Working Week

Working Week were a British jazz-dance musical ensemble, active in the 1980s and 1990s. Working Week were formed in 1983, by guitarist Simon Booth and saxophonist Larry Stabbins, out of the ashes of the proto new wave jazz-pop band Weekend, which ceased to exist when singer Alison Statton left to become a schoolteacher. Weekend also paved the way for other Brit jazz-pop bands that followed such as Everything But The Girl and Swing Out Sister. The duo released their debut single "Venceremos - We Will Win" the following year, a tribute to Chilean protest singer Victor Jara featuring vocal contributions from Robert Wyatt and Tracey Thorn from Everything but the Girl. It became the band's sole entry in the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at #64. Singer Julie Tippetts provided vocals for the follow-up "Storm of Light". A debut album, Working Nights was released in April 1985, with vocalist Juliet Roberts added as a full time member of the band. Initial copies of the LP had a bonus 12" featuring (Jalaluddin) Jalal Mansur Nuriddin (also known as Lightnin' Rod, birth name Alafia Pudin) of The Last Poets. Roberts continued as singer on the 1986 album Companeros and Surrender, released in 1987, but left the band after that year's single "Knocking on Your Door". Julie Tippetts returned as vocalist (with other guest vocalists) for the 1989 album Fire in the Mountain, and Eyvon Waite was featured as solo vocalist for 1991's Black and Gold, the band's final studio album. They appeared on 9 February 1986 at the Royal Albert Hall, in a benefit concert for victims of the 1985 Armero tragedy in Colombia. The band also briefly featured future Swing Out Sister lead singer Corinne Drewery.