Jane Aire followed
Chrissie Hynde's footsteps to England. Just as
the Pretenders singer moved to the U.K. so she could be part of the
punk scene,
Aire is another Akron, OH, native who took the same route. The results, however, were quite different. Born
Jane Ashley,
Aire was discovered by talent scout
Liam Sternberg in the late '70s. She flew to London and released a single, "Yankee Wheels," for Stiff in 1978. Intending to record an LP for Stiff, she ended up at Virgin Records instead. Two singles, "Call Me Every Night" and "Breaking Down," appeared on Virgin prior to the release of the full-length Jane Aire & the Belvederes in 1979. Reviving '60s girl group
pop with a
punk aesthetic, the LP became a cult item but nothing more.
Aire toured England with
Lene Lovich, but she was eventually dropped by Virgin. After losing her label deal,
Aire returned to Akron. She recorded demos for various companies in New York; however, all of them refused to even listen to the tapes. She found work in Akron as a waitress; ironically, that was the role
Hynde played in
the Pretenders' first hit video, "Brass in Pocket."
Aire was often compared to
Rachel Sweet, also from Akron. ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide
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