Dale Bozzio: 'Missing Person' Found Rockin’ The Forum

The iHeart80s Party brought out the 80s in all of us Feb. 20 at The Forum. With their unique brand of new wave and pop rock, Missing Persons definitely found their niche yet again at this rockin’ celebration of great 80s music. The bill also included Tears for Fears, Loverboy, Rick Springfield, Billy Idol and Culture Club. See my video interviews with Rick here and with Boy George and the group here. More coming…

Missing Persons’ iconic vocalist Dale Bozzio and friends roused the crowd with a setlist of: “Mental Hopscotch,” “Noticeable One,” “Words,” “Destination Unknown” and, apropos for the evening, “Walking in L.A.”

Persons Banding Together

The band was founded in 1980 by Warren Cuccurullo on guitar, Dale on vocals, and Terry Bozzio as drummer/percussionist—Dale and Terry married in 1979. Later the band added Patrick O’Hearn on bass and Chuck Wild on keyboards. The group played together until 1986, when the Bozzios also divorced.

Dale, originally from Massachusetts, went where few had gone before in music videos with overt sexual exhibitionism. It was a page-turner at the time. With her characteristic and unusual high-pitched voice, Dale also had success as a solo performer, particularly with Frank Zappa, whom she called “my protector.”

A Real Rock Influencer

The band has also reunited for various performances throughout the years, yet as she told Rockerzine in 2014, “I’m the only Missing Person at this point…The music that I do now has the same tone of voice, same attitude, same thought pattern and my same choices of what I discuss. I look at the way life is now.”

Rock culture aficionados credit Dale with influencing stars like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, both in fashion and music. In this quick video from backstage at the iHeart80s Party, Dale is gracious, thankful and positive. Let’s take that away for ourselves, shall we?

If you weren’t at the iHeart80s party in person, don’t miss the nationally televised special on the AT&T Audience network on DirectTV on Friday, March 18 at 9 p.m. PT.

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