The Cross

Roger Taylor (b. 26 July 1951 - vocals, rhythm guitar)
Spike Edney (b. 11 December 1951 - keyboards)
Joshua J. Macrae (b. 30 September 1964 - drums)
Clayton Moss (b. 9 March 1962 - guitar)
Peter Noone (b. 9 September 1963 - bass)

Spike Edney, Clayton Moss, Peter Noone, Roger Taylor, Josh Macrae

The Cross were formed in 1987 by Roger Taylor who wanted his next solo venture to be performed 'live' in the studio. He placed anonymous adverts in national newspapers, and at auditions he chose Peter Noone, Clayton Moss, Josh Macrae, and Spike Edney, who had played with Queen on stage between 1984-6. The Cross spent the rest of 1987 rehearsing, recording their debut album, and making two television appearances. Their debut single, 'Cowboys And Indians', was released in September and reached no 74, their highest charting single to date.

Their second single, 'Shove It', was released in January 1988, and reached no 84. The debut album, also called 'Shove It', was also released in January 1988, featuring eight Roger Taylor penned tracks, and guest appearances from Freddie Mercury and Brian May. The album reached a disappointing no 58 in the charts. The American release featured an exclusive track, 'Feel The Force', again written by Roger. The band promoted the album with tours of England and Germany. The third single released, 'Heaven For Everyone', in March, featured Roger on lead vocals instead of the familiar album cut with Freddie's vocals, and reached no 83, one place higher than its predecessor.

The band released their final single of the year, the non-album 'Manipulator', in June. This was the first Cross track to feature lyrics from members other than Roger Taylor. The track was co-written by Roger, Spike and Steve Strange, from the group 'Visage', although the track failed to chart.

The Cross spent much of 1989 recording their second album, entitled 'Mad: Bad and Dangerous To Know', eventually released in March 1990, failing to chart. The album featured tracks written by the other members of the group, and one cover version, Jimi Hendrix's 'Foxy Lady'. In April 1990 the first and only UK single, 'Power To Love' was released, which reached no 85 in the chart. The band promoted the album with a tour of Germany, but no UK concerts.

In August 1990, they released their second single from the album, the Germany-only 'Liar', which was remixed and featured a non-album B-Side 'In Charge Of My Heart'. The final single from the album, 'Final Destination', was released in November in France and Germany only, and featured a live version of Roger's 'Man On Fire'. The band completed the year by playing at the Astoria Theatre for a Fan Club party, which was later released as a fan-club only cassette.

The first half of 1991 was spent recording the band's third and final album. The album features 10 tracks, and is regarded by many as their best. However, it was released in Europe and Japan, but the scheduled release for UK and USA was cancelled after Freddie's death. They promoted the album with a tour of Germany and neighbouring countries. The band released two singles in Germany, 'New Dark Ages' and 'Life Changes'; the latter was withdrawn, and is much sought after for the excellent non-album track 'Heartland'.

Both Freddie's death and poor record sales meant that the band decided to call it a day as far as recording goes. However, they played at the Gosport Festival in 1992 with guest appearance by Bob Geldof, and at the Fan Club Parties in 1992, with Roger Daltrey, Tim Staffell, and Brian May all making guest appearances.

The Cross played their last 'official' concert at the Gosport festival in 1993, but for the 1999 Fan Club Party, Roger and Josh appeared with a variety of guest vocalists. However, the other musicians have since gone their separate ways. Spike Edney has since formed the SAS Band (Spike's All Stars Band) and toured with Brian May and Queen, as well as being involved in numerous projects, whilst Josh Macrae has since worked with Roger on many occasions, touring with him in 1994/5, and co-producing and co-engineering several albums.

Clayton Moss, Josh Macrae, Roger Taylor, Peter Noone, Spike Edney

Clayton Moss, Roger Taylor, Peter Noone, Josh Macrae, Spike Edney