Justin Currie
Encyclopedia
Justin Robert Currie is a Scottish
singer and songwriter, best known as the founding member of the band Del Amitri
and, along with Iain Harvie
, is one of only two members of the group to be present throughout its entire existence.
while still at school in the early 1980s, after putting up a sign in a music shop asking for other people who could play instruments to get in contact with him. As well as being the lead singer and chief songwriter of the band, Currie also plays bass
with them.
As a songwriter, he co-wrote many of the Del Amitri tracks with Harvie, but some of their most successful songs have been tracks penned solely by Currie. These include "Nothing Ever Happens
", "Always the Last to Know" and "Roll to Me
".
Although there have been no official reports of Del Amitri splitting up, the band were dropped by record company Mercury
in 2002 after a perceived lack of success for their album of that year, Can You Do Me Good?
. Since then Currie has been working on several other critically acclaimed projects.
and jazz
covers band Button Up for a short tour of Scotland together with The Proclaimers
guitarist Stuart Nisbet and drummer Ross McFarlane - who also played with chart-toppers Stiltskin
- bassist Gary John Kane and keyboard player Andy May.
From 2004 - 2006 Currie has regularly joined singer songwriters Eddi Reader
and Colin McIntyre (aka Mull Historical Society
) and Scottish folk band Blazin' Fiddles
to perform in Scotland as part of the project "With Strings Attached".
In 2004 Currie also teamed up with Kevin and Jim McDermott (of Kevin McDermott Orchestra) to record A Terrible Beauty
, a semi-comedy 60's pastiche rock album which they released anonymously under the name The Uncle Devil Show
.
's Hotel Cafe Tour
. In 2005 he wrote and recorded an album with the working title Rebound. It was subsequently re-titled What Is Love For and released on Rykodisc
on 8 October 2007. A single/EP from the album, "No, Surrender", was released on 24 March 2008.
Currie's second album The Great War was released on 3 May 2010, a single titled "A Man with Nothing to Do" was released 26 April 2010.
from 1986 to 1991. His cousin is Nick Currie
, also known as "Momus".
He is nicknamed 'Ruby', after 'Ruby Murray
', the cockney rhyming slang
for 'a curry
'.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
singer and songwriter, best known as the founding member of the band Del Amitri
Del Amitri
Del Amitri were a Scottish pop-rock guitar band, formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1983. The band grew out of Justin Currie's Jordanhill College School band and came together after teenager Currie placed an advertisement in the window of a music store asking for people who could play to contact him...
and, along with Iain Harvie
Iain Harvie
Iain Wallace Harvie is the guitarist with the Scottish rock band called Del Amitri. Along with lead singer and bassist Justin Currie, Harvie is one of only two members to be present throughout Del Amitri's history from its 1982 inception...
, is one of only two members of the group to be present throughout its entire existence.
Del Amitri
Justin Currie established the band Del AmitriDel Amitri
Del Amitri were a Scottish pop-rock guitar band, formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1983. The band grew out of Justin Currie's Jordanhill College School band and came together after teenager Currie placed an advertisement in the window of a music store asking for people who could play to contact him...
while still at school in the early 1980s, after putting up a sign in a music shop asking for other people who could play instruments to get in contact with him. As well as being the lead singer and chief songwriter of the band, Currie also plays bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
with them.
As a songwriter, he co-wrote many of the Del Amitri tracks with Harvie, but some of their most successful songs have been tracks penned solely by Currie. These include "Nothing Ever Happens
Nothing Ever Happens
"Nothing Ever Happens" is a song by the Scottish rock band Del Amitri. Released as a single between late 1989 and early 1990, it reached #11 in the UK charts , and was a top-10 hit in Ireland, peaking at #4...
", "Always the Last to Know" and "Roll to Me
Roll to Me
"Roll to Me" is a 1995 single from Del Amitri, included on their album "Twisted". "Roll to Me" became their most popular song in the US, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was less successful in their native UK, peaking at No. 22, lower than previous singles, "Here and Now" and...
".
Although there have been no official reports of Del Amitri splitting up, the band were dropped by record company Mercury
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
in 2002 after a perceived lack of success for their album of that year, Can You Do Me Good?
Can You Do Me Good?
Can You Do Me Good? is the sixth and latest studio album by Del Amitri. Though the band's current status is uncertain, it is widely thought to be their last, since its sales seem to have contributed to their being dropped from Mercury Records in 2002....
. Since then Currie has been working on several other critically acclaimed projects.
