Childhood friends John Taylor and Nick Rhodes formed Duran Duran in 1978 in Birmingham , England, together with Taylor’s art school friend Stephen Duffy , naming their band after “Dr. Durand Durand”, Milo O’Shea ‘s character from the science fiction film Barbarella (1968), the day after the film was broadcast on BBC on 20 October 1978. The three of them (Taylor on guitar and vocals, Rhodes on synthesizer and tapes, Duffy on vocals and bass) played their first gig on 5 April 1979 at the Birmingham Polytechnic . Soon after, they were joined by Simon Colley on clarinet and bass. John (then going by his first name Nigel) Taylor was the guitarist at this point. After a few gigs, including a performance at Barbarella’s in Birmingham opening for the band Fashion , Duffy and Colley left the band in June 1979.
Formed Duran Duran
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