The Proclaimers | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Craig (left) and Charlie on stage in 2005 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1962-03-05)5 March 1962 (age 63) |
| Origin | Auchtermuchty,Fife, Scotland |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Charlie Reid Craig Reid Backing band Steven Christie (keyboard) Clive Jenner (drums) Garry John Kane (bass guitar) Zac Ware (electric guitar) |
| Website | the |
The Proclaimers are a Scottishrock duo formed in 1983 by twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid (born 5 March 1962).[1] They came to attention with their 1987 single "Letter from America", which reached No. 3 in the United Kingdom, and the 1988 single "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", which topped the charts in Australia,[2][3] Iceland and New Zealand.[4] The duo's biggest album,Sunshine on Leith (1988) has been certified multi-Platinum in Australia and Canada, selling over 2 million copies worldwide, including around 700,000 in the United States.[5] The Proclaimers have sold over 5 million albums worldwide.[6][7]
First active from 1983 as an acoustic duo,[1] the Proclaimers moved toward band-orientedrock in later works. The Proclaimers' style draws from a diversity of influences, includingcountry,folk[8][9] andpunk rock.[10] Their playing range has includedroots rock,[11]alternative rock[12] andfolk rock,[13] and their music is typified by theirScottish accents.[8] The Proclaimers often tour internationally[8] and have released 12 studio albums since 1987, the most recent being 2022'sDentures Out, as well as three compilation albums and a DVD.
Craig and Charles Reid were born inLeith on 5 March 1962 and grew up inEdinburgh,Cornwall andAuchtermuchty. When they lived in Auchtermuchty, they attendedBell Baxter High School.
Alluding to the early careers of Craig and Charles Reid in 1989, Bill Wyman ofChicago Reader commented that the pair "got into music throughpunk".[14] After Craig received a beaten-up drum kit and Charlie a guitar,[15] the pair played in severalpunk rock bands. The first of which was called the Hippy Hasslers, the name of which was borne out of the brothers' dislike ofhippie counterculture, with Craig Reid commenting in 2005 "we loathed anybody with long hair, we hatedDeep Purple".[16] Their next band was called Black Flag;[14] the group were unaware of thelike-named American punk band at the time.[17] The brothers were also members of a band called Reasons for Emotion alongside Kai Davidson, later ofhardcore punk bandthe Cateran and an early manager for the Proclaimers.[1][18] The group split up in 1981.[16] Craig Reid, in a 2016 interview withEsquire Middle East, relayed that he loved punk acts such asThe Clash,The Jam, theSex Pistols, as well as "all the mid-60s stuff…The Rolling Stones,The Beatles,The Kinks".[10]
Becoming aware of the potential of playing as a duo, the Reids established the Proclaimers as anacoustic duo in 1983.[1] Discussing their early sound, actorPeter Mullan said that the Proclaimers played "a mix ofpost-punk andfolk".[19] During this time, the duo attracted a regional fan-base, withInverness having an especially dedicated community of supporters.[8] Many of the duo's songs, such as "Letter from America" which was written in 1984 and reflectedunemployment rates of the day, were written in this period.[20]
The Proclaimers recorded ademo album with the assistance ofKevin Rowland ofDexys Midnight Runners.[20][when?] The demo fell into the hands of Englishindie pop bandthe Housemartins,[20] who invited the Proclaimers to support them on their 1986 tour.[8][20] First opening at theHummingbird inBirmingham,[20] the tour afforded the duo the opportunity to perform on Channel 4 pop programmeThe Tube in January 1987,[21] andChrysalis Records quickly signed the pair.[8]
In 1987, the duo'sJohn Williams-produced debut recordThis Is the Story was released through Chrysalis,[8][20] and displayed aminimalist sound lauded by Timothy Monger as "sparse but spirited".[8] For release as a single, the album-track "Letter from America" was remixed byGerry Rafferty,[20][8] embellishing the song with a full-band sound.[20][8] The single peaked at No. 3 in theUK Singles Chart,[22][8] as the duo appeared onTop of the Pops for the first time on 12 December 1987,[23] while the albumThis Is the Story wentgold.[24] On their 1987 breakthrough, Neil McCormick ofThe Telegraph opined that the pair "stuck out like a pair of sore thumbs" amidst the "ersatz glamour ofEighties pop".[6]
