Band History
John Baker and Roland Orzabal were at school together and performed as the "Baker Brothers" in local pubs and clubs from 1977 aged 16. The name Graduate came from the fact that they used to open shows with a cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson", which was featured in the movie The Graduate. In 1979, Graduate signed a publishing deal with Tony Hatch who subsequently offered the group to Pye Records.
In 1980, Graduate released an album, Acting My Age, and a single "Elvis Should Play Ska" (referring to Elvis Costello, not Presley) on the Pye label. The single reached No. 106 in the UK Singles Chart, but performed better in Spain, and in Switzerland; the group had its amount of success in some other European countries such as Germany and Greece.
In 1981, Orzabal and Smith went on to form the acclaimed New Wave band Tears for Fears. John Baker later joined The Korgis, a band featuring members of Stackridge.
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