Paul Carrack |
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Thu. April 22.1999 3:03 AM EDT |
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Paul Carrackby Frank Tortorici |
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Paul Carrack has lent his vocals to a number of popular bands. (Paul Cox) |
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Emotive pop/rock singer Paul Carrack has lent his talents to such bands as Squeeze,
Roxy Music and Ace and has toured and recorded with such superstars as Eric Clapton
and Sting. Carrack is currently recording and touring the U.K. with
Carrack was born 48 years ago today in Sheffield, England. Growing up, Carrack was influenced by the music of the Beatles, Sam Cooke and Stevie Wonder. He played in hometown bands before travelling around Europe and gigging in discos and at army bases. In 1970 Carrack formed the psychedelic rock-soul band Warm Dust in Sheffield. Two years later, Carrack departed to form Ace, a rock-soul band that began playing London pubs. Ace became popular with the Carrack-penned hit "How Long" and toured the States with Yes. But additional hits were hard to come by and Carrack left Ace in 1977 to join country group the Frankie Miller Band. His time with that group also was short-lived. In 1978 Carrack became the keyboardist for Roxy Music, spending two years with the group. He contributed to the Roxy albums Manifesto and Flesh and Blood. Nightbird (1980) was Carrack's first solo effort, but shortly after its release he joined pop-rockers Squeeze (replacing keyboardist Jools Holland). Though he was with Squeeze for less than a year, he was present for the band's biggest critical success, East Side Story, and sang one of its most popular hits, "Tempted" (RealAudio excerpt). Next, Carrack worked with Carlene Carter and soon shared frontman duties with Nick Lowe in Noise to Go, the band also known as the Cowboy Outfit and the Chaps. Carrack resumed his solo career with Suburban Voodoo, featuring "I Need You." He also appeared on Lowe solo LPs, including 1990's Party of One. In 1985 Carrack joined Mike + the Mechanics, the band that would give him his greatest exposure. The Mechanics -- led by Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford with lead vocals by Carrack -- had a hit with "Silent Running." Carrack took advantage of the band's success by issuing the solo One Good Reason, which spawned the hit title track and the top-10 song "Don't Shed a Tear." He also toured with Pink Floyd's Roger Waters. Mike + the Mechanics' second LP, 1988's The Living Years, featured the #1 title track. The following year, Carrack released Groove Approved. In 1990 Carrack participated in Waters' live staging of "The Wall" in Berlin. Word of Mouth, the Mechanics' 1991 LP, featured tracks co-written by Carrack. Carrack was back in Squeeze for Some Fantastic Place, on which he sang "Loving You Tonight." He also sang with Beth Nielsen Chapman on her 1993 You Hold the Key LP. Beggar on a Beach of Gold, Mike + the Mechanics' 1995 album, included the Carrack co-written "Over My Shoulder," which became a U.K. hit. Carrack's 1995 solo CD, Blue Views, was released in the U.S. in 1997 and spawned the adult-contemporary hit "For Once in Our Lives." Last year, Carrack issued Beautiful World. The album included the single "The Way I'm Feeling Tonight," which he wrote with 10cc's Graham Gouldman. Other birthdays: Glen Campbell, 63; Peter Frampton, 49; and Charles Mingus (1922- 1979). |
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