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Le Bon was a member of his church choir from a very young age, but primarily trained as an actor. He appeared in a few television commercials as a child and in several theatre productions as a teenager. He worked on a kibbutz in Israel in 1979, and then returned to England to attend drama school at Birmingham University in 1980 before meeting the fledgling band Duran Duran.
Duran Duran had been founded with singer/songwriter Stephen DuffyStephen Anthony James Duffy (born May 30, 1960 in Birmingham, UK) is perhaps best known as the lead singer of The Lilac Time. He was one of the early singers and lyricists for Duran Duran in their formative years, but left in 1979, well before their 1980 in 1978, but Duffy left a year later, convinced they weren't going any where. The band had been through a long succession of lineup changes since, but had recently settled on a guitarist and drummer and built a powerful pop sound flavored with disco, funk and electronics but built on a solid rock rhythm section. All they needed was a charismatic singer with a distinctive voice.
Le Bon's ex-girlfriend Fiona Kemp (a barmaid at the Rum Runner club where Duran Duran was rehearsing) introduced him to the band in May of 1980, recommending him as a potential vocalist. As band legend has it, he turned up for the audition wearing pink leopard-print trousers, carrying a book of poetry he had written. He tried out some of the songs the band had already composed together, then spent some time fitting one of his poems ("Sound of Thunder") to one of the band's instrumentals, and found they had a good match. Simon agreed to "try them out for the summer"; within six weeks the band was playing steadily around Birmingham and London, and a national tour supporting Hazel O'ConnorHazel O'Connor (born May 16, 1955 in Coventry, England) is a British singer and actress. She originally shot to fame as an actress playing the role of Kate in the critically acclaimed film Breaking Glass in 1980. She has since had a further eight televisi led to a record deal with EMIThe Electric and Musical Industries Ltd formed in March 1931 from a merger of the UK Columbia Graphophone Company and the Gramophone Company/ HMV. In 1955, to replace the loss of its long-established licensing arrangements with RCA Victor and Columbia Rec Records in December. Le Bon never returned to his acting career.
The band's first album, Duran DuranDuran Duran is an album by Duran Duran, originally released worldwide in 1981 (see 1981 in music), and reissued to greater success in 1983, (see 1983 in music). The album reached #3 on the United Kingdom charts on 27 June 1981, and remained in the chart f, was released in 1981Events January-February January Sarawak Chamber found January 1 Greece enters the EEC January 1 Palau becomes self-governing January 4 Sheffield police arrests Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper January 16 Protestant gunmen shoot and wound Bernadette D, and they quickly shot to fame as part of the New RomanticNew Romantic was a pop music and fashion movement that occurred primarily in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. Its genesis took place largely through clubs such as Billy's in Great Queen Street, London, England, which ran Bowie and Roxy Music nig movement. Three more albums followed in quick succession: RioRio is a dance music album by Duran Duran, originally released worldwide on May 10, 1982 (see 1982 in music), but re-released in November in the United States. Background The Rio album peaked at number 5 in US (on June 5, 1983), and remained on the charts (1982), Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983) and Arena (1984). Each album release was accompanied by heavy media promotion and a lengthy concert tour. By mid-1984, the band was ready for a break. Duran Duran's only other work that year was an appearance on the 1984 Band Aid charity single, " Do They Know It's Christmas".