Deacon Blue
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Deacon Blue is one of Scotland's most popular pop bands.
Formed in 1985, this predominantly Glaswegian act were one of the top-selling UK bands of the late 1980s/early 1990s. The group's members were Ricky Ross, Lorraine McIntosh, James Prime, Dougie Vipond, Ewan Vernal and Graeme Kelling.
Ross, a former school teacher originally from Dundee was the group's frontman. He penned the vast majority of Deacon Blue's songs. He would later go on to marry backing vocalist Lorraine McIntosh in later years of the band's career.
Albums
Their first album Raintown, produced by Jon Kelly and released in 1987 which is still regarded as the band's finest effort - spawning the singles Dignity, Chocolate Girl and Loaded. Many consider Raintown to be a concept album since nearly all the songs contribute to the overall theme of one being stuck in a dead-end life in a deprived city longing for something better. The city which is the subject of the album is of course Glasgow, and the memorable cover art of the album is a shot of the River Clyde's docks taken on a miserable day from Kelvingrove Park.
The second album, When The World Knows Your Name was released in 1988, and was the band's most commercially successful, with the mega selling singles Real Gone Kid, Wages Day and Fergus Sings The Blues. However, music critics began deriding the band at this stage for its persual of commercial success over artistic quality, citing the earlier achievements of Raintown.
Jon Kelly returned to the producer's chair in 1991 for Fellow Hoodlums, and the album was met with more critical success, but by now the group's honeymoon period was over and their success started to wane. This album was followed up with Whatever You Say, Say Nothing in 1993, a much more experimental album which gained praise from the critics, but was a commercial failure.
The band released a Greatest Hits compilation the following year.
Subsequent Events
With drummer Dougie Vipond's decision to quit the group in favour for a career in television, Deacon Blue split up in 1994. Ricky Ross had a short-lived solo career in the mid-90's. The band made an unexpected reunion gig in 1999, and this led on to a new album in 2000; Walking Back Home, with the band now working on a part-time basis. Graeme Kelling died from cancer in 2004, however the band has vowed to continue.