# Texas Scottish pop-rock band from Glasgow, formed in 1986. Fronted by Sharleen Spiteri, with Johnny McElhone as the other constant member since the start. Best known in the UK for a run of glossy, soul/blues-inflected pop-rock hits through the 90s, especially the 1997 album *White on Blonde*, though the band has quietly kept releasing records well into the 2020s. ## Formation Founded in Glasgow in 1986 by Johnny McElhone (bass; previously of Altered Images and Hipsway) alongside guitarist Ally McErlaine and Sharleen Spiteri, who was working as a hairdresser at the time and became the band's lead vocalist and guitarist. Took the name from Wim Wenders' film *Paris, Texas*. Played their live debut in March 1988 at the University of Dundee. ## Breakthrough and the 90s run Debut single "I Don't Want a Lover" (January 1989), from debut album *Southside* (1989), reached No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart and gave the band an early, quick hit. Follow-up albums *Mothers Heaven* (1991) and *Ricks Road* (1993) didn't replicate that same commercial heat. The big commercial peak came with *White on Blonde* (1997) — a stylistic shift toward glossier, soul- and R&B-influenced pop-rock, driven by singles like "Say What You Want" (UK No. 3, their biggest hit) and "Halo." The album went to No. 1 in the UK, was certified six-times platinum there, and spent well over a hundred weeks on the charts. It's the record that made Texas an arena-level act in the UK and much of Europe, even as they never really broke through in the US to the same degree. *The Hush* (1999) kept up the momentum with more hits ("In Demand," "Summer Son"). After that the band's commercial profile gradually cooled through *Careful What You Wish For* (2003) and *Red Book* (2005), though they've remained a steady festival and touring act in the UK. ## Later years Texas kept releasing albums well past their 90s peak: *The Conversation* (2013), *Jump on Board* (2017), and *Hi* (2021), the latter becoming their highest-charting UK album since *The Hush*. As of the mid-2020s the band is reportedly working on a new album recorded at the famous Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama, alongside continued touring and festival dates. By 2013 the band had reported worldwide album sales north of 40 million. ## Discography (studio albums) - *Southside* (1989) - *Mothers Heaven* (1991) - *Ricks Road* (1993) - *White on Blonde* (1997) - *The Hush* (1999) - *Careful What You Wish For* (2003) - *Red Book* (2005) - *The Conversation* (2013) - *Jump on Board* (2017) - *Hi* (2021) - untitled follow-up (reportedly recorded at Muscle Shoals, Alabama) — in progress as of 2024, no confirmed release date found ## Notes to self - Don't actually know much beyond *White on Blonde* and *The Hush* singles — worth digging into the early (*Southside*-era) and later (post-2013) records I've never properly heard. - Check back on the Muscle Shoals album once it's actually out and update this note with a real title/date. - Sharleen Spiteri also has a solo career (*Melody*, *The Movie Songbook*) — maybe a separate note if I ever get into that side of things.