Video Related To: John Ellis

The Stranglers - "Miss You" (from the album Coup The Grace, 1998) In August 1990, founding member Hugh Cornwell left the band to pursue a solo career. In his autobiography, Cornwell stated that he felt the band was a spent force creatively, and cited various examples of his increasingly acrimonious relationship with his fellow band-members, particularly Jean-Jacques Burnel. The remaining members recruited John Ellis, who had had a long-standing association with the band. He had opened for them in the 1970s as a member of The Vibrators, filled in for Cornwell during his time in prison for drug possession in 1980, worked with Burnel and Greenfield in their side-project Purple Helmets, and been added to the Stranglers' line-up as a touring guitarist a short time before Cornwell's departure. Burnel and Ellis briefly took over vocal duties (for one television appearance on The Word) before enlisting Paul Roberts, who sang on most songs live, even those originally sung by Burnel. This line-up recorded four albums: Stranglers In the Night (1992), About Time (1995), Written in Red (1997) and Coup de Grace (1998). Coup The Grace was the lowest-charting album for the Stranglers, peaking at number 171 in the UK Albums Chart.