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1959 MAY 1: Alan Wilder is born.
1961 JULY 3: Vince Clarke is born.
1961 JULY 3: Andy Fletcher is born.
1961 JULY 3: Martin Gore is born.
1962 MAY 9: Dave Gahan is born.
1976: Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke formed the band "No Romance In China". Martin Gore was a guitarist in the band "Norman and the Worms".
1979: Clarke and Gore were in the guitar and synth duo "French Look".
1979: Andy Fletcher joined and the band changed its name to "Composition of Sound".
1980: Dave Gahan joined the band and picked the name Depeche Mode ("fashion dispatch") from a French style magazine.
1980: The band release their first single "Photographic" on the independent record company Some Bizarre's compilation "Some Bizarre Album" in 1980.
1980 MAY 31: Depeche Mode play their first gig at Basildon, St Nicholas School.
1981 FEBRUARY 20th: The single "Dreaming Of Me" was released( MUTE). It went to number 57 in the UK charts.
1981 JUNE 13th: "New Life" (No. 11 UK) is released.
1981 JULY 16th: "Just Can't Get Enough" (No. 8 UK) is released.
1981 OCTOBER: The album "Speak & Spell" is released. It goes to number 10 in the UK.
1981: Vince Clarke, who wrote the majority of the songs, leaves the band. Martin Gore takes on the writing for the band. The band play their first European gigs.
1981: Vince Clarke joins Alison Moyet to form the duo "Yazoo".
1982 JANUARY 29th: The single "See You" (No. 8 UK) is released.
1982 APRIL 26th: "The Meaning Of Love" (No. 12 UK) is released.
1982 AUGUST 16th: "Leave In Silence" (No. 16 UK) is released.
1982 SEPTEMBER: The album "A Broken Frame" is released and it goes to number 8 in the UK.
1982 JANUARY 5: Alan Wilder joins in a live capacity. The band play their first American shows.
1983 JANUARY 31st: The single "Get The Balance Right" (No. 13 UK) is released.
1983 JULY 11th: "Everything Counts" (No. 6 UK) is released.
1983 SEPTEMBER 19th: The single "Love In Itself" (No. 21 UK) is released.
1983 AUGUST: The album "Construction Time Again..." is released and hits a high at number 6 in the UK charts.
1983: Alan Wilder becomes a full-time member of the band. The band begins the "Construction Tour".
1984 MARCH 12th: The single "People Are People" (No. 4 UK, No. 13 US) is released.
1984 MARCH: The album "People are People" is released in North & South America and Japan only.
1984 AUGUST 20th: "Master & Servant" (No. 9 UK) is released.
1984 OCTOBER 29th: The double A sided single"Blasphemous Rumours/Somebody" (No. 16 UK) are released.
1984 OCTOBER: The album "Some Great Reward" is released and reaches number 5 in the UK.
1984: Martin moves to Berlin.
1984: The "Some Great Reward Tour" begins.
1985: Vince Clarke and Andy Bell form the band "Erasure".
1985 APRIL 29th: The single "Shake The Disease" (No. 18 UK) is released.
1984 SEPTEMBER 16th: "It's Called A Heart" (No. 18 UK) is released.
1985 OCTOBER: "The Singles 1981-85" is released and goes number 6 in the UK. The album is renamed "Catching Up With Depeche Mode" in the US and released in December.
1986: The singles "Stripped" (No. 15 UK), "A Question Of Lust" (No. 28 UK) and "A Question Of Time" (No. 17 UK) are released.
1986 MARCH: The album "Black Celebration" is released and goes to number 3 in the UK.
1986: Acclaimed NME photographer Anton Corbijn begins to direct the videos.
1986: The band kicks off the "Celebration Tour".
1987 SEPTEMBER: The singles "Strangelove" (No. 16 UK) and "Never Let Me Down" are released. The album "Music For The Masses"is also released and reaches number 10 in the UK charts.
1987: DM kick off the "Concert for the Masses Tour".
