This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2009)

Shaun Ryder
Ryder at the Coachella Music Festival, 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Shaun William Ryder
Also known as	X
Born	(1962-08-23) 23 August 1962 (age 49) Little Hulton, Salford, England
Genres	Alternative dance, Madchester
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, television personality, author, columnist, actor
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Factory
Associated acts	Bez, Happy Mondays, Black Grape, Gorillaz
Website	happymondaysonline.com

Shaun William Ryder (born 23 August 1962 in Salford, Greater Manchester)^[1] is an English musician, actor, author, singer-songwriter, television personality and occasional newspaper columnist. He is best known as lead singer of Happy Mondays and Black Grape – and more recently as the runner-up of the tenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.^[2]

Happy Mondays era[link]

1980–92[link]

As the singer for Happy Mondays, Ryder's "often witty lyrics are the stuff of legend".^[3] Tony Wilson is known for having compared Ryder's lyricism to the work of W.B. Yeats.^[4][3] Ryder's struggle with drugs led to the break-up of the Mondays in 1992. The film 24 Hour Party People featured the (semi-fictional) story of Shaun Ryder's youth and the life of Happy Mondays whilst signed with Factory Records in the late eighties and early nineties. In the film Ryder is portrayed by Danny Cunningham.

Black Grape era[link]

1993–98[link]

Despite rumours of how his substance abuse had finally caught up with him, Ryder returned to the spotlight in 1995 with his new project, Black Grape,^[5] an immediate short-term success whose first release, It's Great When You're Straight... Yeah, topped the British album chart for a week.^[6] However, the follow-up album, Stupid Stupid Stupid, did not achieve the same critical or commercial success, and the group split in 1998.

Newspaper column & Television career[link]

1999–present[link]

Ryder wrote a column for the Daily Sport newspaper in which he gave his own take on current news events and celebrity goings-on.^[7] It was in this column that Ryder famously announced his intention to reform the Happy Mondays before even making any fellow former members aware of this.

Ryder has taken part in two reformations of the Happy Mondays (1999–2000 and 2004–) and released a solo album, Amateur Night in the Big Top, to mixed critical acclaim. He was involved in litigation with former Black Grape management,^[8] which he eventually lost.

In 2000 following The Big Day Out Festival in Australia with Happy Mondays, Ryder stayed on in Perth, Western Australia with Pete Carroll who had a label called Offworld Sounds. While in Perth he recorded Amateur night in the Big Top, an album of punk electronica with Carroll, Shane Norton, Stephen Mallinder from Cabaret Voltaire and Lucky Oceans from American country band Asleep at the Wheel.^[9] UnCut Magazine called it "Exhilarating stuff. Another wildly implausible Ryder comeback" while Ministry of Sound said it was "A remarkable album. The most vitriolic lyrics this side of Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man" and the Sex Pistols "EMI". The album was recorded quickly during a few late night sessions in Carroll's garage studio during an extremely hot Perth summer. The album was subsequently released on Offworld Sounds.

In 2004, The Mondays reunited to play a comeback gig called "Get Loaded In The Park" on Clapham Common with the only original members being Bez, Shaun Ryder and Gaz Whelan. Two years later they released the single "Playground Superstar", used in the football movie Goal, which was released after Bez had won Celebrity Big Brother.^[10]

In 2004, Ryder landed the job of a voice actor in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in which he played Maccer, a washed-up, self-abused musician who was planning a major comeback tour in 1992.^[11]

In 2007 the Happy Mondays produced yet another album, Uncle Dysfunktional.^[12] In 2009 he made a cameo appearance (Ryder later revealed that it was also a non-speaking role) as himself in Channel 4 drama Shameless.^[13]

In 2010, he supported The Charlatans on a UK tour, as well as one off headline show at The Assembly, Leamington Spa.

Ryder was a contestant on the tenth series of ITV's reality game show I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, where he finished second behind Stacey Solomon. In 2011, he published his autobiography, Twisting My Melon.^[14]

In January 2011, Ryder appeared on the first series of the ITV programme That Sunday Night Show,^[15] and again on the second series in September 2011.^[16]

His autobiography Twisting My Melon^[17] has been optioned by Granada Television and Bafta winning writer Danny Brocklehurst has been enlisted to write the screenplay.

Collaborations[link]

In 2005, he collaborated with the Gorillaz on "DARE", a song on their Demon Days album. In the music video, he is featured as a large disembodied head kept alive through a series of tubes and electronic wires, living in animated band member Noodle's closet.^[18] It was stated by the commentator on the 2006 BRIT Awards that the song's name came from Ryder's inability to pronounce the word "there".

