Nick Tesco
British musician (1955–2022)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nick Lightowlers (1955 – 26 February 2022) was a British performer, lyricist, producer, and music industry professional better known to many by his stage name Nick Tesco, the lead singer of the Members.[1]
Career
As a founding member and co-songwriter of the Members, Tesco fronted the band from 1976 until his departure and the subsequent split of the band in 1983.[2] The Members, from Camberley, Surrey, signed with Virgin Records at the tail-end of punk in 1978 and had a No. 12 hit with the single "The Sound of the Suburbs". Co-written by Tesco and Jean-Marie Carroll, the single reportedly sold 250,000 copies and went on to become a staple of punk compilations.[citation needed]
After leaving the band, Tesco co-performed and released the 1983 single "Cost of Living" for UK based independent label Albion Records with J. Walter Negro.[3]
Albion Records was a label he had previously worked for as a producer (the 1981 Outpatients single "New Japanese Hairstyles") and it was as a producer that he continued to work for the remainder of the decade – extensively for CBS, but also East West, WEA and Ariola.[citation needed]
In 1989, he appeared in Leningrad Cowboys Go America, written and directed by Aki Kaurismäki, a film about a fictional Russian rock band touring the US. This fictional band then toured and recorded in real life from 1990 until 1994.[citation needed] Leningrad Cowboys Go America was followed five years later by a sequel, Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses (1994) and a concert film Total Balalaika Show (1994).[citation needed]
In 1998, he joined Music Week and produced the Music Week Directory from 1999 until 2009[4] He appeared on BBC 6's Roundtable.[5] He also appeared in other films such as Iron Horsemen and I Hired a Contract Killer.[citation needed]
In 2007, the Members reformed and toured the UK.[6]
Death
Lightowlers died aged 67 on 26 February 2022.[7]