Eurythmics were one of the most successful duos to emerge in the early '80s. Where most of their British synth pop contemporaries disappeared from the charts as soon as new wave faded in 1984, Eurythmics continued to have hits until the end of the decade, making their technically consummate, soul-styled vocalist Annie Lennox a star in her own right as well as establishing instrumentalist Dave Stewart as a successful, savvy producer and songwriter. Originally, the duo channeled the eerily detached sound of electronic synthesizer music into pop songs driven by robotic beats. By the mid-'80s, singles like "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and "Here Comes the Rain Again" had made the group into international stars, and Eurythmics had begun to experiment with their sound, delving into soul and R&B. By the late '80s, they were having trouble cracking the Top 40 in America, although they stayed successful in the U.K. By the early '90s, Eurythmics had taken an extended hiatus -- both Lennox and Stewart pursued solo careers -- but they reunited occasionally for recording or tours, including "I've Got a Life," a previously unreleased single issued in 2005 as part of their Ultimate Collection.

The origins of Eurythmics lay in the Tourists, a British post-punk band of the late '70s formed by Lennox and Stewart. The pair met in London while she was studying at the Royal Academy of Music. Stewart had recently broken up his folk-rock group Longdancer and was writing songs with guitarist Pete Coombes. Immediately after meeting, Stewart and Lennox became lovers and musical partners, forming a group called Catch with Coombes, which quickly evolved into the Tourists in 1979. Though the band was only together for two years, the Tourists released three albums -- The Tourists, Reality Effect, and Luminous Basement -- which all were moderate hits in England; two of their singles, "I Only Want to Be with You" and "So Good to Be Back Home Again," became Top Ten hits.

During 1980, Lennox and Stewart's romantic relationship dissolved and, along with it, so did the Tourists. Despite this, Lennox and Stewart decided to continue performing together under the name Eurythmics and headed to Germany to record their debut album. Featuring support from various members of Can and Blondie drummer Clem Burke, among others, the duo's debut, In the Garden, was released in 1981 to positive reviews, but weak sales. Stewart set up a home studio, and Eurythmics recorded a second album, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), which was released in January 1983.

"Love Is a Stranger" was the third British single pulled from the album, and it became a minor hit in late 1982, a few weeks before the LP appeared. The title track was released as a single in late January, and it rocketed to number two on the U.K. charts; shortly afterward, it climbed to number one in the States. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" was helped enormously by its stylish, androgynous video, which received heavy airplay from MTV, which had only recently become a major influence within the music industry. After "Sweet Dreams," Eurythmics re-released "Love Is a Stranger" and it reached the U.K. Top Ten (number 23 U.S.). Touch, the duo's third album, was released toward the end of 1983 and continued their success throughout 1984, spawning the hits "Who's That Girl?" (number three, U.K.; number 21, U.S.), "Right by Your Side" (number ten, U.K.; number 29, U.S.), and "Here Comes the Rain Again" (number eight, U.K.; number four U.S.). At the end of the year, they released the soundtrack for the film adaptation of 1984, which became their lowest-charting album, despite the Top Five U.K. placing of its single, "Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)."

Released in May of 1985, Eurythmics' fourth non-soundtrack album, Be Yourself Tonight, boasted a tougher, R&B-influenced sound and featured a duet with Aretha Franklin, "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves." The duet became one of three hit singles from the album, in addition to "Would I Lie to You?" (number 17, U.K.; number one, Australia; number five, U.S.) and the lyrical "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (number one, U.K.; number 22, U.S.). Revenge, released the following year, followed the R&B and soul inclinations of Be Yourself Tonight to a harder-rocking conclusion. Though the album peaked at number 12 in the U.S. and spawned the number 14 hit "Missionary Man," its sales were noticeably weaker than its predecessor. In the U.K., the group was slightly more popular -- "Thorn in My Side" reached the Top Ten -- but it was evident that their popularity was on the decline.

As appropriate for a group passing their commercial pinnacle, Eurythmics began branching out into other areas. During 1985 and 1986, Dave Stewart produced a number of superstars, including Bob Dylan, Daryl Hall, Tom Petty, and Mick Jagger. Annie Lennox began a short-lived acting career, appearing in Revolution. Eurythmics reconvened in 1987 to release Savage, which reached number seven in the U.K. but placed just outside the Top 40 in the U.S. That same year, Stewart married Siobhan Fahey, a former member of Bananarama who had also appeared in the "Who's That Girl" video; she would later be a member of Shakespear's Sister, which was produced by Stewart. In 1988, Lennox had a hit duet with Al Green with "Put a Little Love in Your Heart," taken from the Scrooged soundtrack. The following year, Eurythmics released We Too Are One, which sold well in Britain, reaching number one, but poorly in America, despite "Don't Ask Me Why" becoming their first Top 40 hit since "Missionary Man."

