:Culture Club

In 1981, Blitz Club regular Boy George occasionally sang with the group Bow Wow Wow, performing under the stage name Lieutenant Lush with the group. After his tenure with that group ended, bassist Mikey Craig started Culture Club, inviting George to be the vocalist. Subsequently, drummer Jon Moss (formerly of the Damned and Adam and the Ants) and guitarist Roy Hay joined the new group. They originally called themselves Sex Gang Children, which would quickly be abandoned and adopted by another band.Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Sex Gang Children", in The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, {{ISBN|1-84195-335-0}}

Realizing they had an Irish gay man as the lead singer, a black Briton on bass, a blond Englishman on guitar and keyboards, and a Jewish drummer, they came up with the name Culture Club. The group recorded demos, which were paid for by EMI Records, but the label was unimpressed and decided not to sign the group. Virgin Records heard the demos and signed the group in the UK, releasing their albums in Europe, while Epic Records released their albums in the United States and much of the rest of the world.

The band released two singles in May and June 1982, "White Boy" and "I'm Afraid of Me", though both failed to chart.{{cite book |last=Cohen |first=Scott |title=Boy George |url=https://www.google.com/search?q=cohen+%22culture+club%22+%22White+Boy%22+%22I%27m+Afraid+of+Me%22&btnG=Search+Books#sclient=psy&hl=en&tbo=1&tbs=bks:1&q=Scott+Cohen+1984++%22Culture+Club%22+%22White+Boy%22+%22I%27m+Afraid+of+Me%22&aq=&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&psj=1&fp=f989debfaff70b96 |publisher=Berkley Books |year=1984 |isbn=978-0-425-07639-2 |page=76 |access-date=28 October 2010 }} In September of that year, the group released their third single, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", a reggae-influenced number, which became one of their biggest hits. The song went to No. 1 in the UK in late 1982 and became an international smash, topping the charts in twenty-three countries (No. 2 in the US), and the top ten in several more countries.

The band's 1982 debut on Top of the Pops created tabloid headlines, which focused on George's androgynous style of dress and sexual ambiguity. Magazines began to feature George prominently on their covers. Pete Burns, lead singer of the pop band Dead or Alive, would later claim he was the first to wear braids, big hats, and colourful costumes, but George would cut back with a sharp-tongued remark, "It's not who did it first, it's who did it better."{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

The band's debut album, Kissing to Be Clever (UK No. 5, US No. 14) was released in October 1982, and the follow-up single, "Time (Clock of the Heart)", became another Top 10 hit in the US (Number 2) and UK (Number 3). "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" also became a Top Ten hit in the US (Number 9) and in Canada. This gave Culture Club the distinction of being the first group since The Beatles to have three Top Ten hits in America from a debut album.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0zQDAwAAQBAJ&q=Culture+Club+the+first+group+since+The+Beatles+to+have+three+Top+Ten+hits+in+America+from+a+debut+album&pg=PT196|title=The Million Sellers|last=Press|first=Omnibus|date=4 November 2012|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-85712-882-9|language=en}} Kissing to Be Clever was certified platinum in US for 1 million shipped copies.

File:Culture Club 1983.jpg

The band's second album, Colour by Numbers (UK No. 1, US No. 2), was released in 1983. The first single, "Church of the Poison Mind", featuring backing vocalist Helen Terry, reached the UK and US Top 10. The second single, "Karma Chameleon", gave the band their biggest hit, hitting No. 1 in the UK (the band's second chart-topper there), where it became the best-selling single of 1983 and has sold 1.5 million copies there to date.{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/daft-punks-get-lucky-becomes-one-of-the-uks-biggest-selling-singles-of-all-time-2315/|title=UK Official Charts Company (Top Selling Singles of All-Time)|website=Officialcharts.com|access-date=26 October 2018}} It also peaked at No. 1 in the US for three consecutive weeks, and would ultimately hit No. 1 in 30 countries, thus becoming one of the top twenty best-selling singles of the 1980s sold seven million copies worldwide,{{cite web|first= Eric |last= Bodrero |year= 2005 |title= The Culture Club - Greatest Hits Review |work= antiMusic |access-date= 13 September 2024 |url= http://www.rocknworld.com/features/05/cultureclub.shtml}} with one of the most iconic images of Boy George on the cover shot by photographer David Levine.

The album Colour by Numbers would spawn more hits including "Miss Me Blind" (#5 US), "It's a Miracle" (#4 UK, No. 13 US), and "Victims" (#3 UK), and sold four million copies in the US and another five million worldwide at its time of release. The album gave Culture Club the distinction of being the first group in music history to have an album certified diamond in Canada (for sales of one million copies in that country). The band also won the 1984 Brit Award for Best Group and the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, where George gave a speech via satellite stating, "Thank you, America. You've got taste, style, and you know a good drag queen when you see one."

The group's back-up singer, Helen Terry, began work on her solo album, for which George and Hay wrote the song "Love Lies Lost". The pair also wrote "Passing Friend" for the Beach Boys' album. Culture Club wrote two songs for the soundtrack to the movie Electric Dreams. George and Hay wrote "The Dream" and "Love Is Love", with the latter being released as a single in Canada, Japan and South America, the E.P "Love is Love" became a major hit in Brazil. George also collaborated on the song "Electric Dreams", sung by P. P. Arnold. The song was written with Phil Pickett (former member of the 1970s band Sailor) who had also co-written "Karma Chameleon" and frequently played keyboards for the group.

