The Human League have had eleven official members since they formed in Sheffield in 1977, and lead singer Philip Oakey is the only constant. Since the late 1980s the band has essentially been the trio of Oakey, Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley, backed by session and touring musicians. The original line-up was Oakey, synthesizer players Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, and visual director Philip Adrian Wright.
The band’s biggest era followed the 1980 split, when Marsh and Ware left to form Heaven 17 and Oakey and Wright rebuilt the group with Catherall, Sulley, Ian Burden and Jo Callis, the line-up that made Dare (1981) and “Don’t You Want Me”. Here is every member, with roles and years as the band’s own member list gives them.
Philip Oakey – Lead Vocals, Keyboards (1977–present)
Oakey has fronted every version of the band since 1977 and is its only constant member.
Joanne Catherall – Backing and Lead Vocals (1980–present)
Catherall joined in 1980 as part of the rebuilt line-up and has been a permanent member ever since.
Susan Ann Sulley – Backing and Lead Vocals (1980–present)
Sulley joined alongside Catherall in 1980; the two singers and Oakey have formed the core of the band for more than three decades.
Ian Craig Marsh – Keyboards, Backing Vocals (1977–1980)
A founding synthesizer player, Marsh left after the second album, Travelogue (1980), to form Heaven 17 with Martyn Ware.
Martyn Ware – Keyboards, Backing Vocals (1977–1980)
Ware co-founded the band with Marsh and Oakey and left with Marsh in 1980 to start Heaven 17.
Philip Adrian Wright – Visuals (1977–1986), Keyboards (1980–1986)
Wright began as the band’s slide projectionist and visual director, took on keyboards from 1980, and stayed until 1986.
Ian Burden – Keyboards, Bass, Guitar (1980–1987)
Burden was the bassist and synthesizer player of the Dare line-up, leaving in 1987.
Jo Callis – Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals (1981–1984)
Callis joined for Dare as guitarist and synthesizer player and left in 1984.
Jim Russell – Drums, Guitar, Programming (1984–1987)
Russell was a member during the Hysteria and Crash years.
Neil Sutton – Keyboards (1987–2017)
Sutton was the band’s keyboardist for thirty years, from 1987 to 2017.
Russell Dennett – Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals (1987–1995)
Dennett played guitar and keyboards through the Octopus period, leaving in 1995.
Session and Touring Musicians
Current sidemen are David Beevers (studio engineering and synth programming, 1988–present), Rob Barton (electronic percussion, 2003–present), Ben Smith (keyboards, 2017–present) and Nick Banks (guitar and keyboards, 2018–present). Past touring players include Michael Douglas (1981–1982), Meyrick Sainsbury (1986–1987), Adam Everard (1995–1998), Nic Burke (2001–2015), Errol Rollins (2001–2004) and Josh Cana (2016–2017), among others.
Human League Line-Up Changes at a Glance
- 1977: Oakey, Marsh, Ware and Wright form the band in Sheffield.
- 1980: Marsh and Ware leave for Heaven 17; Catherall, Sulley and Burden join, with Callis arriving in 1981 for Dare.
- 1984–1987: Callis, then Wright, Burden and Russell leave; Sutton and Dennett join.
- 1995–2017: Dennett leaves in 1995 and Sutton in 2017, leaving the trio of Oakey, Catherall and Sulley with sidemen.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who are the members of the Human League today? Philip Oakey, Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley.
- Who sang on “Don’t You Want Me”? The Dare line-up of Oakey, Catherall, Sulley, Wright, Burden and Callis.
- Who founded the Human League? Philip Oakey, Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware and Philip Adrian Wright, in 1977.
- Which members formed Heaven 17? Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, after leaving in 1980.
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