Jules and the Polar Bears

Jules Mark Shear (born 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He wrote the Cyndi Lauper hit single "All Through the Night" and The Bangles' hit "If She Knew What She Wants", and charted a hit as a performer with "Steady" in 1985.

Shear was born in Pittsburgh in 1952. He attended the University of Pittsburgh. He distinguished himself with the Pitt Glee Club where he led a special side ensemble called Wooden Music, which used acoustic instruments, in a foreshadowing of his "Unplugged" concept. One of his noted songs of the time, which he performed in concerts with the glee club, was "Always in the Morning". He left Pitt after three years in 1973, and headed to Los Angeles to pursue a music career.

Shear is married to singer/songwriter Pal Shazar.

Shear has recorded more than 20 albums to date. He made his first appearance on vinyl with Funky Kings (along with two other songwriters, Jack Tempchin and Richard Stekol). After their second album was rejected by the record label, he formed a new band, the critically acclaimed (but commercially unsuccessful) pop group, Jules and the Polar Bears. This band, with Shear writing and singing all songs, would release two albums (Got No Breeding and fəˈnet̬·ɪks), merging a tight rock sound with the emerging synth-pop of the early 1980s. Their third album was rejected by their record label but released as Bad For Business in 1996, long after the band had broken up. With Jules and the Polar Bears finished, Shear bounced back with several solo albums. The first, Watch Dog, was produced by Todd Rundgren, and featured such players as Tony Levin on bass and Elliot Easton of The Cars on lead guitar. During the sessions, Shear and Easton struck up a friendship, based on their shared musical tastes, which would lead to various collaborations later on. The album featured the original version of "All Through the Night", which Cyndi Lauper would eventually turn into a top-five hit. The album's opening number, "Whispering Your Name", would reach #18 in the UK Singles Chart when Alison Moyet recorded her version of it; Moyet also performed the song on Top of the Pops. Shear then released an EP, Jules, which contained selections from Watch Dog on one side, and two mixes of a club-style dance number, "When Love Surges", on the other side. Shear's next full-length album, The Eternal Return, was a highly polished, synthesizer-heavy effort, produced by Bill Drescher (of Rick Springfield fame). The album opened with "If She Knew What She Wants", which The Bangles would make into a hit. It also featured what would prove to be Shear's only hit single under his own name, "Steady" which he wrote in collaboration with Cyndi Lauper. The single reached #48 in the U.S.

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