Despite Culture Club's commercial success, there were significant pressures within the band. George was using drugs with money from his new-found fame. George and Moss were also romantically involved with each other, which was unknown to the public and the media at the time. Their relationship lasted for over four years and was often turbulent, with alleged physical and verbal abuse from both sides. Their constant arguments and the pressure to hide the relationship from the public started to take its toll on the band.

In 1984, the group released their third album Waking Up with the House on Fire (UK No. 2, US No. 26). Although certified platinum in both the UK and the US, it was a commercial and critical disappointment compared to their first two albums. The album contained the hit single "The War Song", which reached No. 2 in the UK, and Top 20 in the US. Other singles like "Mistake No. 3" (US No. 33) and "The Medal Song" (UK No. 32) would become modest hits. George later stated he felt the album experienced a lukewarm reception because of half-hearted material he felt they released due to pressure from Virgin and Epic. According to him, the band had just come off an exhausting world tour in 1984.

At the end of 1984, Boy George was recruited by Bob Geldof to join the Band Aid recording, consisting of mostly internationally known UK and Irish recording stars. George was in New York City for an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman when Geldof called him, but managed to catch the final Concorde of the day to London and was the last singer to record a lead vocal track for the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?". The song would become the biggest selling single of all time in the UK and a huge international hit, raising millions for famine victims in several African nations, particularly Ethiopia.

Due to the break-up of his relationship with Moss, and all the ensuing tension with the rest of the band, George turned to relief in drugs. Consequently, he soon developed a self-destructive drug addiction, which in merely four months escalated from marijuana to heroin. By 1986, George had become seriously addicted. The recording of their fourth studio album, 1986's From Luxury to Heartache (UK No. 10, US No. 32) dragged on for so long that producer Arif Mardin had to abandon the sessions due to prior commitments and leave it to engineer Lew Hahn to finish the sessions. Nevertheless, the first single "Move Away" became a hit, peaking at UK No. 7 and US No. 12 and appeared the album would return the group back to its previous success. But by the time of the release of the second single "God Thank You Woman", news of George's drug addiction began to circulate in British and American tabloids, and the second single stalled on its way up the charts, failing to make a big impact.

George and Moss also no longer wanted to be around each other due to the constant relationship battles and with George's addiction. From Luxury to Heartache began to fade from the charts as well, and the album ultimately sold fewer than one million copies worldwide at the time of release. By the summer of 1986, George finally admitted that he was indeed addicted to drugs.{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/boy-george-comes-clean-and-tries-to-come-back-after-heroin-addiction-and-his-pals-drug-deaths-vol-28-no-8/|title=Boy George Comes Clean—and Tries to Come Back—After Heroin Addiction and His Pals' Drug Deaths|website=PEOPLE.com|language=EN|access-date=30 January 2020}} In July of that year, he was arrested by the British police for possession of heroin. The band broke up and George pursued a solo career, having several European hits and a couple of US Top 40 hits.

The band first tried to reunite in 1989, after many requests from Tony Gordon, the group's former manager and George's manager at that time. George agreed to try some songs with the band again, resulting in recording sessions and producing more than a dozen songs that remain unreleased. George, however, was more excited about his future projects like his record label, More Protein, and his new acid house project Jesus Loves You. The proposed reunion ended up being cancelled.

