Vince Clarke

Vincent Clarke began his career in 1979 when he formed a band with school mates Martin Gore and Andrew Fletcher. That original band was named Composition of Sound and was primarily interested in using guitars for their source of music. By 1980 the band decided to trade in the guitars for some synthesizers which they felt would give them a wider range of possibilities on the musical front. Until this point Vince had provided the vocals for the band but had really never felt comfortable in the fronting role. They decided to recruit a front man and consequently heard a fellow Basildonian named David Gahan singing David Bowie covers in a night club. Following a short talk with Gahan they decided he was the right man for the job and musical history was made. Shortly after recruiting their new lead singer, they were practicing in Vince's garage and Dave saw a fashion magazine that was named Depeche Mode (which is still around today). He really liked the title and the band decided to change t