Roxy Music

Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970, associated with the partnership of vocalist and principal songwriter Bryan Ferry and an early line-up that included Brian Eno, Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera and Paul Thompson. The group developed in London, drawing on art-school influences and combining rock with experimental electronics, glam presentation and later more polished pop styles. They are notable for helping define art rock in the 1970s and for a catalogue of UK hit singles and albums.

Ferry began assembling the band after moving from the north of England to London, and the early line-up quickly gained attention for a sound that mixed avant-garde textures with traditional songwriting. Their debut album, Roxy Music (1972), arrived alongside early singles such as “Virginia Plain”, establishing a distinctive identity in the UK. The second album, For Your Pleasure (1973), expanded their profile and marked the end of Eno’s initial period with the group, after which the band developed a more streamlined approach.

Roxy Music’s most commercially successful period extended through the mid-1970s into the early 1980s. Albums including Stranded (1973), Country Life (1974) and Siren (1975) produced well-known tracks such as “Love Is the Drug” and reinforced their chart position. After a late-1970s break, they returned with Manifesto (1979) and later reached their widest mainstream audience with Avalon (1982), which included the hit “More Than This” and became their most internationally prominent late-career album.

Following 1983, the members focused largely on solo and production work, with Ferry maintaining a substantial solo career. Roxy Music reunited for tours in the 2000s, performing internationally while largely leaving their studio catalogue intact. In 2022 they returned to the stage for a 50th anniversary tour, revisiting material from across their original run.

Reliable public sources do not consistently provide a single definitive worldwide sales total for Roxy Music, but their influence is reflected in repeated critical and institutional recognition. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, underscoring their role in shaping later developments in new wave, synth-pop and art-oriented rock performance.