In 1998, George and Moss put their differences aside and the band reunited to do a reunion tour, kicking off with a performance on VH1 Storytellers. George said about the reunion, "Culture Club's reunion couldn't have come at a better time for rock", adding that, "It's a nostalgia trip, there's no way of avoiding that."{{cite news |title=Culture Club Reunites, but It May Be Just Nostalgic Fling |first=Roger |last=Catlin |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=12 August 1998 |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/32812009.html?dids=32812009:32812009&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+12,+1998&author=ROGER+CATLIN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Culture+Club+Reunites,+but+It+May+Be+Just+Nostalgic+Fling;+Pop+music:+Lead+singer+Boy+George+says+regrouped+%2780s+band+members+are+putting+aside+differences,+at+least+while+on+tour.&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131163752/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/32812009.html?dids=32812009:32812009&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+12,+1998&author=ROGER+CATLIN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Culture+Club+Reunites,+but+It+May+Be+Just+Nostalgic+Fling;+Pop+music:+Lead+singer+Boy+George+says+regrouped+'80s+band+members+are+putting+aside+differences,+at+least+while+on+tour.&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 January 2013 |access-date=15 November 2010 }} The tour was a major success. Greatest Moments, a compilation album based around the Storytellers performance, was released, and went platinum in UK. It included new songs such as "I Just Wanna Be Loved", which hit UK No. 4.{{cite news |title=Culture Club Reunion Bus Is Rolling To Blossom Boy George Back with the Original Band |newspaper=Akron Beacon Journal |date=9 August 1998 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AK&s_site=ohio&p_multi=AK&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB6C1EE8F43EB63&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |access-date=18 December 2010 |quote=A new two-CD set features music from the Storytellers special and a greatest hits CD that includes the new single and soon-to-be hit I Just Wanna Be Loved}}{{cite news |title=Cher leads the way to pop chart history |newspaper=The Herald |location=Glasgow |date=26 October 1998 |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/smgpubs/access/60580542.html?dids=60580542:60580542&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+26%2C+1998&author=&pub=The+Herald&desc=Cher+leads+the+way+to+pop+chart+history&pqatl=google |access-date=18 December 2010 |quote=The Irish band U2 went straight in at number three with a song recorded in 1987, "The Sweetest Thing", previously a B-side to their hit "Where The Streets Have No Name". And Culture Club returned with their first single since reforming, "I Just Wanna Be Loved" at number four, ahead of the only truly nineties act in the top five, Alanis Morissette, with Thank U |archive-date=4 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104182017/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/smgpubs/access/60580542.html?dids=60580542:60580542&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+26,+1998&author=&pub=The+Herald&desc=Cher+leads+the+way+to+pop+chart+history&pqatl=google |url-status=dead }} However, their new-found success was short-lived and their fifth studio album, Don't Mind If I Do, released in 1999, peaked at No. 64 in the UK.{{cite book |last1=Warwick |first1=Neil |last2=Kutner |first2=Jon |last3=Brown |first3=Tony |title=The complete book of the British charts: singles & albums |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ib4MyAIpe3MC&q=The+complete+book+of+the+British+charts:+singles+%26+albums+%22culture+club%22+%22your+kisses+are+charity%22&pg=PT239 |publisher=Omnibus Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-84449-058-5 |page=282 |access-date=24 December 2010 }} It included minor UK hits in "Your Kisses Are Charity" (UK No. 25) and "Cold Shoulder" (UK No. 43).

The band went on to tour, then reunited again for a 20th anniversary concert in 2002 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.{{cite book |author=Indiana University |title=The Video librarian, Volume 19 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EbzjAAAAMAAJ&q=Culture+Club++Live+At+The+Royal+Albert+Hall++The+20th+Anniversary++2002 |publisher=Randy Pitman |year=2004 |page=70 |access-date=20 January 2011 |quote=Filmed live at London's Royal Albert Hall, this 2002 concert finds Culture Club celebrating its 20th anniversary with an infectious and expansive grandeur, all the while basking in the love of adoring fans}} This performance was released on DVD the following year. Culture Club then became inactive again, largely due to George's successful DJ career, as well as his semi-autobiographical musical Taboo. It was a success in London, but was a flop on Broadway, only running for 100 performances, as well as losing $10 million for its producer, Rosie O'Donnell.

In 2006, original members Craig and Moss tried to launch a new tour with another lead singer, as George and Hay had declined to tour. Early that year, the band's record company placed an ad for a lead singer to "...take part in a 2007 World Tour and TV Series." The new singer, Sam Butcher was selected because of his own personality, "not a Boy George lookalike." After watching a video on MySpace, George described the singer who replaced him as "terrible" and "dreadful". George said: "I wanted to like it but I couldn't. They're my songs, they're my heart, they're my life."{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6043794.stm | title=Boy George slams new club singer |work=BBC News | date=12 October 2006 | access-date=15 August 2011}} A proposed tour for December 2006 in the UK did not take place.

In late 2011, George was part of a three-man Culture Club band that performed two live concerts, in Dubai and Sydney, the latter being a New Year's Eve concert, although Moss did not appear due to a back injury.[http://shapersofthe80s.com/2012/01/02/2012-➤-moss-misses-culture-clubs-new-dawn-in-australia/ "Moss misses Culture Club's new dawn"]. Shape of the 80s However, the band weren't able to tour in the US, due to George being denied a visa 3 years prior.

In 2014, the band reformed and announced a tour and a new album. A new picture of the four members was also posted on the band's official website, along with the list of the 11 UK concert dates.

The band travelled to Spain for a two-week recording session. 18 new tracks were completed for a new album produced by Youth. The new album, entitled Tribes, was scheduled for release in early 2015 on the band's own label Different Man Music (via Kobalt Label Services). At the end of that year, the album had still not materialised.

On 19 July 2014, the band were among the line-up for a two-hour concert in Edinburgh Castle, ahead of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Hay did not perform with the band because he was in recovery after having knee surgery. The band played two songs, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" and "Karma Chameleon" which were shown on BBC TV.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/taXIx80tzeU Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20180307205149/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taXIx80tzeU&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taXIx80tzeU| title = HD Culture Club Live on the BBC Edinburgh Castle Show | website=YouTube| date = 17 March 2015 }}{{cbignore}}

