Richard Alexander Ross^[1] (born 22 December 1957) is a Scottish musician who is the lead singer of the rock bandDeacon Blue. Alongside his discography with Deacon Blue, Ross has released a number of solo albums: his first,So Long Ago, was released in 1984.

Ricky Ross
Ross performing with Deacon Blue at theSSE Hydro, Glasgow, 2018
Background information
Birth name	Richard Alexander Ross
Born	(1957-12-22)22 December 1957 (age 67) Dundee, Scotland
Genres	Pop,alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Singer, musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards
Years active	1983–present
Spouse	Lorraine McIntosh ​ (m. 1990)​
Website	rickyross.com

Ross was born inDundee, Scotland, in 1957 and attended theHigh School of Dundee, an independent school.^[2]

Ross is a founding member and lead singer of the rock bandDeacon Blue. The band released their debut album,Raintown, on 1 May 1987 in the United Kingdom and in the United States in February 1988. Their second album,When the World Knows Your Name (1989), topped theUK Albums Chart for two weeks, and included "Real Gone Kid" which became their first top ten single in theUK Singles Chart.^[3]

Deacon Blue released their fourth album,Whatever You Say, Say Nothing, in 1993. The band split in 1994. Five years later, the band held a reunion gig, and this led on to a new album,Walking Back Home, with the band now working on a part-time basis. The band released another album,Homesick, in 2001. ThoughGraeme Kelling died frompancreatic cancer in 2004, the band has continued and 2006 saw Deacon Blue returning to the studio to record three new tracks for aSingles album – including the track "Bigger than Dynamite". Deacon Blue's next album wasThe Hipsters, in 2012.^[4] The band released another album,A New House, in September 2014.Believers, was released in September 2016. A concert recording of their return to the Barrowland, Glasgow, was released on 31 March 2017.

The band's tenth studio albumCity of Love was released on 6 March 2020. In February 2021, they released their eleventh studio album entitledRiding on the Tide of Love to commercial success in both the UK and their native Scotland.

As of 2012, Deacon Blue's total album sales stood at six million,^[5] with twelve UK top 40 singles, along with two UK number one albums.^[5]

Before the formation of Deacon Blue, Ross released a solo albumSo Long Ago, on the Glasgow independent label Sticky Records. After the band's break-up in 1994, Ross resurrected his solo career andEpic released his second solo albumWhat You Are in 1996. As Ross's first solo albumSo Long Ago was a minor release on a relatively minor label,What You Are became his first solo release on a major label and as such is generally regarded as his debut solo album for a major label.

Ross released another album,New Recording, on his own label in 1997. After Deacon Blue's reunion in 1999 and the release of theirWalking Back Home andHomesick albums, Ross entered into a new publishing deal with Warner Chappell UK, and released another solo album,This Is the Life, throughChrysalis Records's short-lived Papillion label, in 2002. Papillion had released Deacon Blue'sHomesick album the previous year.

As part of his publishing deal with Warner Chappell, Ross began co-writing with other artists. He currently spends more time writing than on his solo career or Deacon Blue projects. To date he has written for and withJames Blunt,Ronan Keating,KT Tunstall,David Sneddon,Cathy Burton,Gareth Gates,Emma Bunton,Will Young andJamie Cullum among others.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, Ross released the albumPale Rider through P3 Music. In September 2009 Ross and McIntosh releasedThe Great Lakes, an album on the Cooking Vinyl label.^{[citation needed]}

Ross released a collection of songs in 2013, the 12-trackTrouble Came Looking, on the Edsel Recordings label. He also performed a wide-ranging UK acoustic tour in support of the album which saw him play small, intimate venues, alongside Gregor Philp.^{[citation needed]}

Ross released the albumShort Stories Vol. 1 with the label earMUSIC on 15 September 2017. The album incorporates new songs with a mix of Deacon Blue song's such as "Wages Day" and "Raintown".^{[citation needed]}

Ross currently presentsAnother Country with Ricky Ross onBBC Radio Scotland and has covered for Mark Radcliffe,Bob Harris andDermot O'Leary onBBC Radio 2. He also occasionally broadcasts for Radio 2 from the yearlyCeltic Connections festival in Glasgow. For his broadcasting, Ross won the International Country Broadcaster of the Year Award from theCountry Music Association in 2014.

He is also the recipient of an honorary doctorate fromAbertay University.^[6]

Ross is married toDeacon Blue memberLorraine McIntosh and they have four children together. They married on 12 May 1990.^[7][8]

• So Long Ago (1984)
• What You Are (1996)
• New Recording (1997)
• This Is the Life (2002)
• Pale Rider (2005)
• Trouble Came Looking (2013)
• Short Stories Vol. 1 (2017)
• Short Stories Vol. 2 (2022)

• Raintown (1987)
• When the World Knows Your Name (1989)
• Fellow Hoodlums (1991)
• Whatever You Say, Say Nothing (1993)
• Walking Back Home (1999)
• Homesick (2001)
• The Hipsters (2012)
• A New House (2014)
• Believers (2016)
• City of Love (2020)
• Riding on the Tide of Love (2021)^[9]
• The Great Western Road (2025)

• The Undeveloped Heart EP (1998)

• Another Country with Ricky Ross (BBC Radio Scotland)