Ryder also collaborated with ex-Talking Heads Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz on their post-David Byrne album No Talking, Just Head. He has also collaborated with Intastella and appeared on Peter Kay's "Is This The Way to Amarillo?" charity music video.

Ryder’s most unusual collaboration is his appearance on the British tenor Russell Watson’s 2001 debut album The Voice. Ryder lent his vocals to the Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé song "Barcelona".^[19] Russell Watson claimed on Never Mind The Buzzcocks that he recorded some of Ryder's vocals himself. Ryder also collaborated with fellow 'I'm a Celebrity' contestant Stacey Solomon at the 2011 National Television Awards on 26 January 2011.^[20]

Discography[link]

Happy Mondays

• 1987 – Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)
• 1988 – Bummed
• 1990 – Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
• 1992 – Yes Please!
• 2007 – Uncle Dysfunktional

Black Grape

• 1995 – It's Great When You're Straight... Yeah
• 1997 – Stupid Stupid Stupid

Solo

• 2003 – Amateur Night in the Big Top

Compilation

• 2010 – Shaun William Ryder XXX: 30 Years Of Bellyaching

Awards[link]

• NME Single Of The Year 1996 – Black Grape's "Reverend Black Grape"
• Godlike Genius – NME Awards 2000
• John Peel Music Innovation Award (for Gorillaz) – Shockwaves NME Awards 2006

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Middles, Mick (1997). Shaun Ryder – Happy Mondays, Black Grape & Other Traumas. Independent Music Press. ISBN 1-897783-11-6. 
• Verrico, Lisa (1998). High Life 'N' Low Down Dirty – The Thrills and Spills of Shaun Ryder. Ebury Press. ISBN 0-09-185419-9. 
• Middles, Mick (1998). Shaun Ryder... In His Own Words. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0.7119.6815.2. 
• Bez (1998). Freaky Dancin' – Me And The Mondays. Pan. ISBN 0-330-48197-5. 
• Haslam, Dave (1999). Manchester, England. 4th Estate. ISBN 1-84115-146-7. 
• Wilson, Tony (2002). 24 Hour Party People – What The Sleeve Notes Never Tell You. Channel 4 Books. ISBN 0-7522-2025-X. 
• Warburton, John and Ryder, Shaun (2003). Hallelujah!: The Extraordinary Story of Shaun Ryder and "Happy Mondays". Virgin Books. ISBN 1-4053-1031-6. 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Shaun Ryder

• Shaun Ryder at the Internet Movie Database
• Shaun Ryder narrowly escapes a heavy fine after giving evidence at a trial
• Grape Minds: Shaun Ryder is up there with Dylan
• Straight but not great: Shaun Ryder
• Interview with Shaun Ryder in LeftLion magazine 2007
• Shaun Ryder at Biogs.com

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009)

Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays in 2006
Background information
Origin	Little Hulton, Greater Manchester, England
Genres	Alternative rock, Madchester, acid house, hip house
Years active	1980–1993 1999–2000 2004–2010 2012–present
Labels	Factory, Elektra
Associated acts	Black Grape, Buffalo 66, Amateur Night In The Big Top, Big Arm, The Hippy Mafia
Members
Shaun Ryder Mark "Bez" Berry Gary Whelan Mark Day Paul Ryder Paul Davis Rowetta Satchell

Happy Mondays are an English alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan. Mark "Bez" Berry later joined the band onstage during a live performance after befriending Shaun Ryder and served as a dancer/percussionist. Rowetta Satchell joined the band to provide backing vocals in the early 1990s.^[1]

History[link]

First incarnation[link]

The first official release from Happy Mondays was the "Forty Five E.P.", often called the "Delightful E.P." after its first track. It was released on Factory Records in September 1985.^[1]

Manchester music impresario Tony Wilson discovered them (then managed by Phil Saxe) at a battle of the bands contest held at his Hacienda nightclub. Their first album, Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out), debuted in 1987 and was produced by John Cale. This was followed by two classic albums; Bummed in 1988, produced by Martin Hannett, then Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches in 1990 produced by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne which went platinum in the UK selling more than 350,000 copies. This put the band firmly on the map as one of the most influential bands to come out of the UK in the early 1990s.^[2] The album was recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. Singles "Step On" and "Kinky Afro" from this album both reached number 5 in the UK singles chart. Yes Please! followed in 1992, produced by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, recorded at Eddy Grant's studio in Barbados.^[3] By the late 1980s, the Happy Mondays were an important part of the Manchester music scene and personified rave culture. Numerous world tours meant the band had international success as well as massive success in their home country. The line up of the band during this first and most important ten year phase never changed, and the six original members Shaun Ryder, Paul Ryder, Gary Whelan, Paul Davis, Mark Day and Mark "Bez" Berry remained a tight unit until the first incarnation came to an end in 1994.^[4] Earlier that year, the band had appeared on the bill at the 1990 Glastonbury Festival.^[5]

In late 1990, Paul McCartney stated:

NME - November 1990^[6]

Musically, the band fused indie pop guitars with a rhythmic style that owed much to house music, funk, and northern soul.^{[citation needed]} Much of their music was remixed by popular DJs, emphasizing the dance influences even further. In terms of style and dress, they crossed hippy fashion and ideals with 1970s glamour. Sartorially and musically, the band helped to encourage the psychedelic revival associated with acid house.^{[citation needed]} One of their most popular songs was "Lazyitis (One Armed Boxer)", featuring a surreal duet between Ryder and Karl Denver. In February 1991, the Happy Mondays played at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.^[7] and famously went to meet Ronnie Biggs in Brazil^[8] with Piers Morgan, who at the time was a writer for The Sun newspaper. The Mondays also influenced many bands around the northwest and beyond, including The Stone Roses, Oasis, and The Charlatans. A multi-city US tour followed with the group returning home early in May 1991.^[9] However, by July that year they revealed details of a fourteen track 'official bootleg' live album, Baby Big Head, recorded in Leeds. The official record label release, Live followed later in the year.^[10]

Second incarnation[link]

The Mondays disbanded in 1993, and Shaun Ryder and Bez formed Black Grape with ex-Paris Angels guitarist "Wags" (who would later go on to serve in the 1999-2000 reincarnation of the Mondays) and ex-Ruthless Rap Assassins star Kermit.^[1] Seven years passed, but in 1999 Happy Mondays re-formed,^[11] with founding members Shaun Ryder, Paul Ryder, Gary Whelan and Mark "Bez" Berry minus Paul Davis and Mark Day. In the place of Day and Davis were Wags and a number of other session musicians including Ben Leach who had once been a member of The Farm, Percussionist Lea Mullen and rapper "Nuts". Also joining the new line-up was soul diva Rowetta Satchell, who would go on to have solo success. The band toured extensively in the UK and internationally, selling out the 20,000 capacity Manchester Evening News Arena and two nights at Brixton Academy and released of a new single, a cover version of the Thin Lizzy hit "The Boys Are Back in Town". The single reached number 24 in the UK Singles Chart.^[12] They provided support for Oasis on their "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants" arena tour, played at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, numerous European festivals and also toured Australia the same year. Although critically acclaimed and playing to sell-out crowds, the band once more ceased their activity in 2001 following the departure of bass player and founding member Paul Ryder.^[13]

A fictionalised version of the band is featured in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People, with Danny Cunningham as Shaun Ryder and Paul Popplewell as Paul Ryder. Paul Ryder himself had a cameo role in the film as a gangster and Rowetta Satchell (who sang for the band on Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches and Yes Please!) appeared in the film as herself^[14] (according to Tony Wilson, she was the only one still good-looking enough to play herself).

Third incarnation[link]

2004 saw another re-formation, comprising Bez, Whelan and Shaun Ryder along with another crop of session musicians. (Paul Ryder was not present, having sworn to never perform with his brother again following the 2000 break-up,^[15] and also having gone on to have success with his new band Big Arm.^{[citation needed]}) The trio of original members were joined for a short time by Kav Sandhu, and Danny Newman with the rest of his band Sonic Audio (bassist Mikey Shine, keyboard player Dave Parkinson, guitarist Jonn Dunn and Poss on decks). This new version of the group released a live DVD that year of a show in Barcelona. The Mondays played a variety of festival dates in 2005 (including Global Gathering), capping it off with a concert at the Manchester Evening News Arena in their hometown. Backing singers on the tour included Angie Brown and Ron Carroll.

In June 2006, the Mondays performed in Liverpool, and on 30 July 2006 they were special guests at The Fuji Rock Festival.^[16] In August 2006, the band announced that they had completed their first album in fourteen years, with producers Sunny Levine and Howie B, and had signed to Sanctuary Records. A single "Playground Superstar", from the soundtrack for the football film Goal!, was released a few months prior to completion of the new album, Uncle Dysfunktional released in mid 2007.^[17]

Happy Mondays performed before another re-formed act, Rage Against the Machine, at the 2007 Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California. They were introduced by Tony Wilson. Bez missed the show because he could not get into the US due to "passport" issues.^[18] The band then toured throughout the summer of 2007. They played Splendour in the Grass in Australia in July 2009, and the UK V Festival in August 2009.