In mid-November 2014, two days before the start of their 21-date US and UK tour, Culture Club announced they had to cancel the tour due to George suffering from a serious throat condition. The cancelled tour would have represented the full original line-up's first tour in 12 years.{{cite web |url=http://www.boygeorgeuk.com/?p=4050 |title=Culture Club Tour Cancelled |work=Boygeorgeuk.com |date=28 November 2014 |access-date=26 August 2018 |archive-date=23 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623033243/http://www.boygeorgeuk.com/?p=4050 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|first=Sean |last=Michaels |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/14/culture-club-cancel-first-tour-for-12-years |title=Culture Club cancel first tour for 12 years |work=The Guardian |date=14 November 2014 |access-date=26 August 2018}} The North American tour was eventually rescheduled and started on 17 July 2015 in Canada. A television documentary, Boy George and Culture Club: Karma to Calamity, aired on BBC Four on 6 March 2015. The programme documented the band's reunion in 2014 and the making of their new album in Spain, up to the announcement to cancel the tour.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b054v27d|title=BBC Four – Boy George and Culture Club: Karma to Calamity|publisher=BBC|access-date=26 October 2018}} Based on the popularity of 2015's mini-tour, Culture Club embarked on a 60 city world tour in 2016. The major success of this tour culminated in a DVD/CD/Blu-ray release, Live at Wembley: World Tour 2016.

In August 2016, the band announced that the album Tribes was permanently shelved, and offered refunds to all those who had pre-ordered the album online.

In 2018, Culture Club toured the US and Europe from June to December. Dubbed The Life Tour, the band toured in support of their namesake album, along with supporting acts the B-52s, Tom Bailey (formerly of the Thompson Twins) and Belinda Carlisle (Europe dates only). Jon Moss was originally part of the line-up, but did not participate in the European leg of the tour. A spokeswoman for Boy George confirmed: "Jon's taking a break from Culture Club but the door is open in the future."{{cite web |url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/boy-george-culture-club-tour/ |title=Boy George slams 'fact-starved' report |work=Gay Star News |date=30 October 2018 |access-date=30 October 2018 |archive-date=30 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181030212903/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/boy-george-culture-club-tour/ |url-status=dead }} In December 2019, Moss filed a writ at London's High Court naming the band trio as defendants. Moss' lawyers say he was told to "take a break" by manager Paul Kemsley, demanding nearly £200,000 in missing payments and a share of profits.{{cite web|url=https://twnews.co.uk/gb-news/boy-george-sued-by-ex-lover-and-drummer-jon-moss-after-he-booted-him-out-of-culture-club |title=Boy George sued by ex-lover and drummer Jon Moss after he booted him out of Culture Club |work=TWNEWS|access-date=15 December 2019}} Moss officially left Culture Club in May 2021.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/BoyGeorge/status/1396828726663462917 |title=Boy George on Twitter |work=Twitter|access-date=25 May 2021}}

Culture Club returned to the SSE Arena in Wembley on 19 December 2020 for a livestream concert broadcast around the world, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Titled 'Rainbow in the Dark', the concert saw the band play their classic hits, new material, including a new ballad version of "Karma Chameleon" featuring Mila, and covers of T. Rex's "Get It On (Bang a Gong)" and George's solo cover of Bread's "Everything I Own".

Culture Club toured in 2022 with a residency in Las Vegas and select amphitheaters across the United States. They also served as an opening act for Rod Stewart on his Greatest Hits tour in the UK in June and July 2023, and in addition to continuing their Las Vegas residency that February, Culture Club embarked on a U.S. summer tour titled The Letting It Go Show, with Howard Jones and Berlin serving as opening acts.

{{award table}}

|-

| rowspan="2"|1984

| "Karma Chameleon"

| rowspan="2"|Most Performed Songs

| {{won}}

|-

| "It's a Miracle"

| {{won}}

{{end}}

{{awards table}}

|-

| 1985

| rowspan="2" | Culture Club

| rowspan="2" | Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group

| {{nom}}

|-

| 1987

| {{nom}}

{{end}}

{{award table}}

|-

| rowspan=4|1984

| rowspan=2|A Kiss Across the Ocean

| Best Long-Form Video

| {{nom}}

|-

| Best Home Video

| {{nom}}

|-

| "The War Song"

| Best Choreography

| {{nom}}

|-

| "Miss Me Blind"

| Best Set Design

| {{nom}}

{{end}}

{{award table}}

|-

| rowspan=6|1983{{Cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1983/bbyearend.htm|title=Rock on the Net: 1983 Billboard Year-End Chart-Toppers|website=Rockonthenet.com|access-date=14 October 2019}}

| rowspan=4|Themselves

| Top Pop New Artist

| {{nom}}

|-

| Top Pop Singles Artist

| {{nom}}

|-

| Top Pop Singles Artist – Duo/Group

| {{nom}}

|-

| Top Adult Contemporary Artist – Duo/Group

| {{nom}}

|-

| Kissing to Be Clever

| Top Pop Album

| {{nom}}

|-

| "Karma Chameleon"

| Top UK Single

| {{won}}

{{end}}

{{awards table}}

|-

| 1983

| rowspan="2"|Culture Club

| Best British Breakthrough Act

| {{won}}

|-

| rowspan="2" | 1984

| Best British Group

| {{won}}

|-

| "Karma Chameleon"

