Billy Idol was an early architect of the sound, style, and fury of punk rock. His lip-curling sneer and fist-pumping persona vaulted him into the mainstream as one of MTV's first megastars. Idol created a pioneering new sound by bringing the spirit of '77 to the dance floor, going on to fashion an immediately identifiable musical blueprint that integrates club-land throb, rockabilly desperation, and rock'n'roll decadence. Following the breakup of Generation X, Idol went solo in 1982 with his breakout self-titled debut, a gold certified effort which was produced by Keith Forsey and yielded the signature cuts "White Wedding" and "Hot In The City" (both of which landed in America's Top 40).