The Happy Mondays toured the US and Canada with The Psychedelic Furs in late 2009 with Paul Ryder's son and Shaun Ryder's nephew Jake Ryder filling in for Gaz Whelan on drums.^[19]

The Happy Mondays appeared at the Wizard festival in North-East Scotland in August 2010.^[20]

Fourth incarnation[link]

On Sunday 29 January 2012, Shaun Ryder exclusively announced on radio station Xfm that the band would return with the original and definitive lineup of himself, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, Gary Whelan on drums, Rowetta as backing vocalist, Mark Day on Guitar, Paul Davis "PD" on keyboards and dancer Mark Berry "Bez". They are due to tour around the UK,^[21] with dates planned for London, Bournemouth, Glasgow and their hometown Manchester along with many others plus a range of festivals in the summer of 2012 including the V Festival and T in the Park. To coincide with the band's reformation gig will be a re-release of Step On - Live in Barcelona as a special CD/DVD pack to be called Hallelujah It's The Happy Mondays.

Sound files[link]

Year	Song title	Album	Label
1988:	"Wrote for luck"  Listen (help·info)	Bummed	Factory Records
1989:	"Hallelujah"  Listen (help·info)	Madchester Rave On E.P.	Factory Records
1990:	"God's Cop"  Listen (help·info)	Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches	Factory Records

Discography[link]

• Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out) (1987)
• Bummed (1988)
• Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches (1990)
• Yes Please! (1992)
• Uncle Dysfunktional (2007)

See also[link]

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References[link]

• Vinylnet Record Label Discographies. link. - Factory Catalogue Numbers.

External links[link]

• Official website

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2007)

Mark Lamarr (born Mark Jones on 7 January 1967 in Swindon, Wiltshire) is an English comedian, radio DJ and television presenter.

Early life[link]

Lamarr was born in the Park South area of Swindon and has three elder sisters. His father is Irish. He passed five O-Levels at Park School (renamed Oakfield School) but dropped out of school at 17 and moved to Harrow, Middlesex, which was the centre of the early 80s British rockabilly revival scene. After his poem Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Work was published in 1987, his act developed from poetry to stand-up comedy. He took to performing at The Comedy Store, London in 1985, was spotted on the touring circuit for the launch of Channel 4's The Big Breakfast in 1992 and co-presented The Word.

Career[link]

Television[link]

Lamarr first came to the public's attention as a co-presenter of the early 90s late night variety show The Word. The magazine format of the series allowed for interviews, live music, features and even game shows. The flexible late-night format meant that guests could do just about anything to be controversial. Talking about his TV career to Jo Brown of Cheers Magazine, Lamarr said The Word was:

After leaving The Word, Lamarr was an outside presenter on The Big Breakfast from 1992 to 1996. Between 1995 and 1997 he appeared as a team captain in the surreal panel show Shooting Stars, where he displayed a mixture of dour boredom and contempt towards hosts Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer who, in turn, mocked his "50s throw-back" appearance. Lamarr declined to return for the fourth series in 2002, claiming he did not want to be typecast for appearing on panel shows.^{[citation needed]} He said of his experience on the show:

Lamarr was host of Never Mind the Buzzcocks when the show launched in 1996 and continued in this role for 17 series until 2005, when he announced that he was to take a break from the show.^[2] Although announced as a break, Lamarr didn't return to host the show, being replaced by Simon Amstell for the 19th series.^[3]

The two series of the sitcom Fifteen Storeys High were co-written by Lamarr with comedian Sean Lock and Martin Trenaman, although Lamarr was credited under his real name, Mark Jones.^[4]

Radio[link]

Lamarr has previously presented shows on BBC GLR, BBC Radio Five Live and BBC Radio 1.

On 20 July 1998, Lamarr launched a new show on BBC Radio 2 called Shake, Rattle and Roll, where he plays tracks from his own sizeable record collection of obscure rock and roll gems. He also presented The Reggae Show series and Mark Lamarr's Alternative 60s, where he presents lesser known tracks from the 1960s.