1988: The singles "Behind The Wheel/Route 66", "Little 15" and "Strangelove Remix" are released.
1988: The album "Music For The Masses" sells two million copies.
1988: DM climax another tour at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on June 18, in front of 75,000 people.
1989 MARCH: The singles "Everything Counts - Live" and "Personal Jesus" (No. 13 UK) are released. The album "101" is released and reaches number 7 in the UK.
1989: Martin releases a mini-album of covers including Sparks' "Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth"(51 UK). The mini-album is called "Counterfeit".
1989: The video "101" of the '88 US tour is released to universal acclaim.
1989: In America, "Personal Jesus" becomes the biggest selling 12-inch single in Warner Bros Records history.
1989 MAY: The "World Violation tour" starts in the US and includes the band's first visit to Australia. The final leg in Europe ends with three sold-out shows at London's Wembley Arena.
1990 MARCH: The singles "Enjoy The Silence" (No. 8 UK, No. 8 US), "Policy Of Truth" (No. 16 UK, No. 15 US) and "World In My Eyes" (No. 17 UK) are released. The album "Violator" is released and reaches number 2 in the UK.
1991: Violator sells its six-millionth copy.
1991: "Enjoy The Silence" wins a BRIT Award. Depeche Mode contribute "Death's Door" to Wim Wenders' film "Until The End Of The World".
1992: The band work on a new album in Madrid, Hamburg and London.
1993: The singles "I Feel You" (No. 8 UK), "Walking In My Shoes" (No. 14 UK) and "Condemnation" (No. 9 UK) are released.
1993 MARCH: "Songs Of Faith And Devotion" is released and hits the top spot in the UK and also number 1 in the US. The band begin the "Devotional Tour".
1993 NOVEMBER: "Songs Of Faith And Devotion Live" is released.
1993 SEPTEMBER: Dave and his bodyguard are arrested in Quebec, after a scuffle with a hotel porter. Both were released later without charge.
1993 NOVEMBER 3: Martin Gore was jailed for refusing to lower the volume. Martin pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a $500 fine after his arrest. Guests at the Westin Hotel complained the loud music was keeping them awake.
1994: The single "In Your Room" (No. 8 UK) is released.
1994: "Songs of Faith And Devotion" goes gold in the UK, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and platinum in the US and Canada.
1994: The band kick off the "Exotic Tour".
1995: Alan Wilder leaves the band to wo9rk on solo projects.
1995: Martin records "Coming Back To You" for a tribute album to Leonard Cohen.
1995 AUGUST: Dave is hospitalised in Los Angeles after slashing his wrist with a razor blade.
1996 MAY 28: Dave is arrested again, after collapsing in a Hollywood hotel from an apparent drug overdose. He was treated at Cedars Sinai Medical Centre. He was set free on $10,000 bail.
1996 JULY 9: Dave pleads Not Guilty to charges of possessing cocaine and being under the influence of the drug.
1996 JULY 30: Dave appeared in court again. He was referred to the Probation Department.
1996: Dave goes into the studio in Los Angeles, to work on his vocals, with Tim Simenon.
1996 NOVEMBER 21: Dave had vocal lessons to help improve his voice, which has deteriorated due to his past drug use.
1996 DECEMBER 12: Dave had to be flown home after contracting salmonella during a video shoot for the single "Barrel Of A Gun". Dave was in Morocco filming when he fell ill. He was flown back to London, he was confined to a hospital bed for the three days.
1997 JANUARY 26: The band play on "Top of the Pops" in the UK.
1997 FEBRUARY 3: The single "Barrel of a Gun" is released.
1997 APRIL 15: Depeche Mode release "Ultra".
1997 MAY 15: The band play on "The Tonight" show with Jay Leno.
1997 JUNE 29: Dave performed a solo track, called a "Song for Europe", on a Roxy Music tribute album entitled "Dreamhome Heartaches".
If you have anything to add to this
history, which is by no means complete, 
me at colinl@iol.ie.
This page was last updated on the 12th of April 1998.
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