Mel and Kim were an English musical act that achieved success in the late 1980s.
Sisters Melanie (July 11, 1966 - January 18, 1990) and Kim Appleby (born August 28, 1961) half white English & half Jamaican, were noticed dancing in a nightclub in their native London and signed to a recording contract with Supreme Records under the guidance of production team Stock Aitken Waterman in 1985, and began releasing records under the name of Mel & Kim.
"System" was intended as their first single, but they and the producers were unhappy with it, and it became the "B-side" of their first single "Showing Out (Get Fresh At The Weekend)" which reached number three on the British charts and got the no #1 status in the Dance charts of USA. Their next single "Respectable" reached number one in Britain and became one of the year's biggest hits. They became well known celebrities, particularly in Britain, and were known for their visual style which combined urban street wear with high fashion; prior to their music career Mel had worked as a fashion model.
Subsequent hits followed, but the sisters were eclipsed by two new Stock Aitken Waterman acts, Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley, who became the production team's major focus in 1988. Mel, a former glamour model, began to withdraw from publicity in mid 1987 (the videos for "FLM" and "That's the Way It Is" composed of collages of older footage), claiming to have suffered a debilitating back injury. While the media speculated that she was terminally ill, both sisters categorically denied this. Mel was suffering from cancer of the spine, after having previously undergone surgery for a tumour on her liver in December 1985, prior to the duo's rise to fame. She died of pneumonia, her immune system weakened by chemotherapy.
With the aid of her boyfriend, ex-Bros bassist Craig Logan, Kim launched a solo career with much of her debut solo album composed of songs cowritten with Mel, for what was intended to be the next "Mel and Kim" album. The album, "Kim Appleby", contained her debut solo single "Don't Worry" which reached number two on the British charts in November 1990. A follow up single "G.L.A.D" was also a UK Top 10 hit. Subsequent singles from her debut album were "Mama" [#19] and "If You Cared" [#44]. Kim's second album "Breakaway" was not a commercial success and had a limited release. She released three further singles, "Light Of The World [#41, 1993], "Breakaway" [#56, 1993], and reunited with Stock and Aitken on "Free Spirit" [#51, 1994]. A download only single called "High" was released in 2007.