| Best British Single

| {{won}}

{{end}}

{{award table}}

|-

| 2019

| Culture Club

| Artist of the Year

| {{nom}}

{{end}}

{{award table}}

|-

| rowspan=2|1983

| Themselves

| Worst Group – No. 1

| {{won}}

|-

| Colour by Numbers

| Top Album – No. 19

| {{nom}}

{{end}}

{{awards table}}

|-

| 1983

| Colour by Numbers

| Best International Group {{cite web |url=http://web.ard.de/ard-chronik/index/1986?year=1983&month=10 |title=ARD Goldene Europa |date=10 July 2020 |access-date=10 July 2020 |archive-date=11 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711104748/http://web.ard.de/ard-chronik/index/1986?year=1983&month=10 |url-status=dead }}

| {{Won}}

{{End}}

{{awards table}}

|-

| rowspan="2" | 1984

| Culture Club

| Best New Artist

| {{Won}}

|-

| "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"

| Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group

| {{Nominated}}

{{End}}

{{award table}}

|-

| 1983

| "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"

| Bestselling A-Side

| {{nom}}

|-

| rowspan="4" | 1984

| rowspan="4" | "Karma Chameleon"

| Best Pop Song

| {{won}}

|-

| Bestselling A-Side

| {{won}}

|-

| Most Performed Work

| {{nom}}

|-

| International Hit of the Year

| {{nom}}

{{end}}

{{awards table}}

|-

| 1984

| Colour by Numbers

| International Album of the Year

| {{Nom}}

{{End}}

{{award table}}

|-

| rowspan=2|1985

| rowspan=2|"It's a Miracle"

| Best Special Effects

| {{nom}}

|-

| Best Art Direction

| {{nom}}

{{end}}

{{award table}}

|-

| 2006

| "Karma Chameleon"

| Q Classic Song Award

| {{won}}

|-

| 2014

| Culture Club

| Q Idol

| {{won}}

{{end}}

{{award table}}

|-

| 1983

| Colour by Numbers

| Best Foreign Album

| {{won}}

{{end}}

{{award table}}

|-

| rowspan=4|1982

| "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?"

| Best Single

| {{nom}}

|-

| Kissing to Be Clever

| Best Album

| {{nom}}

|-

| rowspan=3|Themselves

| Most Promising New Act

| {{nom}}

|-

| rowspan=2|Best Group

| {{nom}}

|-

| rowspan=6|1983

| {{nom}}

|-

| Culture Club's "Colour by Numbers" Tour

| rowspan=2|Event of the Year

| {{nom}}

|-

| Culture Club making No. 1 with "Karma Chameleon"

| {{nom}}

|-

| rowspan=2|"Karma Chameleon"

| Best Single

| {{nom}}

|-

| Best Video

| {{nom}}

|-

| Colour by Numbers

| rowspan=2|Best Album

| {{nom}}

|-

| rowspan=4|1984

| Waking Up with the House on Fire

| {{nom}}

|-

| rowspan=2|"The War Song"

| Best Single

| {{nom}}

|-

| Best Video

| {{nom}}

|-

| rowspan=2|Themselves

| Best Group

| {{nom}}

|-

| 1985

| Worst Group

| {{nom}}

{{end}}

{{Awards table|2}}

|-

| 1999

| "Time (Clock of the Heart)"

| 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll

| {{Won}}

| No. 107

{{End}}

{{awards table}}

|-

| 1985

| The War Song

| Best Recording Artist {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO4C1m2S4SI | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211107/gO4C1m2S4SI| archive-date=7 November 2021 | url-status=live|title= Variety Club BBC | website=YouTube|date=10 July 2020}}{{cbignore}}

| {{Won}}

{{End}}

Culture Club are primarily a pop group, belonging to the British new pop and New Romantic movements of the early 1980s.{{Cite book|title=Like Punk Never Happened: Culture Club & The New Pop|first=Dave|last=Rimmer|date=1986|publisher=Faber & Faber|isbn=9780571137398}}{{cite news |last=Chiu |first=David |title=A look back at 1983: The year of the second British Invasion |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-look-back-at-1983-the-year-of-the-second-british-invasion/ |work=CBS News |publisher=CBS Interactive Inc.}}{{cite web|website=Goldmine|title=Excellent Style Council documentary will air on Showtime|author=John Curley|url=https://www.goldminemag.com/reviews/excellent-style-council-documentary-will-air-on-showtime|date=6 December 2020|access-date=29 December 2023}} They have also been described as new wave,{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/culture-club-mn0000116178|title=Culture Club Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More|website=AllMusic}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.masterclass.com/articles/new-wave-music-guide|title=New Wave Music: The History and Bands of New Wave Music|website=MasterClass}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/9fc9ed/culture-club-announce-us-dates|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028211232/https://www.mtv.com/news/9fc9ed/culture-club-announce-us-dates|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 October 2023|title=Culture Club Announce U.S. Dates|website=MTV}} combining it with American soul with Jamaican reggae and other styles such as calypso, salsa, and country.{{cite book |last=Blackwell |first=Earl |title=Earl Blackwell's celebrity register |url=https://archive.org/details/earlblackwellsce0000unse_r5s0/page/56 |publisher=Times Pub. Group |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-9615476-0-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/earlblackwellsce0000unse_r5s0/page/56 56] |access-date=18 May 2010 }}{{cite book |last=Blackwell |first=Earl |title=Earl Blackwell's celebrity register |url=https://books.google.com/books?q=Earl+Blackwell%27s+celebrity+register+%22culture+club%22+%22new+wave%22&btnG=Search+Books |publisher=Times Publishing Group |year=1990 |page=48 |access-date=18 May 2010 |quote=George O'Dowd 14 June 1962, he emerged from London working class roots to become the lead singer of the video and rock and roll phenomenon Culture Club whose sound combines Jamaican reggae with American soul and British New Wave}}{{cite web |url=http://www.ministryofrock.co.uk/NewRomantics.html |title=New Romantics |last=Rowlinson |first=John |work=Ministry of Rock |access-date=6 September 2010}}{{cite news |title=Culture Club's House on Fire' Is Lightweight Fare |first=Pete |last=Bishop |newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press |date=5 January 1985 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9nIdAAAAIBAJ&pg=7043,1609855&dq=culture+club+calypso+war+song&hl=en |access-date=18 September 2010}}{{cite news |title=Pop/Rock: Culture Club At The Tower |newspaper=Philadelphia Inquirer |date=1 September 1983 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB29612B6237514&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |access-date=17 September 2010 }}{{cite book |author=Indiana University |title=Newsweek, Volume 103, Issues 1–9 |url=https://www.google.com/search?q=The+most+recent+single%2C+the+country-flavored+%22Karma+Chameleon%22++Newsweek+&btnG=Search+Books |work=Newsweek |year=1984 |access-date=18 September 2010 }}