Eurythmics quietly went on hiatus as of 1990, releasing Greatest Hits the following year. Lennox began a successful solo career in 1992 with Diva, an album that topped the album chart in the U.K. and would eventually sell over two million copies. Her second album, 1995's Medusa, went to number one in Canada and the U.K. and peaked at number 11 stateside; Lennox won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for its cover of the Lover Speaks' "No More 'I Love Yous'." Stewart continued producing records and writing film soundtracks as well as forming a band called Spiritual Cowboys. In 1995, he officially launched a solo career with the release of Greetings from the Gutter. Lennox and Stewart re-formed Eurythmics in 1999, releasing Peace, their first studio album in a decade. It was well-received, reaching number four in the U.K. and number 25 on the Billboard 200. With Lennox still thriving as a soloist -- 2003's Bare hit the Top Five in the U.S., U.K., and Canada -- Eurythmics returned in 2005 with two previously unreleased songs from the Peace sessions that were included in that year's Ultimate Collection. One of the songs, "I've Got a Life," was issued as a single and reached number 14 in the U.K.

While little else was heard from Eurythmics as a duo in the years to follow, Lennox went on to win a Grammy for her song "Into the West" for the soundtrack to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media), and she had two more U.S./U.K. Top Ten albums in 2007's Songs of Mass Destruction and 2014's Nostalgia, a collection of covers from the Great American Songbook. In that span of time, Stewart delivered four more solo albums, including 2013's Lucky Numbers, which included collaborations with Martina McBride and Vanessa Amorosi, among others. In 2016, he produced Starlight, an album by New Zealand singer Jon Stevens that went to number 16 in Australia. The following year, Lennox appeared on a single to raise funds for the homeless: "Streets of London" by Ralph McTell featuring Lennox and a choir. Her song "Requiem for a Private War" for the film A Private War (about investigative journalist Marie Brenner), was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song in 2019. When she didn't have music to promote, Lennox remained in the public eye with her activism, including her work as founder of The Circle, a global NGO in the fight for gender equality. Eurythmics were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 and were nominated for membership in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Marcy Donelson

Following the disbandment of Eurythmics in 1991, vocalist Annie Lennox began a solo career that rivaled Eurythmics' in terms of crossover popularity. Born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland, Lennox began playing music as child, learning how to play both the piano and flute. In her late teens, she won a scholarship to London's Royal Academy of Music, but she dropped out before she took her finals. For the next several years, she worked around London, performing various jobs during the day and singing at night. In the late '70s, she met guitarist Dave Stewart through a friend. Stewart, who had previously played with Longdancer, asked Lennox to join a new band he was forming with a songwriter named Peet Coombes. The band was named the Tourists, and they released three albums between 1979 and 1980 and scored a number four U.K. hit with a cover of Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want to Be with You."

While they were collaborating in the Tourists, Lennox and Stewart became lovers. Soon, tensions within the band grew, and by 1980 the pair had left the band to begin Eurythmics. During the early '80s, the sleek synth pop of Eurythmics became one of the most popular sounds of new wave, racking up a number of hits in both the U.S. and U.K., including "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," "Love Is a Stranger," "Who's That Girl," and "Here Comes the Rain Again." Midway through their career, Eurythmics began pursuing a harder, more straightforward rock & roll sound.

In 1990, following the release of Eurythmics' commercial disappointment We Too Are One, Lennox announced that she was taking a two-year sabbatical to have a child. During this time, the group quietly dissolved, Lennox had a baby, and she began working on her first solo album. Diva, her solo debut, arrived in 1992 and showcased a calmer, more mature vocalist designed to cross over into the adult contemporary market. On the strength of the singles "Walking on Broken Glass" (number 14) and "Why" (number 34), Diva sold over two million copies in the U.S. alone; the album was also nominated for three Grammy awards.

Lennox delivered her second solo album, a covers collection entitled Medusa, in 1995. Peaking at number 11, Medusa spawned the hit single "No More I Love You's" and went platinum by the end of 1995. Lennox took some time off to raise her child and become more actively involved with humanitarian endeavors. A full eight years after Medusa was released, she returned with Bare, one of the strongest and most personal albums of her career. After another break, she released Songs of Mass Destruction in September 2007 and made plans to embark on an extensive North American tour, starting in October. Three years later, Lennox returned to recording with her first holiday album, entitled A Christmas Cornucopia. In 2014, she delivered another covers-oriented album, the Mike Stevens-produced Nostalgia. The following year, Lennox re-released the album as Nostalgia: An Evening with Annie Lennox, which included both the original studio album and a bonus Blu-Ray disc of her live PBS concert recorded on-stage at Los Angeles' historic Orpheum Theatre backed by a 19-piece ensemble. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Best known as one-half of the groundbreaking synth pop duo Eurythmics, Dave Stewart was also a highly successful producer and, on occasion, a solo artist. David A. Stewart (as he also sometimes was credited on record) was born September 9, 1952 in Sunderland, England; the product of an upper-middle class family, he enjoyed his first taste of musical success during the early '70s while fronting the band Longdancer. The group seemed poised for big things after signing to Elton John's Rocket Records, but they quickly fizzled out; Stewart soon resurfaced in a variety of short-lived groups, and eventually began writing songs with friend Peet Coombes. In the late '70s he was also introduced to an aspiring singer named Annie Lennox; the two became lovers, and with Coombes they formed a group dubbed the Tourists, issuing a trio of new wave-influenced LPs between 1979 and 1980.

