Formation and commercial success (1984–1986) Bassist/singer Tony Lewis, guitarist/keyboardist and songwriter
John Spinks and drummer Alan Jackman played together in the late 1970s in a
power pop band called Sirius B. After rehearsing for about six months and playing several gigs, their style did not match the
punk rock which was surging in popularity in England and they broke up. Several years afterward, the three gathered together in London's
East End under the name
the Baseball Boys. They performed in and around England until a demo of theirs had them signed to
Columbia/CBS Records in 1984. Spinks expressed an interest in
baseball, while also being a devoted fan of
association football. He claimed that the group "didn't know what an outfield was" until they visited the U.S. He said, "We're just learning about baseball. It's an acquired taste and we're trying to acquire a taste for it." and over 1,000
covers and
remixes by other artists have been released physically and/or online. The band toured extensively opening for
Journey and
Starship. Spinks made a point of mentioning in interviews that the band was "totally into not smoking or doing drugs". Although credited to Page, the single was listed as featuring the Outfield. On 9 July 2014, John Spinks died of
liver cancer. He was 60 years old. After taking a few years off from music, lead singer/bassist Tony Lewis announced his return with a solo album,
Out of the Darkness, which was released on 29 June 2018 through Madison Records ==Style and influences==