Deriving their name from the metric total of semen ejaculated by the average male, the tongue-in-cheek British art-pop band 10cc comprised an all-star roster of Manchester-based musicians: vocalist/guitarist Graham Gouldman was a former member of the Mockingbirds and the author of hits for the Yardbirds, the Hollies, Herman's Hermits and Jeff Beck; singer/guitarist Eric Stewart was an alum of Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders; and vocalists/multi-instrumentalists Kevin Godley and Lol Creme were both highly regarded studio players. Formed in 1970, 10cc began as a session unit dubbed Hotlegs; after establishing residence at Stewart's Strawberry Studios, Hotlegs scored a surprise U.K. smash with the single "Neanderthal Man," subsequently issuing an LP, Thinks: School Times and touring with the Moody Blues.

After signing to Jonathan King's U.K. label and rechristening themselves 10cc (a name suggested by King himself), the group backed Neil Sedaka before recording 1972's "Donna," a sly satire of late-'50s doo wop. The single reached the number two position on the British charts, establishing not only a long-running string of major hits, but also the quartet's fondness for ironic and affectionate reclamations of musty pop styles. The follow-up, "Rubber Bullets," topped the charts in 1973, and both the subsequent single "The Dean and I" (a nostalgic look at academia recalling Jerry Lee Lewis' "High School Confidential") and an eponymously titled debut LP further solidified 10cc as a major force in British pop.

While 1974's Sheet Music and singles, including the Brian Wilson-esque "Wall Street Shuffle," "Silly Love" and "Life Is a Minestrone" continued 10cc's dominance of the U.K. charts, they found the American market virtually impenetrable prior to the release of 1975's "I'm Not in Love," which topped the charts at home and climbed as high as number two in the States. After 1975's Original Soundtrack and the next year's How Dare You!, Godley andCreme exited to focus on video production as well as developing the Gizmo, a guitar modification device the duo invented. In the wake of their departure,Gouldman and Stewart continued on alone, enlisting the aid of session men to record 1977's Deceptive Bends, highlighted by the perennial "The Things We Do for Love."

After recruiting guitarist Rick Fenn, keyboardist Tony O'Malley and drummerStuart Tosh as full-time members, 10cc returned in 1978 with Bloody Tourists, which yielded the number one reggae nod "Dreadlock Holiday." Following a series of unsuccessful efforts, including 1980s Look Hear?, 1981's 10 Out of 10 and 1983's Window in the Jungle, the group disbanded; while Stewart produced Sad Cafe and worked with Paul McCartney,Gouldman supervised recordings for the Ramones and Gilbert O'Sullivanbefore joining Andrew Gold in the duo Wax. In 1992, the original lineup of10cc reunited for the LP Meanwhile, while only Gouldman and Stewartremained for 1993's Mirror Mirror.

Gouldman, in a 1995 interview, was philosophical about the album: "When we finally did come back to record again, it was based on market research that our record company had done, that said a new 10cc album would do really, really well. And, ah, history has proved that wrong." Yet according to Stewart, both he and Gouldman had approached the album positively. "We wrote in a three-month period, 22 songs. Every day we were coming up with new ideas, and they were getting better and better, as far as we were concerned. And they sounded like 10cc songs again."

The album was followed by a tour in 1993, with former members Rick Fenn and Stuart Tosh returning alongside new players Steve Piggot (keyboards, synthesisers) and Gary Wallis (drum, percussion). This tour was captured on the live album and DVD Alive.

In 1995 the band released Mirror Mirror, produced by Gouldman, Stewart and Adrian Lee of Mike + The Mechanics, and without participation from Godley or Creme. Despite initial objections by Gouldman, Mirror Mirror included an acoustic version of "I'm Not in Love" which became a No. 29 UK hit single, but overall the album did not fare very well. Gouldman has described Mirror Mirror as "almost like two halves of an album", largely a result of the fact that he and Stewart recorded in separate countries. "I don't like to say we hoodwinked the people, but you could say it's not quite what it appears to be, and anyone with any sense, who reads the credits, could see that," he told Goldmine magazine. Their recording arrangement also provided further evidence of a fractured relationship between Stewart and Gouldman: aside from "I'm Not in Love", Stewart did not appear on any of the tracks Gouldman played or sang on, while Gouldman did not appear on any of Stewart's tracks.

In the spring of 1995, the band toured Europe and Japan with a line-up of Stewart, Gouldman, Fenn, Tosh, Alan Park (keyboards, synthesisers) and Geoff Dunn (drums, percussion).

Stewart left the band after this tour, and has since commented: "10cc is well and truly finished as far as I am concerned."

In 1999, Gouldman convened a 10cc line-up comprising himself, Fenn, Paul Burgess, and new recruits Mick Wilson and Mike Stevens. This version of the band began touring, playing their first gig at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Birmingham, and the same five members have been associated with the group ever since. A sixth member, Keith Hayman (keyboards), started touring with 10cc in 2006 and continued to do so until 2011; this has been the only line-up fluctuation since 1999. This iteration of the group also features occasional guest appearances by Godley, and tours both the UK and overseas, playing 10cc hits plus a section of Gouldman's hits written for others. Wilson handles the majority of the lead vocals, taking over from Eric Stewart on that front.

In January 2004, Godley and Gouldman reconvened to write more songs. Godley explained: "In a nutshell ... unfinished business. In all the years we've known each other we've only written three pure, Godley-Gouldman songs. That, and a desire to find out if the music muscle still worked with someone I enjoyed and didn't have to spend weeks getting to know." Godley and Gouldman's website offered six downloadable tracks credited to gg06: "The Same Road", "Johnny Hurts", "Beautifulloser.com", "Hooligan Crane", "Son of Man" and "Barry's Shoes", described as the first of a group of songs they had worked on for three years. A few of these songs were added to the rotation of songs that 10cc plays in their live set, including "Beautifulloser.com". This particular song, sung by Godley, appears on Clever Clogs, a 2008 DVD of a recent live performance by the band.

 In early 2009, Gouldman's 10cc launched its official website, 10ccworld.com. 10cc celebrated their 40th Anniversary on May 10, 2012 with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Kevin Godley performed several songs with the band.

Recent reissues

10cc has issued no new recordings since 1995, although members past and present have issued material since then. Gouldman is most active in the regard, having issued several solo albums in addition to his downloadable work done in conjunction with Godley. Eric Stewart has also established a post-10cc recording career, issuing several albums, and Lol Creme has been an official member of The Art Of Noise and The Producers, both of which issued recordings while he was a member.

An official box set of 10cc recordings and rarities entitled 30 Years of 10cc was due to be issued in 2002, but was cancelled before its release. In 2006, a 10cc compilation from Universal, GreatestHits ... And More, attracted criticism from fans who complained about one track, "Feel the Benefit", running at a slow speed. It also gained criticism from Stewart, who was upset at not even being told of its release. In addition to featuring numerous 10cc tracks, the compilation also featured several previously released tracks from Godley & Creme, The Mindbenders and Graham Gouldman, as well as the CD debut of two tracks from Gouldman and Godley's gg06.

Another 10cc compilation from Universal Music Group/UMTV, Very Best of 10cc, was released in 2009 and reached No. 39 in the album chart.

Universal Music issued a limited edition box set on November 19, 2012 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band's formation. Tenology is a four-CD/one-DVD retrospective and was supported with further live dates in the UK. All four original members have helped choose the track listing and have given interviews to Paul Lester as part of the project