Peter Murphy

Despite having a successful solo career as a cult artist, vocalist Peter Murphy remains best known as the lead vocalist of Bauhaus, the pioneering post-punk goth rock band of the early '80s. After disbanding Bauhaus in 1983, Murphy formed Dali's Car with former Japan member Mick Karn. Dali's Car only released one album, The Waking Hour, in 1984. Following its release, the duo broke up and Murphy hesitatingly began a solo career with a cover of Magazine's "The Light Pours Out of Me." In 1986, he released his first full-fledged solo album, Should the World Fail to Fall Apart; two years later, Murphy released his second solo album, Love Hysteria. Like its predecessor, Love Hysteria received lukewarm reviews but sold well to his dedicated fan base. With 1990's Deep, Murphy had a surprise hit -- the first single from the record, the Bowie-esque "Cuts You Up," became the American modern rock hit of the year, spending seven weeks at the top of the U.S. charts and crossing over to AOR radio and the pop charts, where it peaked at number 55. Murphy wasn't able to sustain that success with his next album, 1992's Holy Smoke. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine