PAUL CARRACK = BIOGRAPHY

PAUL CARRACK BIOGRAPHY

=20 Paul was first bitten by the music bug as a small child back in = his=20 native Sheffield, where he would bash away at a home-made drumkit up in = his=20 parents' attic, playing along with an old wind-up gramophone. By the = time he=20 reached his teens, the Mersey Boom was in full swing, and the young = Carrack=20 proceeded to inveigle his way into a series of local bands, learning to = play the=20 organ and following the gig circuit to Germany, where he underwent the=20 obligatory Hamburg nightclub baptism, as pioneered by such as The = Beatles. In=20 the early '70s, his progressive rock outfit Warm Dust released a few = albums, but=20 it was only when his pub-rock band Ace had a huge global hit with his = song "How=20 Long" that Paul's career really started to take off. Immediately, the = band were=20 catapulted from the British college circuit into huge American arenas, = as "How=20 Long" soared into the US singles chart, eventually reaching #3. =

=20 When Ace broke up towards the end of the '70s, Paul found himself = wrong-footed by the punk-rock boom, but secured some session work, = playing on=20 albums by Frankie Miller and Roxy Music, and touring with Roxy, an = experience=20 that gave him a taste for the big time. Paul's 1980 solo debut, = Nightbird,=20 failed to establish him as an artist in his own right, so he continued = playing=20 sessions, biding his time and honing his talents as musician and = songwriter. As=20 the '80s proceeded, Paul reached a rapprochement with the new-wave = scene,=20 playing on albums by The Undertones, The Smiths and The Pretenders, and = joining=20 Squeeze for their masterwork East Side Story, helping redefine the = group's=20 profile with his soulful vocal on the hit single "Tempted".

=20 After leaving Squeeze, ostensibly to pursue a solo career, he = hooked up=20 with Nick Lowe, an association which, though resolutely out of step with = public=20 taste and radio formats, would nevertheless generate five albums for = Lowe and=20 another for Paul, 1982's Suburban Voodoo. Though largely ignored in the = UK, the=20 album was a critical success in the US, where it was cited as one of = Rolling=20 Stone magazine's Top 20 Albums Of The Year. "I Need You", a Carrack = composition=20 lifted from the album, provided him with another US Top 40 hit, and was=20 subsequently covered by Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville.

=20 The biggest break in Carrack's career came in 1985 when he was = invited to=20 contribute vocals to a solo album being recorded by Genesis guitarist = Mike=20 Rutherford. Despite the apparent differences in their musical styles, = the very=20 first track Paul sang on, "Silent Running", became a hit on both sides = of the=20 Atlantic. Encouraged by such instant success, Mike + The Mechanics = developed=20 into more of a group, touring America extensively and securing a string = of hit=20 albums and singles over the next decade. Before they could produce a = follow-up=20 album, however, Paul found time to sing and play on Roger Waters' Radio = KAOS=20 album and record another solo album of his own, 1987's One Good Reason, = scoring=20 another couple of hits through the title-track and "Don't Shed A Tear", = which=20 again broke into the US Top Ten, staying on Billboard's Hot 100 for = nearly half=20 a year.

=20 Even better was to come when Mike + The Mechanics resumed = recording. Sung=20 by Paul, the title-track of their second LP The Living Years was a huge=20 worldwide hit, peaking at number one in America, and hoisting the band = to=20 megastar status. Further touring was followed by another Carrack solo = album,=20 1989's Groove Approved, whose standout track - the Motown-flavoured = Carrack/Lowe=20 composition "Battlefield" - was later covered by Diana Ross. The = following year,=20 Paul was co-opted to perform at Roger Waters' grandiose presentation of = The Wall=20 in Berlin, where he sang "Hey You" in front of over 250,000 people. =

=20 A third Mike + The Mechanics album, 1991's Word Of Mouth, saw = Carrack's=20 creative input increasing, with four songwriting credits; the band also = donated=20 a performance of "Ain't That Peculiar" recorded with Paul Shaffer's = house band=20 on David Letterman's late-night chat show to Nobody's Child, a charity = album for=20 Romanian orphans. Between tours again, in 1993 Paul busied himself with = Spin 1ne=20 2wo, a classic rock covers collaboration with Rupert Hine, Tony Levin = and Steve=20 Ferrone, and rejoined Squeeze for their Some Fantastic Place album. The = next=20 year was spent touring the world with Squeeze, working on an ultimately = abortive=20 band project with Don Felder and Timothy Schmidt (which nevertheless = garnered=20 Paul an award for the most played song in America that year, when the = reformed=20 Eagles covered "Love Will Keep Us Alive", a song he co-wrote with Peter = Vale and=20 Jim Capaldi), and recording another Mike + The Mechanics album, = =91Beggar On A=20 Beach Of Gold=92. This contained another couple of Carrack = co-compositions,=20 including his first collaboration with Mike Rutherford on the hit single = "Over=20 My Shoulder", which revived the band's flagging fortunes in the UK and = Europe,=20 paving the way for a subsequent Greatest Hits compilation.