On 22 April 2006, Lamarr started a new Radio 2 show called God's Jukebox. The show aired from Midnight to 3am on Saturdays where he played a wide variety of music from the past 70 years including Soul, Ska, Reggae, Country, Gospel and Rap. He also, with Jo Brand, regularly covered the Jonathan Ross Saturday morning show on Radio 2 when Ross was away. His final God's Jukebox show was broadcast Christmas Eve/day, 2010. At the end of 2010 Lamarr left Radio 2, claiming the station has lost interest in non-mainstream music.^[5]

Lamarr presents a music show for British Airways on-board listeners as part of their in-flight entertainment. In this show he presents a mix of rock and roll, blues, reggae, soul and R 'n B.

Stand-Up videos[link]

• Uncensored And Live (17 November 1997)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mark Lamarr at the Internet Movie Database

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2011)

Stacey Solomon
Background information
Birth name	Stacey Solomon
Born	(1989-10-04) 4 October 1989 (age 22)
Origin	Dagenham, Essex, England
Genres	Pop, R&B
Occupations	Singer, presenter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2009—present
Labels	Conehead Records (2011-Present)
Associated acts	The X Factor 2009 finalists
Website	staceysolomon.com

Stacey Solomon (born 4 October 1989^[1]) is an English singer, television presenter and reality TV star. She rose to fame during her time on the sixth series of The X Factor, coming third overall on the show. She gained a number one single on both the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart when her fellow The X Factor finalists released a cover of "You Are Not Alone".

Solomon won the tenth series of reality television show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.^[2] and was named "Queen of the Jungle". Solomon's debut single, a cover of "Driving Home for Christmas", was released on 19 December 2011.^[3][4]

Personal life[link]

Solomon was born in Essex to a Jewish family. Solomon attended King Solomon High School. At the age of 17, Solomon became pregnant by her boyfriend of the time (Dean Cox). The young couple split sometime before the birth of their son Zachary on 21 March 2008. Since 2009, Solomon had been dating boyfriend Aaron Barham who she met on holiday in Greece. The couple became engaged on 4 December 2011 - shortly after it was announced that they were due to have a baby in the Spring. Solomon gave birth to her second son, named Leighton, on 5 May 2012.^[5]

Music career[link]

[edit] 2009: The X Factor

Solomon auditioned for the sixth series of The X Factor in 2009, performing "What a Wonderful World". Solomon was among the top 12 contestants and advanced to the live shows and was mentored by Dannii Minogue. During the first week of the live shows she performed Coldplay's "The Scientist", which gained positive reviews from the judges. During week two, she performed "At Last", receiving the most public votes. She sang "When You Wish Upon a Star" during the third week. On the fourth week, all contestants had to sing rock songs; Minogue selected "Somewhere Only We Know", and Solomon's performance resulted in positive reviews. On the fifth week, she sang "Son of a Preacher Man". The sixth week into the competition, Solomon sang Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever" for which she received a standing ovation by the four judges.^{[citation needed]} During the sixth week, she also released a cover of Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone", which topped the charts on the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart^[6] On the seventh week, she performed "I Can't Make You Love Me" and again received positive reviews from the judges and the audience. In the eighth week of the competition Solomon performed "Rule the World" by Take That and "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" by Elton John. In the semi-final she performed another Michael Jackson song, "The Way You Make Me Feel", and the song "Somewhere" for which she received a standing ovation again by the judges.^{[citation needed]} During the final week, Solomon performed a duet "Feeling Good" with Michael Bublé. She also performed "What a Wonderful World" and "Who Wants to Live Forever". Solomon was awarded third place in the competition, behind Joe McElderry and Olly Murs.^[7]

Solomon went on tour with the her fellow X Factor Finalists. She returned to the show in December 2010, where she presented the show from Essex for winner, Matt Cardle.^[8]

2010-present: Record deal and debut album[link]

Solomon performed a duet with Ryder at the 16th National Television Awards - "Feeling Good" and "Step On" by Happy Mondays.^[9] In October 2010, she won the Living TV show Party Wars.^[10] In June 2011 Solomon was signed to Conehead Records, she then began recording her debut album, due to be released in early 2012. Her first single from the album was originally to be released in February, but was delayed. She will present Sky Living HD's dating show The Love Machine with Chris Moyles later in the spring.^[11] On 5 November 2011, Solomon performed to thousands as the headline act at Paisley's Christmas Lights Switch On event.^[12] Solomon released a cover of Chris Rea's Driving Home for Christmas as her Christmas single, which was released 18 December 2011. The single was used for the Iceland Christmas commercial and reached number 27 in the UK Singles Chart.^[3] In December 2011, Solomon appeared on an edition of the BBC quiz show Celebrity Mastermind. She achieved a score of 10 points - the lowest in the competition, with the other contestants scoring between 22 and 23 points. Solomon chose the TV series The Inbetweeners as her chosen specialist subject.^[13]

