Edwyn Collins
(born Edwyn Stephen Collins
, 23 August 1959, Edinburgh) is a Scottish musician.
|
EDWYN COLLINS TICKETS
|
Career
He formed the
musical group Nu-Sonics in 1976, which became
Orange Juice in 1979. Critically admired within
independent rock circles, Orange Juice are perhaps best known for their #8
hit single, "
Rip It Up", their only
UK Top 40 single and biggest commercial success. In 1985, Orange Juice disbanded, and Collins has since then pursued a
solo career.
Collins is best known for his 1994 single, "
A Girl Like You", which was a hit in both the
UK and the
U.S. and was featured in the
films
Empire Records
and
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
, and for "Magic Piper of Love", a 1997 single that featured on the
soundtrack of
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
.
Collins' music is mostly
electric guitar-driven
pop. His songwriting and vocal delivery range from the acerbically
satirical to the soulfully tender - though he is probably better known for the former.
He built his own
recording studio in 1994 and produced his own third solo
album,
Gorgeous George
. He has also worked extensively as a
record producer with other
artists, including
The Proclaimers,
A House,
Robert Forster,
The Cribs, and
Little Barrie. In 2005 Collins produced the
The New Fellas
album recorded by The Cribs.
In May 2009 he celebrated his comeback from illness by winning an Ivor Novello award.
[1]
Collins also produced and starred in the
Channel 4 sitcom,
West Heath Yard
.
Collins is to release his first book of illustrations with in april.
Personal life
Collins lives with his wife, Grace Maxwell, who is also his
manager. The couple, who live in
London, have one son, William, who maintains his father's MySpace page.
[2]
In a
BBC 6 Music radio interview on 18 February 2005, Collins had said he felt unwell, but ascribed the
nausea and
vertigo to
food poisoning. Two days later he was admitted to
intensive care in London's
Royal Free Hospital after apparently suffering a major
cerebral hemorrhage. On 25 February, he underwent an operation, reportedly after suffering a second hemorrhage. The procedure was successful, and Collins is currently working on a lengthy programme of neurological rehabilitation.
[3] He has right sided weakness affecting his hand and arm which prevents him from playing the guitar, and also affects his gait.
Collins released his sixth solo album in September 2007 on
Heavenly Records entitled
Home Again
.
[4] The album was
recorded before his illness but mixed after his discharge from hospital. Collins is still on the road to recovery, and he has recently returned to singing live, including playing a
gig at The Arts Theatre in London. A tribute song, celebrating his return, was recorded by the
Indiepop band
The Candy Twins.
[5]
A
BBC Scotland documentary,
Edwyn Collins:Home Again
, was broadcast on 19 May 2008 and narrated by
Franz Ferdinand frontman
Alex Kapranos. Filmed during 2007 it followed his progress in recovering from his illness, and his first return to live performance at the BBC
Electric Proms. He also performed at the
Glastonbury Festival, broadcast on 28 June 2008 on
BBC Two and at
T in the Park on the 10th of July, 2009.
Solo discography
- Hope and Despair
- Demon, 1989
- Hellbent on Compromise
- Diablo, 1990
- Gorgeous George
- Setanta, 1994, UK #8, US #183
- I'm Not Following You
- Epic, 1997, UK #55
- Doctor Syntax
- Setanta, 2002
- A Casual Introduction 1981/2001
- Setanta, 2002 (collection of Orange Juice and solo work)
- Home Again
- Heavenly Records, 2007, UK #90
See also
- List of Scottish musicians
- List of 1990s one-hit wonders in the United States
- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1990s
- List of British pop musicians of the 1990s
- List of British comedians
- Empire Records
References
- stv.tv article
- article
- article
- Allmusic biography
- YouTube - The Candy Twins Edwyn Collins is Back (tribute song)