their right to terminate grants of copyright. On 3 May 2019, UMG filed a motion to dismiss the case. ^[7]^[8] In January, 2023 a federal judge ruled that Waite and hundreds of other artists cannot join forces to sue UMG to regain control of their masters, saying the case raised big questions about “fairness” but that it was ill-suited for class-action litigation. ^[9]

Waite was the subject of 2022 biographical documentary John Waite: The Hard Way.^[10]

Personal life

Previously a longtime resident of New York City, since 2014 Waite has made his home in Santa Monica, California.^[11]

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions				Certifications (sales threshold)
Year	Album details	UK ^[12]	AUS ^[13]	SWE ^[14]	US ^[2]	Certifications (sales threshold)
1982	Ignition First studio album Release date: 21 May 1982 Label: Chrysalis Records	—	—	—	68
1984	No Brakes Second studio album Release date: 15 June 1984 Label: EMI	64	27	—	10	US: Gold CAN: Platinum
1985	Mask of Smiles Third studio album Release date: 26 July 1985 Label: EMI	—	—	—	36
1987	Rover's Return Fourth studio album Release date: 19 June 1987 Label: EMI	—	99	30	77
1995	Temple Bar Fifth studio album Release date: 14 February 1995 Label: Imago Records	—	—	—	—
1997	When You Were Mine Sixth studio album Release date: 23 September 1997 Label: Mercury Records	—	—	—	—
2001	Figure in a Landscape Seventh studio album Release date: 21 August 2001 Label: Gold Circle Records	—	—	—	—
2004	The Hard Way Eighth studio album Release date: 21 September 2004 Label: No Brakes	—	—	—	—
2007	Downtown: Journey of a Heart Ninth studio album Release date: 9 January 2007 Label: Rounder Records	—	—	—	—
2011	Rough & Tumble Tenth studio album Release date: 2011 Label: Frontiers Records	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Live albums

Year	Album	Label
2001	Live & Rare Tracks	One Way
2010	In Real Time	Frontiers Records
2013	Live – All Access	No Brakes Records

Compilation albums

Year	Album	Label
1992	The Essential John Waite	Chrysalis
1996	Complete	Capitol
2014	Best	No Brakes Records
2017	Wooden Heart – Acoustic Anthology, Volume 2	No Brakes Records

EPs

Year	Album	Label
2014	Wooden Heart – Acoustic, Volume 1 – EP	No Brakes Records

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions^[12]										Certifications	Album
Year	Single	UK	AUS ^[13]	CAN	NZ	SWI	US ^[15]	US Main	US AC	US Dance	US Country	Certifications	Album
1982	"Change"	—	—	—	—	—	—	16	—	—	—		Ignition
1982	"Going to the Top"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Ignition
1984	"Missing You"	9	5	1	18	12	1	1	7	27	—	BPI: Silver^[16]	No Brakes
	"Tears"	—	—	45	—	—	37	8	—	—	—
	"Dark Side of the Sun"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1985	"Restless Heart"	—	—	—	—	—	59	28	—	—	—
	"Change" (re-release)	—	—	—	—	—	54	—	—	—	—		Vision Quest (soundtrack)
	"Every Step of the Way"	160	—	39	—	—	25	4	—	—	—		Mask of Smiles
	"Welcome to Paradise"	—	—	—	—	—	85	—	—	—	—		Mask of Smiles
1986	"If Anybody Had a Heart"	—	—	—	—	—	76	24	—	—	—		About Last Night... (soundtrack)
1987	"These Times Are Hard for Lovers"	77	59	—	—	—	53	6	—	—	—		Rover's Return
1987	"Don't Lose Any Sleep"	—	—	—	—	—	81	—	—	—	—		Rover's Return
1990	"Deal for Life"	80	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Days of Thunder
1993	"In Dreams"	—	—	—	—	—	103	—	—	—	—		True Romance (soundtrack)
1993	"Missing You" (re-entry)	56	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		The Essential John Waite
1995	"How Did I Get By Without You?"	—	—	—	—	—	89	—	20	—	—		Temple Bar
2001	"Fly"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	27	—	—		Figure in a Landscape
2005	"New York City Girl"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	23	—	—		The Hard Way
2006	"Missing You" (with Alison Krauss)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	34		Downtown: Journey of a Heart
2011	"Shadows of Love"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Rough & Tumble
2011	"If You Ever Get Lonely"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Rough & Tumble
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

^ George-Warren, Holly; Romanowski, Patricia; Pareles, Jon, eds. (2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. University of Michigan. p. 36.
^ ^a ^b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (4 July 1955). "John Waite | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
^ Huey, Steve. "The Babys | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
^ "Life Story: The Babys (continued)". JohnWaite.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Colin Larkin, ed. (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 474/5. ISBN 0-7535-0257-7.
^ Bronson, Fred, ed. (1997). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. University of Virginia. p. 594.
^ French, Leonard (18 May 2018). "Music Industry Opposes Copyright Termination; What is it?". Lawful Masses with Leonard French. YouTube. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
^ Sanchez, Daniel (7 May 2018). "Universal Music Is Battling to Nullify the 35-Year Copyright Termination Right". Digitalmusicnews.com. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
^ Donahue, Bill (27 January 2023). "Hundreds of UMG Artists Can't Sue Label as Class Action Over Termination Rights, Judge Says". Billboard Legal News. Billboard Pro. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
^ "John Waite: The Hard Way". avclub.com. The A.V. Club. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
^ Bolton, R. Scott (12 March 2014). "Interview with John Waite". Roughedge.com. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
^ ^a ^b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 589. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ ^a ^b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 331. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ Hung, Steffen (29 July 1987). "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. p. 949. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
^ "British certifications – John Waite". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 July 2022. Type John Waite in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.