Other projects
In 2003 he fronted the soulSoul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
covers band Button Up for a short tour of Scotland together with The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twin brothers, Charlie and Craig Reid . They are probably best known for the songs "Letter from America", "I'm On My Way" and "I'm Gonna Be ". The band tours extensively throughout Europe and other continents...
guitarist Stuart Nisbet and drummer Ross McFarlane - who also played with chart-toppers Stiltskin
Stiltskin
Stiltskin is a Scottish post-grunge/rock band, who first achieved widespread popularity in the mid 1990s. Currently, Stiltskin's only original member is vocalist Ray Wilson...
- bassist Gary John Kane and keyboard player Andy May.
From 2004 - 2006 Currie has regularly joined singer songwriters Eddi Reader
Eddi Reader
Eddi Reader MBE is a Scottish singer-songwriter, known both for her work with Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo career. She is the recipient of three BRIT Awards and has topped both the album and singles charts...
and Colin McIntyre (aka Mull Historical Society
Mull Historical Society
Mull Historical Society is a name under which the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Colin MacIntyre performs. After a period of recording and performing under his own name for several years, MacIntyre's 2011 album 'City Awakenings' will be a Mull Historical Society release...
) and Scottish folk band Blazin' Fiddles
Blazin' Fiddles
Blazin' Fiddles are a contemporary Scottish fiddle band from the Highlands and Islands. They formed in 1998 to showcase the Highlands and Islands' distinct regional fiddle styles...
to perform in Scotland as part of the project "With Strings Attached".
In 2004 Currie also teamed up with Kevin and Jim McDermott (of Kevin McDermott Orchestra) to record A Terrible Beauty
A Terrible Beauty (album)
A Terrible Beauty is the first, and so far only, release from UK band The Uncle Devil Show. It was released on P3 Music in 2004.-Track listing:# "Leonardo's Bicycle"# "Gilbert O'Sullivan"# "Tambourine"# "Bimbo in the Limo"# "Plus Ca Change"...
, a semi-comedy 60's pastiche rock album which they released anonymously under the name The Uncle Devil Show
The Uncle Devil Show
The Uncle Devil Show are a pop-rock guitar band formed as a side-project for three Scottish musicians, who use pseudonyms as their aliases. The band members are:*"Langton Herring" – singer-songwriter Kevin McDermott...
.
Solo career
Currie also continues to perform live as a solo artist in the UK. In 2006 he was a special guest on Tom McRaeTom McRae
Tom McRae is an English singer-songwriter.-Career:The son of two Church of England vicars, McRae sang in the church choir and as a teen experimented with his mother's guitar...
's Hotel Cafe Tour
Hotel Cafe Tour
The Hotel Cafe Tour is the brainchild of Cary Brothers , a North American singer-songwriter,who has been a regular performer at the Hotel Café venue in Hollywood.Having played in the Hotel Cafe for many years, and enjoyed its...
. In 2005 he wrote and recorded an album with the working title Rebound. It was subsequently re-titled What Is Love For and released on Rykodisc
Rykodisc
Rykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...
on 8 October 2007. A single/EP from the album, "No, Surrender", was released on 24 March 2008.
Currie's second album The Great War was released on 3 May 2010, a single titled "A Man with Nothing to Do" was released 26 April 2010.
Family
Currie is the son of John Currie, who was chorusmaster for the Scottish National Orchestra Chorus from 1965 to 1984 and music director of the Los Angeles Master ChoraleLos Angeles Master Chorale
The Los Angeles Master Chorale is a professional chorus in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1964 by Roger Wagner to be one of the three original resident companies of the Music Center of Los Angeles County...
from 1986 to 1991. His cousin is Nick Currie
Momus (artist)
Nick Currie , more popularly known under the artist name Momus , is a songwriter, blogger and former journalist for Wired...
, also known as "Momus".
Personal life
He is currently engaged to his longtime girlfriend Emma. The couple have not yet set a date for the wedding.He is nicknamed 'Ruby', after 'Ruby Murray
Ruby Murray
Ruby Murray was one of the most popular singers in the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1950s. In 1955 alone, she secured seven Top 10 UK hit singles.-Child star:...
', the cockney rhyming slang
Cockney rhyming slang
Rhyming slang is a form of phrase construction in the English language and is especially prevalent in dialectal British English from the East End of London; hence the alternative name, Cockney rhyming slang...
for 'a curry
Curry
Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
'.
External links
- Official Website
- Album Review of A Terrible Beauty
- BUTTON UP featuring Justin Currie (East Grange Loft, Forres, 21 August 2003) HI-Arts, 22 August 2003 - Review of first Button Up concert, 2003
- With Strings Attached Official Site