Philadelphia Daily News described Culture Club as a hot new rock act, while William K Knoedelseder Jr from Los Angeles Times said about the group, "Boy George of Culture Club, a rock group MTV helped make popular", adding that, "There's some debate in the record industry about MTV's ability to directly increase record sales across the board but there's no doubt that the channel has been responsible for exposing such rock artists as Def Leppard, Duran Duran and Men at Work to a national audience..."{{cite news |title=Rocked By Scandal, Ripley Music Hall Rolls Up & Dies |newspaper=Philadelphia Daily News |date=27 June 1984 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DN&s_site=philly&p_multi=PIDN&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB296B4126E212B&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |access-date=18 September 2010}}{{cite news |title=MTV Turning Video Rock into Gold |first=William K. Jr. |last=Knoedelseder |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=26 August 1984 |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/672700032.html?dids=672700032:672700032&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Aug+26,+1984&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=MTV+Turning+Video+Rock+Into+Gold&pqatl=google |access-date=18 September 2010 |archive-date=3 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103221030/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/672700032.html?dids=672700032:672700032&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Aug+26,+1984&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=MTV+Turning+Video+Rock+Into+Gold&pqatl=google |url-status=dead }}

In the 1980s, Boy George said about the music style of his band Culture Club, "We play rock 'n' roll and I love rock 'n' roll music but I don't like the lifestyle. I don't like people tipping beer over their heads.... I just hate rock 'n' roll in that way. It's disgusting and boring. I look at what we're doing as very intelligent."{{cite news |title=A Musician Who Speaks His Mind |newspaper=Philadelphia Inquirer |date=25 March 1984 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB2975D1EA4A974&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |access-date=18 September 2010 }}

Stephen Holden, music critic for The New York Times, said in his article Rock: British Culture Club, that "Culture Club blends soul, rock, funk, reggae and salsa into a music that programmatically reconciles white, black and Latin styles", adding that, "Mr. O'Dowd made the group's best songs – the Motown-flavoured 'Do You Really Want to Hurt Me' and the Latin-inflected dance tune 'I'll Tumble 4 Ya' – shine like jewels."{{cite news |title=Rock: British Culture Club |first=Stephen |last=Holden |newspaper=The New York Times |date=6 December 1982 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/06/arts/rock-british-culture-club.html?scp=1&sq=+rock+%22culture+club%22&st=nyt |access-date=18 September 2010}}

Star-News considered Culture Club as a 'new rock' band of the 1980s; the newspaper said "Now you see the more rhythm-oriented, 'new rock of the 80s,' like Culture Club and the Eurythmics, fitting in more easily with urban contemporary formats."{{cite news |title=Music |newspaper=Star News |date=12 August 1984 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DL0sAAAAIBAJ&pg=6953,3429903&dq=culture+club+new+rock&hl=en |access-date=12 September 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, senior editor for AllMusic, described specifically Culture Club as a new wave band and generically as the most successful pop/rock group in America and England during the 1980s, adding that, "By 1986, the group had broken up, leaving behind several singles that rank as classics of the new wave era."{{cite web |url=http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Culture_Club/Biography/ |title=Culture Club Biography |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |work=Starpulse.com |publisher=All Media Guide LLC |access-date=18 May 2010 |archive-date=4 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204195206/http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Culture_Club/Biography/ |url-status=dead }}

