Joe Leeway

Leeway was born to an Irish mother and Nigerian father, and from the age of two, was fostered by an English family in Dartford, Kent. He grew up mostly in Manchester, in the North West of England. At college he studied English and Drama, then began teaching English, which is how he met Tom Bailey. He joined a theatre group in Cardiff after failing to establish his own company. He spent a year with the Young Vic theatre before working with Thompson Twins as a roadie at Bailey's invitation.

Playing bongos and congas, he appeared on Thompson Twins debut studio album A Product Of... (Participation) (1981). By the time the band recorded their second studio album Set in 1982, Leeway had begun contributing to the songwriting process; he wrote by himself two songs for the album, and sang lead vocals on three tracks.

At that time in 1982, the Thompson Twins' membership changed radically. They had been at the time of Set an ever-changing group of musicians, featuring seven members; band leader Tom Bailey then reduced the band to a trio by firing everybody except Alannah Currie and Leeway. Leeway's main role in the new line-up was to assist in writing the songs, contribute backing vocals and design the group's stage shows due to Leeway's background in theatre.

Thompson Twins enjoyed at least three solid years of worldwide commercial success, beginning with the 1983 studio album Quick Step & Side Kick (released in the US as simply Side Kicks) followed by Into the Gap in 1984, and Here's to Future Days in 1985.

After these three studio albums, their recording contract with Arista Records was up for renewal and after the extensive world tour following the release of the latter album, Leeway chose to leave the band for a number of personal reasons, mostly due to difficulties with Bailey, Currie, & the group's management.