The 1988 follow-up album,Sunshine on Leith, featured arock-driven sound as the Proclaimers worked with a band for the first time.[8][25] Ranging in lyrical-themes from familial joy toScottish nationalism,[26][27] the record featured the singles "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", which went to number one in Australia[3] and New Zealand,[4] and "I'm on My Way".[22] The album was a particularly big hit in Australia in 1989, being that year's 12th biggest-seller, reaching No. 2, and attaining a 2×multi-platinum certification by theARIA.[2] Craig Reid described this success as their "biggest ever".[2] Attaining certifications of 2× multi-platinum in Canada,[28] at the time of June 2009Sunshine on Leith had sold a worldwide total of 2 million copies.[5] The album was a critical success, withRolling Stone in May 1989 lauding it "a wonderfully guileless treasure of an album".[29]
Sunshine on Leith's following concert tour included a performance at the 1989Glastonbury Festival, playing to an audience of over 65,000.[30] The Proclaimers had ahit with theirEPKing of the Road,[31] which reached number nine in the UK in 1990.[22] The EP's titular song, a Roger Miller cover, was included in the 1990 filmThe Crossing.[32] The Proclaimers appeared on American singer-songwriterChris Harford's 1992 albumBe Headed, performing on the song "Sing, Breathe, and Be Merry".[33]
"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" belatedly peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1993,[34] after appearing in the movieBenny & Joon, becoming their only chart single in the United States.[31] This popularity saw the Proclaimers supporting Americanglam metal bandBon Jovi, alongside10,000 Maniacs, at theMadison Square Garden concert on theirI'll Sleep When I'm Dead Tour.[35][36]Sunshine on Leith peaked at No. 31,[37] shifting close to 700,000 units in the US by 2001.[38]
The Proclaimers' third studio album,Hit the Highway, was released in 1994.[31][8] Continuing in the band-oriented rock direction ofSunshine on Leith,[8]Hit the Highway fell short of previous successes.[8] Irrespective, the record spawned the hit "Let's Get Married",[8] charting in the United Kingdom, Canada and Austria. The Proclaimers recorded a cover of "Get Ready" bythe Temptations for the 1994 screwball comedy filmDumb and Dumber.[39] Cameron Matthews ofVice praised the song "a rocking cover" which gave "a Scottish twist to the ... original".[39]
In 1994, the Proclaimers appeared at Canadianalternative music festivalEdgefest alongsideToad the Wet Sprocket andthe Lemonheads.[40] The Proclaimers kept out of the public eye for much of the late 1990s, mainly due to family commitments.[8]
After seven low-profile years, they released their comeback albumPersevere in 2001.[31] Lauded by Canadian culture publicationExclaim! as a "remarkable comeback",[41]Persevere was to-date the only album of theirs to be recorded in the United States, and saw the duo tour North America in support of Canadianalternative rock bandBarenaked Ladies.[42]
The Best of The Proclaimers the duo's firstgreatest hits album, was released on 15 April 2002. The album was hailed by Hal Horowitz as "a near-perfect summary" of their material.[43] Reaching No. 5 and being certified platinum in the UK,[22][24] the compilation also charted in New Zealand.[4][22] The Proclaimers' fifth studio effort,Born Innocent, was released in 2003.[8] Their first release on their own label, Persevere Records,[8] the record was hailed as "a return to form" and saw the duo work withOrange Juice frontmanEdwyn Collins.[8]Born Innocent was ranked at No. 26 forMojo Magazine's "Albums of the Year".[44]
Finest, the duo's second greatest hits album, was also released in 2003.[45] Released throughEMI that September, the compilation was received less favorably than its predecessor,[45] but was nonetheless certifiedsilver in the UK.[24]
The sixth studio effort,Restless Soul, was released in 2005.[8] In March 2007 a new version of "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", recorded forComic Relief, reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart.[22] The revival of the hit featured guest vocals from sitcom charactersAndy Pipkin (portrayed byMatt Lucas) andBrian Potter (Peter Kay),[8] ofLittle Britain andPhoenix Nights, respectively.
