James "Midge" Ure

 

 

Midge Ure's career has been stunningly successful and yet, his profile outside of the UK has been relatively under the radar.  In 1979/80, he was the singer/songwriter of Ultravox, songwriter/keyboard player in Visage, and guitarist for Thin Lizzy(!). He also co-wrote Band Aid's huge single "Do They Know It's Christmas (Feed the World)" and helped organize Live Aid with Bob Geldof. Oh, and he's done quite a bit of solo work, to boot!

Ultravox

Ultravox never really found consistent success in the US, but did quite well in the UK and Europe.  They have elements that fit into post-punk, new wave, and prog rock, which you might think would mean they would have garnered a sizeable crowd, but those fickle Americans just wanted them to tick 1 box.  Their early years were fronted by John Foxx, then by Midge Ure in the '80s, both of whom went on to their own modestly successful solo careers.  Definitely an underrated band considering their longevity.