Howard Jones kinda flew under the radar for me in the 80s, although you heard his songs all the time. He amassed 8 Billboard Top 40 hits between '84 and '89 and one more in '92. He scored 10 Top 40 hits as well in the UK during this time period. His songs were very 'radio friendly' in that when they came on the radio, you really wouldn't change the station like you might with others. His highest charters were 'Things Can Only Get Better' (#5 in '85) and 'No One Is To Blame' (#4 in '86).
From Wikipedia: "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of Synthpop". "Jones was one of the defining figures of mid 1980s synthpop. His music merged the technology intensive sound of New Wave with the cheery optimism of hippies and late 1960s pop.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Jones_(musician)