A seventh studio album,Life with You, was released on 3 September 2007 in the UK, and April 2008 in the US.[46] The lead single, "Life with You", reached No. 58 in the UK, having been the only new Proclaimers single to chart since 1994,[22] while the record itself was their highest-charting in 13 years, peaking at No. 13.[22]Life with You enjoyed a generally praising critical reception,[47] withBoston Globe praising the record's politically edged content, remarking that "the Proclaimers are best when [...] proclaiming".[48]
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Life with You's US release was promoted by an American tour, including performances inBuffalo,Philadelphia,Chicago,Seattle,Los Angeles andSolana Beach in April and May 2008.[49]Notes & Rhymes, the eighth Proclaimers studio album, was released in June 2009[8] on the W14 label. They signed toCooking Vinyl thereafter.[8] The European release was on 15 June 2009, with the US release on 11 August 2009. It was simultaneously released as both the standard CD and a 'Special Limited Edition' 2-CD set, the latter being a double, slimline jewel-case. CD2 has ten tracks: four acoustic and six live. The acoustic tracks were produced by John Williams, who had produced the Proclaimers' debut albumThis Is the Story. The album, including the bonus CD, was also released as a digital download.
The duo were one ofthe B-52s' touring partners on theirFunplex tour in Australia and New Zealand in November 2009, alongsideMental as Anything.[50] They featured inVH1's 100 greatest one hit wonders, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" having been their only US hit single.[51]
Like Comedy, in 2012, was the Proclaimers' ninth studio effort and their first to be released onCooking Vinyl records.[8] In its sound a foray intoblue-eyed soul,[52] the record enjoyed a "generally favourable reception".[53] The Proclaimers toured the United States in April 2013, performing as anacoustic duo once again.[54] That summer, the duo touredmusic festivals in the UK and Canada.[54]
A third compilation,The Very Best Of: 25 Years 1987-2012, was released on 9 July 2013.[55] Peaking at No. 80 on theUK Albums Chart,[22] the compilation was certified gold in the UK in June 2019.[24] In 2014, theSunshine on Leith track "Cap in Hand", noted for its nationalist stance,[14] came to prominence in the wake of theScottish Independence Referendum that September.[56] The song reached No. 6 in Scotland and No. 62 on theUK Singles Chart.[56]
A tenth studio album,Let's Hear It for the Dogs, was released in April 2015.[57] The album was recorded atRockfield Studios inWales and produced byDave Eringa. As stated by member Charlie Reid, the decision to have Eringa produceLet's Hear It for the Dogs was brought about by an admiration for his work withManic Street Preachers, and on theJohnson andDaltrey albumGoing Back Home.[58]
Their eleventh studio album,Angry Cyclist, was released in August 2018. Noted for its political lyrics attackingBrexit and theTrump administration,[59]Angry Cyclist attracted a favourable reception,[60]AllMusic's Marcy Donelson lauding the record "one of [their] best",[61] andThe Skinny praising the album-track "Classy" as "lyrical genius".[62]
DuringAngry Cyclist's accompanyingpromotional tour, they performed in the United Kingdom, Asia, Canada and Australia,[63] to over 400,000 people.[64] The Proclaimers also opened at the 2019Glastonbury Festival.[65]
In late May 2022, it was revealed on The Proclaimers' official website that the duo would announce a new studio album on 16 June that year, a date that was later put back until the 30th of that month.[66] On that date, the duo's twelfth albumDentures Out was announced for release on 16 September 2022. The news came alongside the release of the album's lead single "The World that Was" and the announcement of Manic Street Preachers frontmanJames Dean Bradfield's collaboration on the record.[67]
The Reids are passionate fans ofHibernian, and the song "Sunshine on Leith" has been adopted as an anthem by the club which plays in that part of Edinburgh.[68]In October 2022, The Proclaimers sponsored the Hibernian Girls Academy Under 12s football team.[69]