TV career[link]

[edit] 2010: I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here

Solomon took part in the tenth series of the celebrity reality show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!^[14] She beat Shaun Ryder in the final and was crowned "Queen of the Jungle".^[15][16] She gained 80.07% of the public votes.^[17]

[edit] 2011: Sing If You Can

In April 2011, she presented Sing If You Can on ITV alongside Keith Lemon which raised money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.^{[citation needed]} She performed the British national anthem at the 2011 FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Stoke City at Wembley Stadium.^[18] In 2011, she became the face of supermarket Iceland, taking over from Coleen Nolan.^[18]

2012-present: The Love Machine[link]

On 11 March 2012, Sky Living HD's new dating show The Love Machine premiered, with presenters Stacey and fellow co-presenter Chris Moyles. Solomon's position on the show is to note down reasons why people ditch a date, and to accompany people from the Love Machine. Stacey also starred in an episode of Mad Mad World on ITV in Spring 2012 alongside Eamonn Holmes and Stephen K Amos.

Discography[link]

Studio Albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Stacey Solomon at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Website

Karl Denver (16 December 1931 — 21 December 1998)^[2] was a Scottish singer, who, with his trio had a series of UK hit singles in the early 1960s. Most famous of these was a 1961 version of "Wimoweh", which showed off Denver's falsetto yodelling register. He reached the Top 20 with his first five yodel-based singles.^[3]

Career[link]

Denver was born Angus Murdo McKenzie in Springburn, Glasgow and was well travelled by the time he took up singing, having had a previous career in the British Merchant Navy. He also had a country music influence, having lived in Nashville, Tennessee for a short time before being deported from there as an illegal immigrant in 1959. In the US, he adopted the new name that he retained for the remainder of his singing career.^[4]

In the early 1960s he formed a trio which included Kevin Neil (born 25 July 1931, Manchester, Lancashire; died 13 March 2010, Blackley, Manchester) and Gerry Cottrell (born Gerard Cottrell, 18 December 1933, Manchester, Lancashire; died 24 November 2006,^[5] at Trafford General Hospital, Urmston, Manchester).

Denver's song, "Never Goodbye", was an entry in A Song for Europe in 1962.

After the mid 1960s, Denver worked mainly on the cabaret circuit. However in 1989 he enjoyed a brief raise in profile after guesting on Madchester band, the Happy Mondays' single, "Lazyitis (One-Armed Boxer)", on Factory Records (FAC 222). Denver also appeared in The Happy Mondays' video for the song, although he contracted pneumonia whilst filming the video.^[1] Following this collaboration Factory released two further Denver recordings, "Wimoweh '89" (FAC 228) and "Indambinigi" (FAC 278; credited to Karl Denver and Steve Lima).

In 1993 he released his final album, Just Loving You, aimed at the country music market. In mid 1998, Denver began recording a new album, but died before full recording of the album was completed. The finished tracks were included on a re-release of Just Loving You entitled Movin' On in 1999. The final song he recorded was I Can't Go On This Way.

Death[link]

Denver died from a brain tumour^[6] in December 1998, at the age of 67.

Family life[link]

Three times married, Denver left two sons, and had another son, named Karl, who predeceased him.^[1]

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

• "Marcheta" - 1961 - UK #8
• "Mexicali Rose" - 1961 - UK #8
• "Wimoweh" - 1962 - UK #4
• "Never Goodbye" - 1962 - UK #9
• "A Little Love a Little Kiss" - 1962 - UK #19
• "Blue Week-end" - 1962 - UK #33
• "Can You Forgive Me" - 1963 - UK #32
• "Indian Love Call" - 1963 - UK #32
• "Still" - 1963 - UK #13
• "My World of Blue" - 1964 - UK #29
• "Love Me with All Your Heart" - 1964 - UK #37
• "Lazyitis - One Armed Boxer" - 1990 - UK #46 $

$ Happy Mondays and Karl Denver

^[3]

Albums[link]

• Wimoweh - 1961 - UK #7
• Karl Denver at The Yew Tree - 1964

^[3]

See also[link]

• List of artists under the Decca Records label
• List of Factory Records recording artists
• List of NME covers

References[link]

External links[link]

• Memorial website, including Guardian obituary wording