After Dinner Speakers: Deacon Blue, Georgie & The Blue Flames Fame, New Seekers

Formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1985, when singer-songwriter Ricky Ross (b. 12 December 1957, Dundee, Tayside, Scotland) was advised by his song publishers to find a group to perform his compositions. Taking their name from the Steely Dan song on the Aja album, Deacon Blue was completed by James Prine (b. 3 November 1960, Kilmarnock, Strathclyde, Scotland; keyboards), Graeme Kelling (b. 4 April 1957, Paisley, Strathclyde, Scotland; guitar), Ewan Vernal (b. 27 February 1964, Glasgow, Scotland; bass) and Dougie Vipond (b. 15 October 1960, Johnstone, Strathclyde, Scotland; drums). The quintet secured a recording deal on the strength of an excellent demo tape, which formed the basis of their Raintown album, before being augmented by a second vocalist, Lorraine McIntosh (b. 5 May 1964, Glasgow, Scotland) who later married Ross. Raintown was promoted on a "money-back-if-not-satisfied" basis, and a series of impressive live shows ensured a respectable success. Ross's mixture of soul music and social commentary was heard at its best on "Dignity", which eventually gave the group their first hit in January 1988 following a plethora of marketing gimmicks. A total of six singles were issued from the album including the excellent "Chocolate Girl", but it was a new recording, "Real Gone Kid', which gave Deacon Blue a UK Top 10 entry. More upbeat than the majority of Raintown, it introduced the wider perspective featured on When The World Knows Your Name, the group's second selection, which deservedly topped the album charts in 1989. Although subsequent singles failed to sustain the success of their predecessors, Deacon Blue continued to enjoy a grassroots popularity. In 1991 Ross was a pivotal figure in assembling The Tree And The Fish And The Bird And The Bell, a musical tribute to Glasgow photographer Oscar Marzaroli that included contributions from many of the city's best-known acts, while the same year's Fellow Hoodlums was critically acclaimed but only moderately successful. Despite teaming up with hip dance music DJs/remixers Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne, 1993's Whatever You Say, Say Nothing was not well received. The poor reception afforded the album, allied with their continued failure to achieve commercial success in America, caused the band to split up in the summer of 1994. Ross embarked on a solo career, releasing a credible solo album in 1996. He re-formed Deacon Blue to record three new tracks for 1999"s ballads collection, Walking Back Home. A full-length studio album followed in April 2001.