Deacon Blue

Who is Deacon Blue?

Deacon Blue, a name taken from a Steely Dan song, first formed in 1985 and consisted, after a little member-juggling, of Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh on vocals, Ewen Vernal on bass, Graeme Kelling on guitar, keyboardist James Prime and drummer Dougie Vipond.

First Gig

Their first performance as a band was as a support act to The Waterboys. Deacon Blue devoted 1986 to promoting themselves by touring the colleges, universities and other local small-time venues of Scotland and Northern England. Failing to spark interest with almost every record label they could talk to, they finally signed with CBS.

Raintown Reading

Amidst extensive touring of the UK, their first album 'Raintown' was released in the spring of '87, featuring popular hits such as 'The Chocolate Girl' and 'Dignity'. Touring was obviously a priority with Deacon Blue as by the end of 1987 they had performed 90 times! Venues outside the UK were performed, such as Holland and, entering 1988, Italy and Spain. Several singles were remixed and re-released in an attempt to gain a higher chart position, or even make the charts at all, but most were in vain. Failure and public hostility peaked during a performance in Reading, where the band had to end the show after just one song due to the crowd's aggression.

Sorry Madonna!

The single 'Real Gone Kid' was released as a taster of their upcoming album and was met with public approval, reaching number 8 in the UK charts. Another taster was released, 'Wages Day', whilst the band tried to finish their album amidst another mad touring session. It reached number 18 in the UK charts. The long awaited album 'When The World Knows Your Name' was finally released in April of '89. The public proved that it was well worth the wait as it went straight into the UK charts at number 1, taking the place of Madonna's 'Like A Prayer'! 'Fergus Sings The Blues' made number 14 as the band embarked on more touring, this time at venues in Australia, UK and the States and, into 1990, Italy, France and Spain.

Unexpected Success

Deacon Blue decided to release four cover songs in a compilation entitled 'Four Bacharach And David Songs', mainly for a laugh. That 'laugh' landed the album in the number 2 spot in the UK charts, second only to kids' TV comic Timmy Mallet with his rendition of 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny'. The band released 'Ooh Las Vegas' in September 1990, but, although the fans approved, the media saw it as milking their previous successes.

Album Mania

'Fellow Hoodlums' was released in June of '91, hitting number 2 in the charts, with singles 'Your Swaying Arms' and 'Twist And Shout' reaching number 21 and number 10 respectively. The band took a new direction with their music, aiming more for commercial styles as can be heard on their album 'Your Town', released in November '92, much to the disgust of the media but to the delight of the public as the album hit the charts at number 14.

The End of Deacon Blue?

1993 saw, amongst almost constant touring, the release of 'Whatever You Say, Say Nothing', which made it to number 4 in the UK charts. At the most unlikely moment, just after the release of one of their most successful albums, 'Our Town, The Greatest Hits', which entered the charts at number 2, Deacon Blue announced that they would be splitting up. They performed a farewell live show in front of their local fans in May of 1994 as Ricky Ross went to work on solo material.

Reunion

Four members of the band performed together for a charity event in Ayr in 1998, which sparked rumours of a band reunion. The band did reform in March of the following year for another charity event in Glasgow, much to the glee of fans as tickets sold out in 90 minutes! The unprecedented response gave rise to a need for a few more gigs, which were marked for June. Increased popularity led to the release of 'Walking Back Home', an album that coincided with a massive tour of the same name. Further possible single releases were abruptly quashed as 'Walking Back Home' dropped out of the charts after only 3 weeks.

Loss

Fans discovered that guitarist Graeme Kelling was fighting a losing battle against cancer in October of 2000 but he continued to contribute to the upcoming new album 'Homesick', which was released in mid 2001. The album didn't get far in the charts but the tour reflected much support, especially in view of Graeme's declining state of health. Various touring took place throughout the rest of 2001, ending with another break-up of Deacon Blue for individual members to pursue solo careers. Touring picked up again, though, on a limited basis with various backing musicians replacing some members, right up until June of 2004, when it was publicly announced that Graeme Kelling had lost his fight against cancer. The band played in Glasgow towards the end of 2004, featuring a song, 'In The End', that they dedicated to their lost band member and friend.

And Now?

Since then, Deacon Blue have continued their trend of intensive touring, having vowed to continue despite Graeme's death, followed closely by their loyal fans and, further behind, the watchful eye of the media.

Albums

• Raintown
• Riches
• When The World Knows Your Name
• Ooh Las Vegas
• Fellow Hoodlums
• Whatever You Say, Say Nothing
• Walking Back Home
• Homesick

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