Tina Charles is an English singer who achieved significant success as a disco artist in the mid-to-late 1970s. Born Tina Hoskins on March 10, 1954, in Whitechapel, London, she was raised by her parents, Charles Hoskins, a box-making factory worker, and his wife Hilda.
Charles began her career as a backing singer and session musician, recording her first solo single in 1969 with Elton John on piano. During the early 1970s, she provided vocals for the Top of the Pops album series, covering contemporary hits.
In 1971, Charles appeared on the BBC1 sketch show The Two Ronnies, performing songs like "River Deep - Mountain High" and "Ruby Tuesday". She also worked as a backing vocalist on Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's chart-topping song "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" in 1975.
Charles' big break came in 1975 when Indian-British composer/producer Biddu produced her singles "You Set My Heart on Fire" and "I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance)". The latter single spent three weeks at number one on the UK chart in March 1976 and won a Juno Award in 1977.
Charles' collaboration with Biddu continued, resulting in another hit single "Dance Little Lady Dance". She spent 42 weeks on the UK Singles Chart in 1976, mainly due to these two records. Her touring band included Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, and Bruce Woolley.
Tina Charles went on to release further hits like "Love Me Like a Lover", "Dr Love", "Rendezvous", and "Love Bug", making her a pop star in Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. However, she was unable to achieve significant success in the US, with her only solo recording to chart significantly in the US being "You Set My Heart on Fire".
In 1978, Charles was a joint winner at the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, performing the tune "Love Rocks". She represented the UK and shared the top prize with Japan's entry.
