FULL NAME: Belinda Jo Kurczeski
PERFORMING NAMES: Belinda Carlisle
BORN: August 17, 1958 in Hollywood, California
RAISED: Thousand Oaks, California
PARENTS: JoAnne and Walt Kurczeski
PERSONAL INFO: Belinda got her name from a title of a movie, Johnny Belinda, her mothers favorite. Belinda is also the oldest of six children.
HUSBAND: Morgan Manson
CHILDREN: James Duke Mason / AKA "Dookie" (yes, Dookie, as in the title from the Green Day album)
SHORT BIOGRAPHY: Early on in life, Belinda became interested in underground music and joined a band named the Germs. The band included Belinda(going by the name Dottie Danger), Pat Smear(formally of the Foo Fighters), and others. Belinda was in the band for about a week before quitting after catching pnuemonia. She then changed her name later on in life because she hated it and wanted her new name to have a nicer ring to it.
Soon after this, The Go-Go's formed and later became the first successful all female band, which was recorded in the Guiness Book of World Records. After three albums, the Go-Go's would break up and go their own seperate ways due to the influence of drugs and fighting within the band.
Shortly before the breakup of the Go-Go's, in 1984, Belinda met Morgan Mason. At the time she had green hair and was tripping on acid. Morgan, who at the time was President Ronald Reagan's Head of Protocal, was the son of the late famous film star, James Mason. After kicking her Alcohol and Drug Addictions, in 1986, she married Morgan. Also in 1986 she released her first solo album self titled "Belinda", and shot her video "Mad About You"(which includes her husband). These events would only be the beginning to an ongoing and wonderful solo career. "Mad About You" was quoted in her "Runaway Videos" Collection, to be one of Belinda's favorite videos in which she holds "very near and dear to her".
Later in 1987, Belinda released "Heaven on Earth" which went to #1 on the Billboard Charts, also topping many other countries charts as well. It spun off many singles(in both the US and UK) and was extremely successful, more so in the UK. Following the success of "Heaven on Earth", Belinda and producer Rick Nowels, wanted to go with a album that had a deeper edge to it; and did so with the achievement of the following album " Runaway Horses ". This album also did well, but again, mostly in the UK.
Soon after, in 1991, she would release " Live Your Life Be Free ". Along with the release of this album, came really hard times for Belinda; as she continued promoting the album throughout her pregnancy, and giving birth to her son prematurely. In April of 1992, during the Los Angeles riots, Belinda gave birth to James Duke Mason, who was born two months prematurely (weighing only 3 lbs at birth and not very healthy). Belinda also shared that James was born to the tune of "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns 'N Roses. After the Los Angeles Riots and Earthquakes, Belinda and Morgan wanted to leave and raise their son in a better environment. Not being satisfied with the promotion of her album and the disputes between the then progamming director of MTV, Belinda approached the then Chairman Al Teller. Fueled by anger, she is quoted in US Magazine(Nov. 1993) as saying, "I went up to him, and I said, 'If it isn't the man who single-handedly fucked up my career in the country. Well fuck you All Teller! You're a fucking liar!'". She then followed with this quote(same issue) about her feelings on the ordeal, "I felt great about it, there were serious repercussions, and my contract didn't get renewed.". MCA went on to release a "Best of" , but once again the European version did better and shot to #1. In 1993, Belinda released "Real" which was written mostly during her pregnancy(about love and relationships) and much different from her previous material. The majority of the material was written and produced by Belinda,Charlotte Caffey (her best friend),and Tom Caffey (Charlotte's brother).
Now living in London, Belinda would go on to work on her next album, once again working with Rick Nowels since severing all ties with him after the "Live Your Life Be Free". The following album was "A Woman and A Man". This album was a huge hit in Europe, spun off a serious of singles, and yet it would be a year later when the full length album would be released. Belinda was opening act for Tina Turners European Tour, she then went off in 1997 to record "I Wont Say I'm In Love" for the European version of Walt Disney's major motion picture, Hercules. That same year, she also released a remake of the 1970's Sex Pistols"Submission" for EMI's 100th Anniversary. She was one of 22 artists picked for the CD. Soon after, EMI released a Limited Edition, "The Greatest", which was also for EMI's 100th Anniversary and would include the cover version of "Submission".
As for now Belinda is currently working on her new album which is scheduled for the Spring of 1999 and the release of a tell all book on the Go-Go's(with the help of a friend Charlete Caffey.) It is being penned with a "Ghost Writer". During researching the information, the "Ghost Writer" has found pornographic pictures of which all the members of the band had slept with during that period in time(The Go-Go's). Also finding that each one of the girls had written the name of the person(man) on the back of the photo to identify who it was. It was rumoured there is to be a movie....but that is still not confirmed. There is however, talk of a new best of Go-Go's album that will be released in 1999 probably because of the release of the upcomming book. The New Best Of is still in the works and if it is given the green light, will probably include the other songs that were recorded during the 1994 "Return of the Valley of the Go-Go's" that did not make the album.
For full listing of of Belinda's albums and singles, see my discography!
Sinnful Confessions: (As stated in the VH1 Pop Up Video of Heaven is a Place on Earth)
***Belinda confessed to doing:
Dating a baseball player(Mike Marshal of the LA Dodgers)....
Cursing out a record company executive(Al Teller) in public...
Using Cocaine and Heroine.......
And hating music vidoes....
As information comes I will update my page often....so keep checking back....and thanks for stopping in.
HOME
PICTURE GALLERIES
