Texas are a alternative rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. They were founded by Johnny McElhone (formerly of the bands Altered Images and Hipsway) in 1986 and feature Sharleen Spiteri on lead vocals. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at the University of Dundee. They took their name from the 1984 Wim Wenders movie Paris, Texas.
The band released their debut album Southside in 1989, along with the debut single "I Don't Want a Lover" which was an international hit, reaching the top ten in the UK and other high charting positions in Europe. Southside debuted at number three in the UK and eighty-eight on the US Billboard 200 album charts. Despite the success of Southside, the follow-up albums Mothers Heaven (1991) and Ricks Road (1993) were less successful, peaking at #32 and #18 respectively in the UK.
The band's fortunes changed in 1997 with the release of their White on Blonde album which entered the UK Albums Chart at number one and became their biggest seller. To date it has been certified six-times platinum in the UK, for shipments in excess of 1.8 million copies. Follow up album, The Hush (1999) was also successful, debuting at number one on the UK album charts and certified triple platinum. The band's Greatest Hits album, released in 2000, was another big seller, again debuting at number one and also being certified six-times platinum. Texas would go on to release a further two studio albums, Careful What You Wish For in 2003, and Red Book in 2005, both of which were certified gold in the UK. After the release of Red Book and a tour to support the album's release, Texas went on hiatus. Lead singer Sharleen Spiteri launched a solo career, releasing her debut solo album, Melody, in 2008.
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