About - Paul Carrack

TIMELINE

1974

Paul Carrack is the lead singer of British rock group Ace and composes their classic hit 'How Long' which reaches #3 in the US & Canadian charts, and #20 in the UK Singles Chart.

1978-1980

Paul plays keyboards in the revived line-up of Roxy Music.

1980-1981

Paul is a member of Squeeze singing lead vocals on their 1981 hit 'Tempted'.

1982

Paul's second solo studio album 'Suburban Voodoo' is among Rolling Stone's Top 20 Albums of the Year. The album includes Carrack's first chart hit as a solo artist, 'I Need You', which enters the US top 40.

1985-1986

Mike + the Mechanics 'Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)' peaks at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

1987

Solo Album 'One Good Reason' includes two of Carrack's highest charting solo hits in the US: 'Don't Shed a Tear', which becomes a Top 10 hit peaking at #9, and the title track which peaks at #28.

1988-1989

Mike + the Mechanics 'The Living Years' tops the US Billboard Hot 100 and reaches #1 in Canada & Australia and #2 in the UK. 'The Living Years' also wins the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically & Lyrically in 1990 and is nominated for four Grammy awards.

1990

Carrack joins Roger Waters for the ground-breaking live stage show of The Wall – Live in Berlin, singing 'Hey You' in front of a crowd of 250,000.

1994-1995

The Eagles record 'Love Will Keep Us Alive', co-written by Paul Carrack, Jim Capaldi & Peter Vale. It wins an ASCAP award for being the most played song in the US in 1995. The song features on the Eagles album 'Hell Freezes Over' - the first to be released after they had reformed following a 14 year long break-up. The same year, Mike + the Mechanics score yet another top 20 hit with 'Over My Shoulder'. It not only features Carrack on lead vocals, but was the first Mechanics' hit to be co-written by him.

1996

Carrack resumes his solo career with the album 'Blue Views'.

Session Work

Carrack's distinctive voice and keyboard skills have kept him in demand as a session musician on many projects. Some of his credits include: - Synthesizer, Organ and Piano on Roxy Music's albums 'Manifesto', 'Flesh + Blood', and 'Avalon'. - Piano on The Pretenders' album 'Learning to Crawl' (1983). - Keyboards on The Smiths' eponymous debut album, 'The Smiths' (1984). - Lead vocals on Roger Waters' 'Radio K.A.O.S.' (1987); keyboards and vocals on its subsequent tour. - Organ on Elton John's 'Made in England' (1995), 'The Big Picture' (1997) and 'Something About the Way You Look Tonight', which was coupled with 'Candle in the Wind' (1997) on a double A-sided single, setting a new record for best-selling single of all time. - Organ and vocals on B.B. King's 'Deuces Wild' (1997). - Keyboards on Simply Red's 'Blue' (1998). - Touring with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band (2003).