=20 Paul's fifth solo album, Blue Views, appeared in 1995, and = despite=20 problems occasioned by the collapse of the record label, it was still = highly=20 successful in Europe, earning him a gold disc in Spain. When it was = finally=20 released a couple of years later in America on another label, the single = "For=20 Once In Our Lives" became a Top Five hit on Billboard's Adult = Contemporary=20 chart, cementing Carrack's growing reputation as a singer-songwriter of = class=20 and distinction. He was also developing a parallel reputation as an able = and=20 accomplished sideman to the stars, playing keyboards on albums by Eric = Clapton,=20 BB King, Simply Red, Van Morrison and Elton John, and being invited by = Elton to=20 play on "Something About The Way You Look Tonight", which, as the B-side = of=20 "Candle In The Wind '97", is officially the biggest-selling single ever. =

=20 Unfortunately, management changes at EMI resulted in his next = album=20 Beautiful World failing to get the promotional push it deserved, and a = bitterly=20 disillusioned Paul elected to take matters more into his own hands. = After years=20 spent biding his time, contributing to other musicians' projects and = allowing=20 outside producers to impose their designs on his material, it was a long = overdue=20 move, and one which reflected Paul's growing belief in himself as a=20 singer-songwriter. Accordingly, he recorded his next album Satisfy My = Soul at=20 his Hertfordshire home studio, relying on his own musical instincts and = playing=20 nearly everything himself. Steeped in the classic soul and funk sounds = of the=20 '60s and '70s, but with an ear firmly trained on the future, Satisfy My = Soul=20 featured some of Carrack's most accomplished songwriting to date, with = three=20 tracks co-written with Squeeze lyricist Chris Difford. The result was a = quantum=20 leap beyond Paul's previous work, showcasing his songwriting abilities = and=20 allowing his natural soul qualities to shine through with a new clarity = and=20 power.

=20 Having re-established himself as a solo artist, Carrack's next = album=20 Groovin' was a labour of love on which he paid tribute to his influences = with a=20 selection of covers of soulful pop hits from the '60s and '70s - such = choice=20 nuggets as the Isleys' "Harvest For The World", Bill Withers' "Ain't No=20 Sunshine", Bobby Hebb's "Sunny", Van Morrison's "Crazy Love", and The = Young=20 Rascals' title-track. "For me, that's the greatest era of pop music," = enthuses=20 Paul. "You could say it's all songs I've been singing in the bath for = the last=20 thirty years! They're all just great songs to sing. It was painless, = really -=20 all the graft's been done by the writers. There are a couple of tracks = from Van=20 Morrison's Moondance, which is a particular favourite of mine - in the = days when=20 you just had three albums in your collection, that was one of them: I = know every=20 note on that record backwards. I have big respect for Van, not just as = an=20 artist, but for the way he's always done his own thing, regardless of = what=20 anybody else thought. I just wish I'd taken a leaf out of his book=20 sooner."

=20 Groovin' was reissued with bonus tracks and an additional DVD the = following year to meet the demands of audiences on Carrack's lengthy = 2002 Tour,=20 which saw him playing upwards of 50 dates throughout Europe and the UK,=20 accompanied by his new band of young musicians from his hometown = Sheffield.=20 "Playing live has become a big part of the picture for me since I formed = my own=20 band about five years ago," he says. "It used to be a tremendous burden = having=20 to put a band together to promote each record, and I could never seem to = get=20 together the top session player mates I used to use all at the same = time. It's=20 great playing with the Sheffield lads, though, because they're just so = mad for=20 it! It took a little time to knock them into shape, but they've really = raised=20 their game now."

=20 "The live thing is really important, it sorts out the men from = the boys,"=20 he continues. "We play a lot of festivals on the continent, which draw a = younger=20 audience than I get in Britain, though we get a wide range of ages and = types=20 wherever we play, because of the various associations with Mike + The = Mechanics,=20 Squeeze, Nick Lowe, etc. I enjoy the whole thing, signing albums for the = fans=20 and so on, and that contact, their feedback, works both ways - you get a = genuine=20 buzz of appreciation which encourages you to perform at your = best."

=20 2002 also saw Paul = receive=20 the accolade of being invited, alongside the likes of Mariah Carey and = Phil=20 Collins, to serve as a special guest tutor on Operacion Triunfo, the = Spanish=20 version of Fame Academy, filmed at Barcelona's Acadamia. The = phenomenally=20 successful show, which goes out live 24 hours per day on its own special = Operacion Triunfo Channel, has achieved the biggest viewing figures for = any show=20 of its kind worldwide - a whopping 70% audience share. "They asked me to = go over=20 as a guest tutor, to give a sort of masterclass and talk to the = students,"=20 explains Carrack. "I would say the standard is higher than that on the = British=20 version, and there's a different vibe to it - it's not as cut-throat, = they=20 didn't just chop 'em dead; even those who dropped out were kept involved = on=20 another level. And they weren't all fantastic looking either - the main = thing=20 was that they could sing!"