When the Tourists came to a halt in late 1980, Stewart and Lennox's romance ended as well; they agreed to continue their musical partnership, however, rechristening themselves Eurythmics. Their soulful synth pop sound was created solely via Stewart's technological mastery, capped off by Lennox's powerful vocals; after the title track of 1983's Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) became an international smash, the Eurythmics rose to become one of the '80s most successful and innovative artists, scoring such major hits as 1984's "Here Comes the Rain Again," 1985's "Would I Lie to You?," and 1986's "Missionary Man." In 1985, Stewart also scored his first outside success as a producer, working on Aretha Franklin's comeback album Who's Zoomin' Who; that same year, he also helmed Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' hit Southern Accents. In the years to follow, he went on to produce music for Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, and the Neville Brothers.

By the end of the '80s, Eurythmics' popularity was on the decline, and after 1989's We Too Are One failed to recapture the magic of their earlier work, they essentially disbanded, with only a hits compilation and a live LP to follow. Stewart, who in 1987 had married Bananarama/Shakespear's Sister vocalist Siobhan Fahey, initially turned to soundtrack work, scoring the Dutch film Lily Was Here in 1989; a year later, he put together a new band, the Spiritual Cowboys, with ex-Pretenders drummer Martin Chambers. Sporting a more atmospheric, guitar-driven sound than his previous work, the Spiritual Cowboys issued two albums, a 1990 self-titled effort and 1991's Honest, neither of which caught on with audiences. Stewart then spent the next several years in relative silence, accepting a few production jobs but otherwise staying out of the limelight. In 1995, he finally issued his proper solo debut, Greetings from the Gutter.

In 1997, Stewart co-produced the album Destination Anywhere for Jon Bon Jovi. He emerged as an artist again in 1999; this time as a film composer scoring director Robert Altman's film Cookie's Fortune in 1999. In November 2002, he worked with former South African president Nelson Mandela. Stewart came up with the idea of turning Mandela's prison number into a telephone number. He wrote and recorded songs with Paul McCartney, Bono, and the Edge (among others) that could only be heard if you dialed this number; the cost of the call was in fact a donation in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the newly independent but beleaguered nation. Along with an ad agency, Stewart organized the entire campaign. In 2004, he collaborated with Jagger on the score for a remake of the film Alfie, and in 2007 scored Ted Demme's film The Ref. In March 2007, Stewart unveiled an initiative called "Greenpeace Works," which he labeled a "think tank" to dream up ways celebrities and Greenpeace could work together on green issues. For the project, he issued The Dave Stewart Songbook, a large coffee table-size book full of stories and photographs. It was accompanied by a newly recorded CD of 21 songs that been co-written or co-produced by him. Also included was the song "American Prayer," written with Bono. In 2008, Stewart shot a video for the tune as support for Barack Obama's presidential bid.

In 2011, he completed work on his musical, Ghost, which opened in England in March; he also finished work on Stevie Nicks' In Your Dreams album, which was co-produced by Glen Ballard and released in May. Simultaneously, he also completed his first album of new material in 13 years in Nashville, with help from Martina McBride, Joss Stone, Colbie Caillat, and the Secret Sisters. Entitled The Blackbird Diaries, the set was recorded at McBride's husband John's Blackbird Studios and issued in late May. Stewart also helmed the sessions and co-wrote the songs for Stone's LP1, which was released in the summer of 2011. That same year, both Stewart and Stone joined SuperHeavy, a supergroup that also featured Mick Jagger, Damian Marley, and A.R. Rahman. A self-titled SuperHeavy album arrived in the fall of 2011, and then Stewart returned to Blackbird Studios, recording and releasing his solo effort The Ringmaster General in 2012. A year later, Stewart released Lucky Numbers, another solo album laden with guest stars, this time including Martina McBride and Karen Elson. Stewart published his memoir, Sweet Dreams Are Made of This: A Life in Music, in February 2016 and then turned his attention to The Nashville Sessions. A series of collaborations with superstars and emerging artists, the first volume of the project -- entitled The Nashville Sessions: The Duets, Vol. 1 -- arrived in October 2017. ~ Jason Ankeny & Thom Jurek