Heaven When You Smile)" (a Van Morrison cover) and "Let's Get This Straight (From The Start)" maintaining their popularity, the group continued to tour through 1983 with a nucleus of Rowland, O'Hara and Billy Adams, augmented by other musicians. Beginning in 1984, and with the assistance of both studio musicians and former members, Dexys wrote and recorded Don't Stand Me Down, which was released in late 1985. Earlier in 1985, Rowland appointed O'Hara as Dexys' musical director. O'Hara later commented that the American musicians that they worked with "couldn't quite make out my position in the band, and the whole thing." Some of the lyrics and songs from that album, especially "This Is What She's Like", were written by Rowland about her, which she said made them "pretty uncomfortable" to record. The lengthy, contentious sessions for that album strained both her relationship with Rowland and the core of that version of Dexys. Although Dexys returned to the charts with "Because Of You" (co-written by Rowland, O'Hara, and Adams) in 1986, and O'Hara's "fan club" letter in November 1986 discussed imminent recording sessions for a new Dexys album, she later said that at that point "Dexys were finished really" and the band broke up in 1987. After Dexys was reformed by Rowland in 2003, O'Hara appeared as a guest artist on Dexys' fifth album Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul in 2016, and she temporarily rejoined the band for its two live performances and one television performance that year in place of Dexys' current violinist, Lucy Morgan, who was unavailable. Later career After leaving Dexys, O'Hara worked with rock performers such as Graham Parker, Tanita Tikaram (with whom she recorded "Good Tradition" and toured from 1988 to 1990) and Mary Coughlan. In 1990, she released a solo album entitled Romanza, with a backing band including keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, which was later reissued as Southern Hearts, and in 1998, she released her second solo album, A Night in Ireland. After a 25-year gap, O'Hara and Tikaram resumed performing live together in 2015. Solo discography Southern Hearts (Romanza) (1990) – New World Music CD 212 A Night in Ireland (1998) – New World Music CD 450 References External links 1955 births Living people Musicians from Bristol English rock singers English women singers English violinists Women new wave singers Dexys Midnight Runners members Alumni of Birmingham Conservatoire 21st-century violinists 21st-century