Nick Rhodes (born Nicholas James Bates in Moseley, West Midlands, England, June 8, 1962) is a British keyboardist for Duran Duran. Rhodes and singer Simon Le Bon are the only members to have been with the band throughout its 25-year career.

Early history

---

Nick Bates was the only child of well-off parents, the owners of a Birmingham toy store. In 1978, Bates left school at the age of sixteen, and founded Duran Duran with his art school friend John Taylor. At about the same time as the name Duran Duran was chosen for the band, he decided to change his name, for "aesthetic reasons", to Rhodes (possibly after the Rhodes piano, or his hair, which was vividly red at the time).

As the band coalesced into its final lineup in 1979-80, Duran Duran started playing at a local Birmingham club called "The Rum Runner". The club owners became the band's managers, and Rhodes began working at the club as a disc jockey.

More on [ Nick Rhodes ]

Duran Duran

Nick Rhodes raises money for Keep A Child Alive
Fri, 25 May 2007 21:52:55 -0000
Nick Rhodes has designed the world's first ever prototype video guitar, which will be auctioned for charity in London on May 31st, 2007. The "Pixelator" is one of the main features of the Rock Couture Collection that will be auctioned off at Gibson Hall in London next week under the gavel of Lord Dalmeny, Deputy Chairman of Sotheby’s UK. Proceeds from the sale of Nick's guitar will go to Keep A Child Alive, a NY-based global charity that is dedicated to providing life-saving Anti-Retroviral treatment to children and their families with HIV/AIDS in Africa and the developing world.The auction will take place simultaneously on the internet through "eBay Live Auctions" where prospective buyers can bid for this innovative and priceless musical creation. Telephone bids will also be accepted.Click here to watch Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran talks about the new Fender guitar he designed for the Rock Couture charity auction!
A Note from Duran Duran posted October 25, 2006
Wed, 25 Oct 2006 16:23:52 -0000
To Our Fans We know that there has been a tremendous amount of speculation over the past few weeks regarding Andy Taylor's continued involvement with the band and we are sorry that we've been unable to provide you with more information until now. The past five years have been an incredible journey for us all - and having the original five back together was something that we had wanted to see happen for some time. As of last weekend, however, the four of us have dissolved our partnership and will be continuing as Duran Duran without Andy, as we have reached a point in our relationship with him where there is an unworkable gulf between us and we can no longer effectively function together. Although obviously disappointed and saddened about this, we are excited about the next chapter of the Duran Duran story and look forward to seeing you all soon. Simon, John, Nick and Roger
Duran Duran create Virtual Universe inside 'Second Life' Online World
Wed, 09 Aug 2006 15:43:09 -0000
Duran Duran will make Internet history once again with the creation of their own, 'virtual universe' inside the leading online virtual world, Second Life. Although details are yet to be unveiled, the five original band members [Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor and Nick Rhodes] announced today that they have commissioned their own custom-designed avatars who will live out a genuine 'second life' on a fantasy, luxury island, with 'in-world' concerts and media appearances taking place alongside the band's media, public and live engagements in the real world. Currently in the middle of recording their next album, Nick Rhodes said of the project: "Second Life has brought a third dimension to the internet; it is the new frontier where dreams have become reality. Whatever you can imagine is now possible. When the video revolution began we instantly saw the opportunity to experiment and explore a new form of expression to enhance the musical experience. Second Life is the future right now, offering endless possibilities for artists. Our community will be able to help develop the island into a fully functional, futuristic utopia, where you can never be quite sure what to expect. All visitors are welcome! Duran Duran are thrilled to be the first band to become citizens of Second Life and are rehearsing now for our first concert there in the coming months. I think I can safely say that it will be filled with surprises". Duran Duran will become the first major, band in the world to have a virtual world presence; and the group will make history in a few weeks with the first, live, concert by a pop avatar band performed by the group's actual members. The project is planned to launch later this month (August 2006) and is part of the new online campaign for Duran Duran leading up to the release of their upcoming new Epic Records album in the New Year.

Subscribe to Duran_Duran RSS feed