"Bassist David Steele and guitarist Dave Cox together in the early 1980s as part of an English band known as the Beat, but were left without a group when the band's two singers, Ranking Roger and Dave Wakelin, left to form their a new musical collaboration. The duo decided to keep playing together but they needed a vocalist. That is where Roland Lee Gift came in and brought his talent to complete the trio. They named themselves the Fine Young Cannibals after a 1960s film with Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood.It didn't take the fledgling band long to find a record deal and they were soon signed to London Records in 1985. Friction hit right at the beginning when the company wanted them to use a certain producer and the group balked because they knew it would change their sound. They took matters into their own hands by releasing a demo song, ""Johnny Come Home,"" which became a hit. The success gave them the freedom to choose their own producer, which they found in Robin Miller. They released their self-titled debut album soon afterwards, which reached number 49 on the Billboard 200 chart.It took years before the Fine Young Cannibals released their follow up, but it was well worth the wait. It was called The Raw and the Cooked and featured top hits like ""Good Thing,"" She Drives Me Crazy"" and ""Don't Look Back."" The success of those singles pushed The Raw and the Cooked all the way to number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Since then, the band members have worked on side projects, but have kept a relatively low profile. They released two greatest hits albums, one in 1996 and another in 2004, as well as an album called the Platinum Collection in 2006."
