D
eacon Blue’s name may derive from
the title of a track featured on Steely
Dan’s classic Aja album, but that’s the
extent of their homage to the urbane
American outfi t renowned for slick
sounding ironic narratives. The Scots
work from an earthier template,
equal parts pop nous and rock
sensibility, with lyrical concerns that
refl ect the proletarian romanticism of
Bruce Springsteen.
The band was formed in 1985 by Ricky
Ross, a native of Dundee and adopted son of
Glasgow, who, a year earlier, had released a
solo album, So Long Ago. The original line-up
comprised Ross, Lorraine McIntosh (whom he
would marry in 1990), Ewen Vernal, James
Prime, Dougie Vipond and Graeme Kelling.
Their 1987 debut, Raintown, peaked at
No.14 in the UK and spawned the moderately
successful singles, Dignity, When Will You
(Make My Telephone Ring) and Chocolate
Girl. They really gained traction with the
follow-up, 1989’s When The World Knows
Your Name, which held the No.1 position for
two weeks and gave Deacon Blue their fi rstTop 10 hit, the Maria McKee-inspired Real
Gone Kid.
Fellow Hoodlums (1991) and Whatever You
Say, Say Nothing (1993) went platinum and
silver respectively, while they maintained a
consistent chart presence with singles such as
Twist And Shout, Your Town and a cover of the
Burt Bacharach/Hal David standard, I’ll Never
Fall In Love Again. Then, in 1994, Vipond’s
decision to pursue a career in television led to
the group’s demise.
In the fi nal year of the old millennium, they
reformed for a series of concerts in Britain and
throughout Europe, and issued Walking Back
Home, a compilation appended by eight new
or previously unavailable songs.
Tragedy struck in 2000, when Kelling
was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
He carried on as Deacon Blue’s guitarist
both live and in the studio (making a notable
contribution to 2001’s Homesick) until his
death in 2004.
Since then, they have released three albums
and toured regularly, while Ross and Vipond
have established themselves as presenters on
both BBC radio and television.DOWN
THE LOWDEACON BLUE
A FORMER SCHOOL
TEACHER FROM
DUNDEE RELOCATED
TO GLASGOW AND
FORMED A BAND
WHOSE NAME
REFERENCED A
STEELY DAN SONG.
DEACON BLUE
CLOCKED UP FIVE
TOP 10 ALBUMS AND
16 TOP 40 SINGLES
BEFORE SPLITTING IN
1994, ONLY
TO REFORM FIVE
YEARS LATER.
DAVID BURKE© Ian Dickson/Redferns