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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZTWILLEY, Dwight(b 6 June '52, Tulsa OK) USA singer, songwriter, keyboardist; formed Dwight Twilley Band with drummer Phil Seymour, who doubled on bass and sang second lead vocals on hit "I'm On Fire' '75, incl. in Sincerely '76. With photogenic looks and high, breathy harmonies, they were tipped for the top by critics, but pipped by labelmates Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, hindered by Shelter label's uncertain future; they followed up with less successful Twilley Don't Mind '77, split. Twilley made third eponymous solo LP on Arista, but unlike Petty, who consolidated success on MCA, he fell out with the new label: from extrovert rock'n'roll pastiche of Sincerely he'd discovered McCartney-esque introspective pop and failed to generate sales. Turned to EMI America for Scuba Divers '82 and Jungle '84, latter incl. second USA hit "Girls', top 20 entry helped by X-rated video which almost but not quite recaptured excitement. Seymour sessioned on Moon Martin's first LP, made promising solo Phil Seymour '80 incl. no. 22 hit "Precious To Me', patchy Phil Seymour 2 '82; '85 saw him drumming with Textones. Twilley pursued parallel career as an artist, exhibited in L.A. '82; they reunited for Mad Dog '86 on CBS, but the new label did not revive fortunes. |