TOYAH WILLCOX has a highly successful, prolific and incredibly diverse career. Her major hit records and innumerable prestigious stage and screen roles have made her one of Britain's biggest household names.

Her career began at the Old Rep Drama School in her hometown, Birmingham with first notable role, playing Mad, in Derek Jarman’s 1977 seminal punk movie Jubilee. Later that year she put together the first embryonic line up of her own band. Toyah continued to gain ever-strong film roles, appearing alongside Katherine Hepburn in the film The Corn is Green, as well as playing 'Monkey' in the legendary Quadrophenia. By 1979 Toyah's band was gaining critical success with the debut single Victims of the Riddle (no 1 in the independent charts) and six track EP Sheep Farming in Barnet. Meanwhile, Derek Jarman asked her to play Miranda in his innovative version of The Tempest which won her a nomination as Best Newcomer at the year's Evening Standard Awards.

The following year, Toyah's album The Blue Meaning became a Top 40 hit. Acting roles continued too, including a leading part in Sugar & Spice at the Royal Court Theatre. An ATV Documentary "Toyah" and an accompanying live album Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! confirmed her status as one of the most significant new talents of the Eighties. A European tour, further television roles and chart successes including It's A Mystery, I Want to Be Free and the platinum album Anthem followed and 1981 ended with a Christmas Eve concert from Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, screened live as The Old Grey Whistle Test Christmas Special. 1982 saw her winning Best Female Singer at the Rock & Pop Awards and extensive touring in support of the follow up album The Changeling and the hit singles Brave New World and (Be Proud, Be Loud, Be Heard).

Toyah discovered new skills as a wrestler when she played the lead role in Trafford Tanzi (later transferring to Broadway as Teaneck Tanzi starring Deborah Harry) and went on to star alongside Sir Lawrence Olivier and Greta Scacchi in Granada TV’s film version of The Ebony Tower. She played Sally Bowles in the West End revival of Cabaret, which closed early due to a strike but not before making the Guinness Book of Records as the only West End musical to be performed acapella without any musicians in the orchestra pit.

The albums Minx and Desire continued Toyah's music career and she also made the charity project album The Lady or the Tiger with Robert Fripp, whom she would marry in 1986. Her least commercial album Prostitute was released in 1988 as Toyah moved away from the glare of the pop spotlight and sought out and refreshed her lyrical colour once more. This experimental album is seen as the benchmark for the newest generation of honest and expressive singer songwriters. With her husband Robert Fripp (a Bowie and Blondie collaborator) she formed the band Sunday All Over the World, who became known for their strong live performances and toured world-wide before recording the debut album Kneeling at the Shrine which received critical acclaim.

She also appeared at the 'Women in Music Festival' at London's Shaw Theatre with an aptly named girl band, 'The She-Devils'. During 1991 Toyah and Robert Fripp travelled to America to promote both albums released that year, Sunday All Over the World and Toyah's self produced Ophelia's Shadow, the album Toyah feels is her strongest to date.

1992 saw Toyah tour Germany, Britain and Poland with progressive-rock/jazz outfit Kiss of Reality and in Spring '93 they recorded an album. In the summer of 1993 Toyah recorded a rock album Take the Leap! which included a brand new recording of It's A Mystery. To aid this return to her rock roots she brought in a band of young musicians from Salisbury and they embarked on a successful tour of Britain. In March 1994 she began a music tour which would be one of the biggest Toyah had undertaken, continuing throughout the year until the end of November, playing England, Ireland, Scotland and South America. The Dreamchild album was released in May and received rave reviews in Europe and the UK whilst second single Now and Then was remixed by DJ Tim of Utah Saints. During a break in the tour Toyah filmed an appearance in John Thaw's new series, Kavanagh QC, and went onto play live as the special guest at the UK Heineken Music Festivals appearing in front of audiences of 5,000 to 10,000 people.

During 1996 Toyah guested on Trey Gunn's "The Third Star" album and in the Autumn she returned to her hometown, Birmingham to perform a series of acoustic concerts at the prestigious night-club Ronnie Scott's. She also released Toyah - The Acoustic Album, featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on two tracks. In 1997 Toyah toured the UK with her band, recorded a studio album version of the musical Cabaret with Nigel Planer and joined music station VH1 as VJ presenter. Toyah made her first musical recording of the 21st century with a vocal contribution to the track Killing Made Easy with punk band Family of Noise.

Toyah joined her fellow 80's pop stars ABC, Howard Jones and ex-Spandau Ballet in April 2002 when she performed on the Here and Now UK stadium tour. Toyah stole the show with a daring outfit which alluded to her 80s stage costumes. The nostalgia-filled tour saw Toyah perform her biggest hits to a sold out Wembley Arena and a crowd of over 20,000 at Manchester Evening News Arena.

2002 saw Toyah return to songwriting as she co-wrote and recorded new material for a limited edition EP, Little Tears of Love and a one-off preview concert at London's prestigious Ronnie Scott's venue. Carlton Television also made a documentary on Toyah's music career in December as part of the Rock Legends series. Toyah undertook the biggest role of her career in 2002 when she assumed the lead role in the major national touring production of Calamity Jane which has subsequently played to twenty-seven cities and combined audiences of well over 140,000. Nominated for an Evening Standard Award for Best Musical the show transferred to the West End for a season at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

Toyah continued to record material and in May 2003 a brand new mini-album Velvet Lined Shell was released on Toyah's own record label Vertical Species Records, showcasing a darker, edgier direction. In addition, her personal favourites and most critically acclaimed albums Prostitute and Ophelia's Shadow were repackaged with commentary from Toyah and reissued on Vertical Species. In October 2003, Toyah performed a one-off concert at the Mean Fiddler in London to mark the celebration of her 25 years in showbusiness and the music industry. 2004 saw Toyah return once again to her musical roots as part of The Best of the 80s Tour - a month-long national UK tour alongside fellow 80s hit-makers Nick Heyward, Curiosity Killed the Cat and Altered Images.

In 2005, demand resulted in the reissue of Toyah’s 80s albums Warrior Rock – Toyah on Tour and Love is the Law, receiving their first ever CD release. This was followed by CD reissues of the 1985 studio album Minx and a rarities anthology, Mayhem. This series of reissues all contained material and bonus tracks previously unavailable on CD. In addition, Cherry Red issued two CD collections which compiled all of Toyah’s A-Sides and B-Sides from 1979-1983. A concert date featuring Toyah, her band and a guest brass section, was recorded and released in November as the DVD, Wild Essence – Live in the 21st Century. Two further album reissues, Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! and Take the Leap! will be released in Autumn 2006.

Her current set includes a retrospective of Toyah material and covers of material which has influenced her, including Patti Smith, The Doors and The Cult. Toyah has successful played at many of the summer festivals including the Wasted Punk Festival and the Hastings Beer & Music Festival, performing alongside Keane to 4,500 festival-goers.

Toyah continues to work in all fields of the media and refuses to compromise any aspect of her multi-faceted and varied career.