Judie Tzuke - Press Cuttings.
The following article was published in New Women in Rock Magazine.
Judie Tzuke
Rarely do performers make a graceful transition from the safety of the middle of the road to the dangers of rock, Judie Tzuke, however, is making the transition without apparant opportunism or sacrifice of her standards.
Despite her recent attraction for a younger, trendier rock audience, Judie remains a singular singer songwriter of considerable taste, power and elegance. The voice is strong and compelling, the songs stylistically her own.
One element that seems to heighten her credibility with all sorts of audiences is her vulnerability, reflected by her own innate shyness and introversion. She told Hugh Fielder of *Sounds*: 'I make mistakes. I don't plan things in advance. I go up to the microphone to make an announcement and dry up after a few words'. Yet, even at a Manhattan show for 400,000 in 1980, supporting her mentor, Elton John, her talent overcame her stage fears.
Judie was born in London of Polish parents. She studied at drama and ballet schools, took acoustic guitar lessons at twelve and determined upon a singing career at fifteen.
She cut her professional teeth in a duo with Mike Paxman, with the eccentric name, Tzuke and Paxo. Their single, These Are The Laws', was produced by Toni Visconti. After signing with Elton John's Rocket label in early 1978, she had a turntable hit with 'For You'. This and her two best known songs, 'Stay With Me Till Dawn' and 'Ladies Night', give a few hints of the word-play and plethora of ideas revealed on her first two albums.
She composes at the piano and admits that lyric-writing is almost as much a challenge as her stage anxieties. Observers have found in her ambiguous lyrics the sort of open quality that tempts the listener to fill in the spaces. The first album, *Welcome To The Cruise*, was well-received by the rock press, although some of the scribes were hard-pressed to find a category in which to drop her. By then, however, the 'middle of the road' tag was firmly tattooed on her.
Tzuke has so identified herself with her band since 1979 that her interviews are peppered with 'we' more often than 'I'. By general recognition, it is the band that heightens her rock appeal. In the group are Paxman on guitar and backing vocals; Jeff Rich on drums; Paul Muggleton on percussion and backing vocals; Bob Noble on keyboards and; John Edwards on Bass. Most of the co-writing credits go to Paxman, Muggleton and Noble. The only change in line-up came in 1981, when Charlie Morgan replaced the drummer, indicating a great deal of stability in her act.
Other co-writing credits have been with Elton John, notably 'Give Me The Love', which he recorded on *21 at 33*. She toured America with him in 1980. During that tour, there were some dramatic changes for her in management, publishing, and, subsequently, record label. With the absence of an album being distributed during the tour, the normal follow-through of solidifying the audience didn't take place.
Her influences are not revealed by her or readily determined by the listener. Yet, there are certainly echoes of Elton's work. Clearly, however, the biggest current influences are coming from her band. She told *Melody Maker*: 'I need their enthusiasm to bounce from... I don't want to be a solo act on stage - I want a complete performance by everyone up there'.
*ROBERT SHELTON*
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