The music of Culture Club is described by George as, "The aim is to be creatively fluid to make everything we do a little different. We want to be a bridge between white rock and black soul", adding that, "I want Culture Club to represent all peoples and minorities".{{cite book |last1=Moley |first1=Raymond |last2=Muir |first2=Malcolm |last3=Phillips |first3=Joseph Becker |last4=Smith |first4=Rex |last5=Williamson |first5=Samuel Thurston |title=Newsweek, Volume 101, Issues 18–26 |url=https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Raymond+Moley%2C+Malcolm+Muir%2C+Joseph+Becker+Phillips+++%22culture+club%22+white+rock+ |work=Newsweek |year=1983 |access-date=18 September 2010 }}{{cite book |last=David |first=Maria |title=Boy George and Culture Club|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O46fAAAAMAAJ&q=boy+george+culture+club |publisher=Greenwich House |year=1984 |page=1 |isbn=9780517454749 |access-date=19 September 2010 |quote=A collection of photographs of the rock band, Culture Club, is accompanied by a brief discussion of the group's musical career }}

The band were part of the Second British Invasion of the 1980s in the United States, as R. Serge Denisoff and William L. Schurk said in their book Tarnished Gold: The Record Industry Revisited, "Here comes the rock and roll of 1984. The invaders were a mixed bunch led by Culture Club, whose sound has been described as 'recycled Smokey Robinson' or 'torchy American schmaltz and classic Motown'", adding that, "Boy George's drag-queen appearance made the group a natural for the visual demands of cable television".{{cite web |url=http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5352621/British-invaders-set-for-hard.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615040305/http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5352621/British-invaders-set-for-hard.html |archive-date=15 June 2011 |title=British invaders set for hard work in US; the latest wave of UK artists keen to make their marks on North America need determination to succeed |work=Music Week |date= 4 March 2006 |via=Goliath |access-date=18 May 2010 }}{{cite book |last1=Denisoff |first1=R. Serge |last2=Schurk |first2=William L. |title=Tarnished gold: the record industry revisited |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JWdMOZGNOHUC&pg=PA149 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-88738-618-3 |page=149 |access-date=18 September 2010 }}

In her book Magazines for Children: A Guide for Parents, Teachers, and Librarians, author Selma K. Richardson said that Culture Club's music is soft rock that contains "enough soul and new wave elements to cover almost all audiences."{{cite book |last=Richardson |first=Selma K. |title=Magazines for children: a guide for parents, teachers, and librarians, Volume 7 |url=https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Selma+K.+Richardson++%22culture+club%22+%22soft+rock%22 |publisher=American Library Association |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-8389-0392-6 |page=57 |access-date=18 September 2010 }}

• Boy George (George O'Dowd) – lead vocals, tambourine (1981–1986, 1998–2002, 2011–present)
• Mikey Craig – bass, backing vocals, occasional keyboards (1981–1986, 1998–2002, 2006, 2011–present)
• Roy Hay – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards (1981–1986, 1998–2002, 2011–present)

• Darren Lewis – keyboards, percussion (2011–present)
• Meryl-Anne Evanson – drums, backing vocals, percussion (2021–present)

• Jon Moss – drums, backing vocals, percussion (1981–1986, 1998–2002, 2006, 2011–2021) (main)
• Phil Pickett – keyboards, backing vocals (1982–1986) (session/touring)
• Helen Terry - backing vocals (1982–1986) (session/touring)
• Darius Zickus – keyboards (1998–2002) (touring)
• Sam Butcher – lead vocals (2006) (touring)
• Steve Honest – pedal steel (1999–2001) (session/touring)

{{#tag:timeline|

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PlotArea = left:120 bottom:90 top:10 right:10

Alignbars = justify

DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy

Period = from:1981 till:2024

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3

ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:3 start:1981

ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1981

Colors =

id:Vocal value:red legend:Lead_vocals

id:Bvs value:pink legend:Backing_vocals

id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitars

id:Keyboard value:purple legend:Keyboards

id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass

id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion

id:Album value:black legend:Album

id:bars value:gray(0.95)

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LineData =

layer:back

color:Album

at:10/08/1982

at:10/10/1983

at:10/22/1984

at:04/01/1986

at:11/22/1999

at:10/26/2018

BarData =

bar:BG text:"Boy George"

bar:HT text:"Helen Terry"

bar:RH text:"Roy Hay"

bar:MC text:"Mikey Craig"

bar:PP text:"Phil Pickett"

bar:DZ text:"Darius Zickus"

bar:DL text:"Darren Lewis"

bar:JM text:"Jon Moss"

bar:ME text:"Meryl-Anne Evanson"

PlotData =

width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)

bar:BG from:01/01/1981 till:12/31/1986 color:Vocal

bar:BG from:01/01/1998 till:12/31/2002 color:Vocal

bar:BG from:01/01/2011 till:12/31/2024 color:Vocal

bar:MC from:01/01/1981 till:12/31/1986 color:Bass

bar:MC from:01/01/1998 till:12/31/2002 color:Bass

bar:MC from:01/01/2011 till:12/31/2024 color:Bass

bar:MC from:01/01/1981 till:12/31/1986 color:Bvs width:3

bar:MC from:01/01/1998 till:12/31/2002 color:Bvs width:3

bar:MC from:01/01/2011 till:12/31/2024 color:Bvs width:3

bar:RH from:01/01/1981 till:12/31/1986 color:Guitar

bar:RH from:01/01/1998 till:12/31/2002 color:Guitar

bar:RH from:01/01/2011 till:12/31/2024 color:Guitar

bar:RH from:01/01/1981 till:12/31/1986 color:Keyboard width:7

bar:RH from:01/01/1998 till:12/31/2002 color:Keyboard width:7

bar:RH from:01/01/2011 till:12/31/2024 color:Keyboard width:7

bar:RH from:01/01/1981 till:12/31/1986 color:Bvs width:3

bar:RH from:01/01/1998 till:12/31/2002 color:Bvs width:3

bar:RH from:01/01/2011 till:12/31/2024 color:Bvs width:3

bar:PP from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/1986 color:Keyboard

