Simon Le Bon

Background

Simon Le Bon is a well-known name in the English entertainment industry. His time with the band Duran Duran has earned him worldwide success and recognition. He was born Simon John Charles Le Bon on October 27, 1958, in Hertfordshire, England. He is the eldest of three children, with brothers David and Jonathan. Venturing into art when he was very young, Le Bon was trained as an actor and became an active member of the local church choir. He studied drama at university and finished an art foundation course. During his time as a student, Le Bon appeared in a few T.V. commercials and theater productions.

He was introduced to fellow members of Duran Duran, John Taylor, and Nick Rhodes, in 1980. He passed the audition as a vocalist and began playing with the band in the same year. They started by playing around the Nottingham, London, and Birmingham areas, and signed a record deal with E.M.I. Records at the end of the year. By 1981, Le Bon debuted with Duran Duran by releasing their self-titled first album. Through this, he immediately earned his breakthrough with the group, and also gained fame by being a part of the U.K. underground subculture, the New Romantic movement. This success was followed by their first tour in the same year. Not long after that, Duran Duran released their second album “Rio” in 1982, “Seven and the Ragged Tiger” in 1983, and “Arena” in 1984. Le Bon formed a Duran Duran sub-group called Arcadia in 1985, with a debut (and only) album “So Red The Rose.” The single ‘Election Day’ charted in the U.K. and U.S. top 10. He founded the agency S.Y.N. Entertainment in Tokyo, Japan, and its record label, S.Y.N. Records, in 1998. The agency would later help produce Duran Duran’s future albums. Le Bon is now hosting the Duran Duran radio show “WHOOOSH!” with Katy Krassner, which airs on SiriusXM and can also be found on Spotify.

Le Bon has been married to English model Yasmin Parvaneh since 1985. The couple has had three daughters, and eventually grandchildren since 2018. His wife has also been involved in founding S.Y.N. Entertainment. Le Bon is known for being active in the yacht racing scene, having owned a maxi yacht he called Drum. Even though he got into an accident in 1985, he went back to racing again soon after.