Return To Planet Earth by Kim Fox

All these experiences have given Return To Planet Earth a worldly perspective.

Kim Fox was born on the Isle of Manhattan, NY. She was surrounded by arts and music at a very young age. Her father, Norman Fox, was the lead singer of the 50's doo-wop group Norman Fox and the Rob Roys who had the hit "Tell Me Why" in 1959. Though they were a one hit wonder, Norman Fox and the Rob Roys were the first interracial recorded rock group in the history of rock and roll. Kim's mom is an art historian and Kim spent many teenage summers in Italy and France going to museums, eating chocolate croissants and bathing topless on the Riviera.

Growing up in NYC (home of Broadway) Kim's first intense love was of musical theater. From Grease to Annie to Jesus Christ Superstar, musical theater is still apparent in her pop sound. Then came all that other fabulous 70's music: Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Burt Bacharach, Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor. Kim was in her early teens when MTV made it's debut and attended concerts including the the Violent Femmes, Duran Duran, Howard Jones and the Clash (often times jumping on stage to try and kiss the bandmembers).

Kim began writing music in high school after her piano teacher gave her a copy of Laura Nyro's New York Tendaberry - "The most beautiful record I have ever heard to this day" she says. Her first demo tape got her a production deal with the Power Station recording studio in NYC and she played in underage clubs all around town. After a failed attempt at shopping her demos, Kim went off to Vassar College where she developed a love of classical music and opera. For a short time, Kim thought that she would pursue a career as an opera singer but when she graduated and was back in NYC going to dance clubs and indie-rock concerts, she realized that her heart lie with pop music. (Her brother has since become a classical conductor).

It was while living in a small apartment in Little Italy that Kim discovered the world of independent music. Frequenting clubs such as Brownies, Under Acme and the Sidewalk Café, Kim was inspired by artists including Mary Lou Lord, Suddenly Tammy, Papas Fritas, Cardinal, Lambchop and Helium. In 1993, with the encouragement of many friends, Kim went and bought a $100 keyboard. On that keyboard she wrote many songs that eventually landed her a publishing deal with BMG Music (and they bought her a $2,000 keyboard - thank you corporate America). About a year after that, she met producer Paul Mahern (John Mellencamp, Lisa Germano, Blake Babies) and moved from NYC to Bloomington, Indiana where the duo made lots of recordings together. A year later, Clyde Lieberman from BMG Music played her demos for someone at DreamWorks Records and she got signed in the spring of 1996. Moon Hut was released the following year, and Kim toured around the country playing shows and festivals including Lilith Fair. Feeling energized, Kim moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to get back to the hustle and bustle of a big city.

In the summer of 1999, Kim played a show at a local club called Goldfinger's, sharing a bill with Linus of Hollywood. They both were blown away by each other's sets that night and soon became fast friends, collaborating on the songs "I've Got Music" and "When Love Was The Only Thing". Linus eventually offered to produce Kim's record and invited her to be a Franklin Castle artist, alongside local pop heroes Margo Guryan and the Mello Cads. Return To Planet Earth features guest appearances by Ben Eshbach (Sugarplastic), Roger Manning (Jellyfish/Beck), Probyn Gregory (Wondermints/Brian Wilson) and many more.

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