The brothers are also well-known supporters ofScottish independence and had been activists for theScottish National Party, expressing such views during their promotional tour of Britain in March 2007.[70] However, in April 2021, the twins endorsed theAlba Party.[71] The group has also voiced support forWelsh independence.[72]
In 2006, the twins participated in a campaign to free a fellow Scot,Kenny Richey, from hisdeath row sentence inOhio, United States, including an appearance at a charity concert.[73] In December 2007, Richey accepted a plea bargain, which led to his release from death row and return to Scotland on 9 January 2008.[74] Also, in March 2010 they participated withBilly Bragg in a show at the Electric Palace,Bridport, supportingReprieve, a charity that seeks to end the use of the death penalty.[75]
Craig Reid has acknowledged 1970spunk rock as a major influence,[10] citingBuzzcocks,The Clash,The Jam,the Damned and theSex Pistols as inspirational.[10][9][76] On the punk influence,Stuff New Zealand remarked that punk bands galvanized the Proclaimers into making "whatever music they liked, in their own way, using their own accents".[9] Other notable influences were1960s music, such asThe Beatles,Bob Dylan,The Kinks,Van Morrison,Rolling Stones,[10][77] and 1950s American acts such asChet Atkins,[78]Ray Charles,[79]Fats Domino,[79]The Everly Brothers, the duo themselves being described as a "post-punk Everly Brothers",George Jones,[78]Frankie Laine,[80] andJerry Lee Lewis.[79] Other influences includeDexys Midnight Runners,[10]Joy Division,[81] andBruce Springsteen.[8]
When exploring lyrical influences in a 2012 interview withThe Scotsman, the Proclaimers cited Dexys'Kevin Rowland,The Blockheads'Ian Dury,Joe Strummer of the Clash,the Smiths vocalistMorrissey andMerle Haggard as their "favourite lyricists".[82]
Described by Timothy Monger ofAllMusic as a "charismatic amalgam", the Proclaimers' style of music incorporates elements ofcountry,[8][9]folk,[8][9][54]new wave,[54]pop,[54]punk rock,[54]rock,[8]rockabilly[9] andsoul.[8] Stylistically, the Proclaimers have been typified asalternative folk,[8]alternative rock,[12]Celtic pop,[83]country folk,[84]folk rock,[13]post-punk,[85]rhythm and blues,[11] androots rock.[11]
Thevocals in the Proclaimers' music are characterized by distinct Scottish accents.[8] Describing this toThe Courier in 2018, Craig Reid commented "it was a conscious thing, because we were singing about where we live, our experiences and it just felt stupid to sing in anEnglish orAmerican accent".[59]
Many bands and artists have cited the Proclaimers as an influence or inspiration, includingthe Balconies,[86]Barenaked Ladies,[87]Belle and Sebastian,[8]Camera Obscura,[8]the Concretes,[8]Jens Lekman,[8]Sondre Lerche,[8]Loney Dear,[8]Oppenheimer,Peter Bjorn and John[8] andthe Weepies.[8]
Recalling feeling an immediate kinship with the Proclaimers after discoveringThis Is the Story,Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies commented that "[the album] was perfect for us because it was exactly what we were; two guys with acoustic guitars, singing in harmony. It had all the energy ofpunk rock but just with acoustic guitars and voices".[87]
Many acts have performed cover versions of Proclaimers songs, includingImagine Dragons,[88]L7,[88][89] andTodd Rundgren.[88]
Sunshine on Leith, a stage musical spotlighting the songs of The Proclaimers, was named in renown of the group's second studio album and its title track.[90] TheTMAAward-winning musical debuted in 2007,[91][92] and thefilm adaptation, starringPeter Mullan andJane Horrocks, was completed in 2013,[93] grossing over US$4.7 million after debuting at No. 3 in the UK box office.[94][95]
The song "Sunshine on Leith" was featured on theBBC Radio 4 programmeSoul Music on 15 December 2020.[96]
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987[97] | The Proclaimers | NME Award for Best New British Act | Won |
| 1988 | Brit Awardfor Best New Artist | Nominated | |
| 1994 | "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" | Best Song from a Movie | Nominated |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
