Andy Connell
Encyclopedia
Andrew John "Andy" Connell (born 26 July 1961, Manchester
, England) is an English musician and composer. Along with Corinne Drewery
, he is part of the duo that makes up Swing Out Sister
.
Connell played in the Manchester post-punk
band The Immediates
, before joining new wave
funk
pioneers, A Certain Ratio
. He was also a member of the Manchester based jazz/pop band Kalima who were signed to Factory Records
, whilst he was also a member of A Certain Ratio. A few years later he teamed up with former Magazine
drummer Martin Jackson
, and they released an inventive electronic album called UK Electro in 1984.
Swing Out Sister began in earnest in 1985, when Connell and Jackson teamed up with Corinne Drewery
. Since the band's establishment, he has been the main composer and arranger for Swing Out Sister's music, including the UK and US top ten hit, "Breakout
".
Apart from his work with Swing Out Sister, Connell has produced and arranged music for other artists, and recently he wrote the musical score for a short film called The Knickerman, directed by Sonja Phillips. He also contributed to Quando Quango
's album, Pigs & Battleships.
Most recently, Connell and Drewery have been promoting their latest album, Beautiful Mess
.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England) is an English musician and composer. Along with Corinne Drewery
Corinne Drewery
Corinne Drewery is the lead singer of the pop music band, Swing Out Sister.-Early life:Drewery grew up in Nottingham and the Lincolnshire village of Authorpe and went to South Reston Primary School, then Monks' Dyke High School and King Edward VI Grammar School in nearby Louth, then Lincoln College...
, he is part of the duo that makes up Swing Out Sister
Swing Out Sister
Swing Out Sister are a British "sophisti-pop" group best known worldwide for their 1986 song "Breakout". Other hits include "Surrender", "Twilight World", "Waiting Game" and a remake of "Am I the Same Girl?" Though album sales in the U.S. and Europe have levelled off since the early 1990s, the...
.
Connell played in the Manchester post-punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band The Immediates
The Immediates
The Immediates was a Manchester post-punk band, performing and recording between 1978 and 1982. The main members were: Mike Dunne, Franny Dunne, Andy Connell and Phil Tomlinson with Jane Lancaster sometimes fronting the band live...
, before joining new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
pioneers, A Certain Ratio
A Certain Ratio
A Certain Ratio are a Post-punk band formed in 1977 in Manchester, England. While originally part of the punk rock movement, they soon added funk and dance elements to their sound. They are sometimes referred to as "post punk funk"...
. He was also a member of the Manchester based jazz/pop band Kalima who were signed to Factory Records
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...
, whilst he was also a member of A Certain Ratio. A few years later he teamed up with former Magazine
Magazine (band)
Magazine are an English post-punk group active from 1977 to 1981, then reformed in 2009. Their debut single, "Shot by Both Sides", is now acknowledged as a classic and their debut album, Real Life, is still widely admired as one of the greatest albums of all time...
drummer Martin Jackson
Martin Jackson
Martin Jackson is a British drummer who has played with several New Wave bands from Manchester, although his most successful roles were with Magazine, in 1978 with the release of the influential Real Life album, and Swing Out Sister, in 1986, with the hit song Breakout.-Biography:His earliest work...
, and they released an inventive electronic album called UK Electro in 1984.
Swing Out Sister began in earnest in 1985, when Connell and Jackson teamed up with Corinne Drewery
Corinne Drewery
Corinne Drewery is the lead singer of the pop music band, Swing Out Sister.-Early life:Drewery grew up in Nottingham and the Lincolnshire village of Authorpe and went to South Reston Primary School, then Monks' Dyke High School and King Edward VI Grammar School in nearby Louth, then Lincoln College...
. Since the band's establishment, he has been the main composer and arranger for Swing Out Sister's music, including the UK and US top ten hit, "Breakout
Breakout (Swing Out Sister song)
"Breakout" is a single from British pop act Swing Out Sister's debut album It's Better to Travel.The single reached the number four position in the UK in 1986, and rose to number six pop and number one adult contemporary in the U.S. in 1987...
".
Apart from his work with Swing Out Sister, Connell has produced and arranged music for other artists, and recently he wrote the musical score for a short film called The Knickerman, directed by Sonja Phillips. He also contributed to Quando Quango
Quando Quango
Quando Quango was a British, Manchester based new wave and dance project, formed by The Haçienda DJ and Factory Records A&R man Mike Pickering, Hillegonda Rietveld and Reinier Rietveld. Their unique sound influenced the underground dance music scenes in New York and Chicago in the 1980s...
's album, Pigs & Battleships.
Most recently, Connell and Drewery have been promoting their latest album, Beautiful Mess
Beautiful Mess (Swing Out Sister album)
Beautiful Mess is the title of the ninth studio album by the British pop-smooth jazz group Swing Out Sister. It was produced by group member Andy Connell, who has been with Swing Out Sister since its inception.-Release:...
.