Members of the band were guitarists and singers Tim Armour and John Davis, drummer Roger Whyte, and one late-comer to the mix, singer and bassist Sean Ryan. The guys started out performing at local nightclubs and bars in Halifax, Nova Scotia, then entering contest to try to gain more notice. In 1987, one whopper of a grand prize not only gave them money and equipment, but also the chance to record a debut single, as well as a music video to go with it.

A year after that major win, Basic English landed a contract with the Risque Disque label. The band quickly recorded the two-sided single "Outside the Law" and "Images of Love." A few tours later, work on an album got underway. The full-length offering, Sweet Panic, finally showed up on the market in 1990. The band didn't receive the rave press reviews that were hoped for, and the label the guys had signed with was having enough troubles of its own. A short year after the release of Basic English's first album, the band's label, Risque Disque, went under, taking the group down with it on the way. ~ Charlotte Dillon