=20 In between touring and helping young Spaniards sing better, Paul = has=20 somehow found the time to write and record his new album It Ain't = Over=85, the=20 latest step in his progress towards complete autonomy within the music = industry.=20 Not only is it released on Carrack's own label, but as with Satisfy My = Soul, he=20 effectively wrote, produced and performed the whole thing himself, = playing=20 everything from drums and bass to guitar and organ. "It's almost all me = again,"=20 he affirms, "apart from the horns on about five tracks, and the strings = on a=20 couple of tracks, which were played by Wired Strings, who appear on Top = Of The=20 Pops quite a bit these days: they're young and gorgeous and they = actually like=20 pop music, so they play with feeling, which helps - sometimes it's hard = to get=20 the right performance out of older string players. This one's a bit more = upbeat=20 than Satisfy My Soul, which was more of a mature, reflective album. = That's=20 largely the result of doing so many gigs - and I know a lot of these = songs will=20 work really well live, too."

The album's full tracklisting = is:

She Lived Down The = Street

Nothin' To Lose

It Ain't Over

Happy To See You = Again

Where Did I Go Wrong?

Empty Space

One Small Step

Forever

Never Too Late

Just A Little Lie

Ain't No Love

=20 In July/August 2003 Paul fulfilled a boyhood dream by performing = with=20 former Beatle Ringo Starr at a series of American concerts. "He does a = tour=20 every year as Ringo's All-Stars," explained Carrack. "He basically puts = together=20 a band made up of people who have had a hit or two somewhere along the = line and=20 can do a turn. He does "With A Little Help From My Friends", "Yellow = Submarine",=20 "Photograph" and all those great songs, so everybody=91s turn comes = round a few=20 times. I've been up for doing it for a couple of years, but for one = reason or=20 another it didn't happen, and fortunately he asked me again last year. = And when=20 a Beatle calls, you have to say yes!"

October 2003 saw Paul start a 46 = date UK=20 tour going through until late February 2004 to promote his latest album = =93It=20 Ain=92t Over=94.

April 2004. Paul and his band = performed 4=20 sell-out shows in Holland.

May 2004. Paul started = rehearsals with Mike=20 Rutherford in preparation for the Mike + Mechanics + Paul Carrack = reunion for=20 the European dates throughout June and early July as support for Phil = Collins.=20

Mid to late=20 July saw Paul Carrack and his band off on tour in Germany with=20 Runrig.

August 6 to 10 2004 Paul Carrack = was the=20 guest on the 'Rhapsody in Rock' live shows in Sweden to capacity 5000 = outdoor=20 arenas backed by the 34-piece orchestra.

August 15 Paul Carrack and his = band appeared=20 at Stowe House, Bucks with the legendary Dionne Warwick.

August 22 Paul and his band appeared in = the Isle=20 of Man at the Villa Marina Theatre.

August 29 Paul and his band appeared at = the=20 Arundel Castle, Sussex for Fender=92s 50^th = Anniversary.

Throughout=20 October, November and December, Paul and his band embarked upon their = successful=20 30 date UK tour.

To finish off the year Paul = performed with=20 the London Gospel choir at the Royal Albert Hall, appeared on the Jasper = Carrott=20 Christmas Cracker special at the NEC Birmingham and finally on Jools = Holland=92s=20 Hootenanny on New Year=92s Eve!

2005 saw Paul back on the road = with his band=20 working in Germany, Holland and Spain. =20 UK dates included Canary Wharf, Fowey Festival, The NEC, = Birmingham,=20 Southwark Park Festival, a live broadcast for the BBC at Rhyl Festival = and 2=20 dates with Status Quo at Beaulieu and Liverpool Summer Pops.

Paul and the band had a busy = autumn schedule=20 on their annual UK tour of civic theatres from October through to = December=20 10^thwhich saw = Paul=20 doing a 30 minute acoustic set and a second half of all the favourite = hits=20 including =91How Long=92, Tempted=92, Silent Running=92, =92The Living = Years=92, =91Over my=20 Shoulder=92, Another cup of Coffee=92, Eyes of Blue=92 etc.. etc.. . Paul also found time to = record a brand=20 new Christmas album of all his Christmas favourites with the 17-piece = SWR Swing=20 Band in Germany, which is now on current release.

Paul and his band continued = working live in=20 the UK until mid March 2006, since then Paul has worked in Spain = promoting his=20 latest release, appeared with such celebrities as Eric Clapton, Roger = Waters etc=20 at a one off fund raising charity gig in May and recorded two tracks for = the new=20 Jools Holland album = released in 2007. There were a few = promotional dates=20 in Spain and Germany and a date at Chester Racecourse in July with Van=20 Morrison.

After a few dates in Holland = Paul is now=20 back on the road with his sensational 8 piece band extensively touring = the UK=20 from October 2007 until the end of November and then January until the = end of=20 February 2008. In between Paul appears throughout Germany with the = phenomenal=20 =91Nokia Night of the Proms=92 shows until December 22^nd. =

Paul=92s new album =91Old, New, = Borrowed and=20 Blue is now on sale and is a carefully chosen mixture of exactly what = the title=20 suggests.

Paul has also written the track = =91I don=92t=20 want to hear anymore=92 which is on The Eagles new No 1 best selling = album, =91Long=20 road out of Eden=92

For further information please = call Alan=20 Wood 00 44 114 2580338

alanwoodagency@aol.com