bar:PP from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/1986 color:Bvs width:3

bar:HT from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/1986 color:Bvs

bar:DZ from:01/01/1998 till:12/31/2002 color:Keyboard

bar:JM from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/1986 color:Drums

bar:JM from:01/01/1998 till:12/31/2002 color:Drums

bar:JM from:01/01/2011 till:05/31/2021 color:Drums

bar:JM from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/1986 color:Bvs width:3

bar:JM from:01/01/1998 till:12/31/2002 color:Bvs width:3

bar:JM from:01/01/2011 till:05/31/2021 color:Bvs width:3

bar:DL from:01/01/2011 till:12/31/2024 color:Keyboard

bar:ME from:06/01/2021 till:12/31/2024 color:Drums

bar:ME from:06/01/2021 till:12/31/2024 color:Bvs width:3

}}

{{Main|Culture Club discography}}

{{div col}}

• Kissing to Be Clever (1982)
• Colour by Numbers (1983)
• Waking Up with the House on Fire (1984)
• From Luxury to Heartache (1986)
• Don't Mind If I Do (1999)
• Life (2018)

{{div col end}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Blackwell|first=Earl|title=Earl Blackwell's celebrity register|publisher=Times Pub. Group|year=1986|isbn=978-0-9615476-0-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/earlblackwellsce0000unse_r5s0}}
• {{cite book|last=Blackwell|first=Earl|title=Earl Blackwell's celebrity register|publisher=Times Publishing Group|year=1990}}
• {{cite book|last=Cohen|first=Scott|title=Boy George|publisher=Berkley Books|year=1984|isbn=978-0-425-07639-2}}
• {{cite book|last=David |first=Maria |title=Boy George and Culture Club|publisher=American Library Association|year=1984}}
• {{cite book|last1=Denisoff|first1=R. Serge|last2=Schurk |first2=William L.|title=Tarnished gold: the record industry revisited|publisher=Transaction Publishers|year=1986|isbn=978-0-88738-618-3}}
• {{cite book|author=Indiana University |title=Newsweek, Volume 103, Issues 1–9|work=Newsweek|year=1984}}
• {{cite book|last1=Moley |first1=Raymond |last2=Muir |first2=Malcolm |last3=Phillips |first3=Joseph Becker|last4=Smith |first4=Rex |last5=Williamson |first5=Samuel Thurston |title=Newsweek, Volume 101, Issues 18–26 |work=Newsweek|year=1983}}
• {{cite book|last=Richardson |first=Selma K. |title=Magazines for children: a guide for parents, teachers, and librarians, Volume 7|publisher=American Library Association|year=1983|isbn=978-0-8389-0392-6}}
• {{cite book|last1=Warwick|first1=Neil|last2=Kutner|first2=Jon|last3=Brown|first3=Tony|title=The complete book of the British charts: singles & albums|publisher=Omnibus Press|year=2004|isbn=978-1-84449-058-5}}

• Kissing to Be Clever (including "Time (Clock of the Heart)" – 1982), London & Suffolk, West Central Printing Co. Ltd., distr. Music Sales Ltd.
• Colour by Numbers (1983), London & Suffolk, West Central Printing Co. Ltd., distr. Music Sales Ltd.
• Waking Up with the House on Fire (1984), London & Suffolk, West Central Printing Co. Ltd., distr. Music Sales Ltd.
• From Luxury to Heartache (1986), Virgin Music (Publishers) Ltd., distr. IMP-International Music Publications, Essex, England
• Culture Club (10 of their best songs – 1987), Virgin Music (Publishers) Ltd., distr. IMP-International Music Publications, Essex, England

N.B.: Each of the first four songbooks includes a detailed official biography, which is each time updated: this way, such songbooks, corresponding to the band's first four albums, chronicle the early official biography of Culture Club, from 1982 to 1986.

{{sister project links|d=Q50037|b=no|v=no|voy=no|s=no|species=no|mw=no|m=no|wikt=no|n=no}}

• {{Official website|http://www.boygeorgeandcultureclub.net/}}
• {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000116178}}
• [http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/culture_club/artist.jhtml Culture Club VH1 artist page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105140712/http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/culture_club/artist.jhtml |date=5 November 2012 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060204180038/http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/culture_club/artist.jhtml Culture Club MTV artist page]
• [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=culture club|bio=true}} Culture Club Billboard artist page]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060321210903/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/cultureclub Culture Club Rolling Stone artist page]

{{Culture Club|state=expanded}}

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