Kevin John Bacon [1] (born 30 March 1959 in Rotherham, Yorkshire, England) is an English musician and record producer best known for his work with Jonathan Quarmby under the moniker Bacon & Quarmby, as well as his tenure as bassist for the band the Comsat Angels. [2] After leaving the Comsat Angels, Kevin Bacon produced for many other artists, notably Finley Quaye, Longpigs and Ziggy Marley. [2]
A native of Alfreton, Derbyshire, [3] Bacon's introduction to the record industry came in 1978 when he helped found the Comsat Angels. The Comsats went on to release eight albums with Bacon on the Polydor, Jive and Island labels before he departed the band in 1989 to focus on record production and artist development in partnership with Quarmby. The duo worked with artists as diverse as Finley Quaye, the Pretenders, David Bowie and Ziggy Marley, who achieved both Grammy and Brit awards. Bacon was also an A&R consultant for Island Records and developed joint venture businesses with Universal Publishing and TVT Records. Bacon and his production partner Quarmby later founded the company AWAL. [4]
Stephen Robert Nesta Marley is a Jamaican-American musician. The son of Bob Marley, Marley is an eight-time Grammy Award winner, three times as a solo artist, twice as a producer of his younger paternal half-brother Damian Marley's Halfway Tree and Welcome to Jamrock albums, and a further three times as a member of his older brother Ziggy Marley's group Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers.
Finley Quaye is a Scottish musician. He won the 1997 Mobo Award for best reggae act, and the 1998 BRIT Award for Best Male Solo Artist. His debut album, Maverick A Strike, a fusion of many styles including reggae and soul, was a commercial success and was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.
The Lovers are a French electronic dance/neo-burlesque band based in Sheffield, England, consisting of couple Fred de Fred and Marion Benoist. Their music is usually upbeat and satirical of French stereotypes, with songs themed around food and sex.
"Round Round" is a song performed by British girl group Sugababes. It was written by group members Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena, and Heidi Range, as well as Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Nick Coler, and Lisa Cowling. It samples the song "Tango Forte" by German production team Dublex Inc., so the songwriters of that track are credited as well. Produced by Kevin Bacon and Jonathan Quarmby, the song was released as the second single from the group's second studio album, Angels with Dirty Faces (2002).
The Comsat Angels were an English post-punk band from Sheffield, England, initially active from 1978 to 1995. Their music has been described as "abstract pop songs with sparse instrumentation, many of which were bleak and filled with some form of heartache". They have been credited as being an influence on later post-punk revival bands such as Blacklist, Bell Hollow, Editors and Interpol.
Sophie Solomon is a British violinist, songwriter and composer who fuses many different musical influences into her music. She was artistic director of the Jewish Music Institute, SOAS from 2012 to 2015 and is now Chief Marketing Officer at high-growth music technology start-up ROLI.
Oi Va Voi are a British band formed in London, England in the year 2000. The band emerged from the UK world music crossover scene to become multi-award-winning masters of musical wanderlust with a pan-European fanbase to which they have toured to sold-out venues and headlined festivals ever since. Musically, the band spearheaded a movement of Jewish musicians to bring cultural styles into contemporary songwriting. The band blended their heritage with an emphasis on modern pop sensibilities reflecting their own individual interests in indie rock and alt-folk and the urban dance music of the clubs of London. The band takes its name from a Yiddish-derived exclamation popular in modern Hebrew meaning, approximately, "Oh, my gosh!".
Uzziah "Sticky" Thompson was a Jamaican percussionist, vocalist and deejay active from the late 1950s. He worked with some of the best known performers of Jamaican music and played on hundreds of albums.
Earl "Chinna" Smith, a.k.a. Earl Flute and Melchezidek the High Priest, is a Jamaican guitarist active since the late 1960s. He is most well known for his work with the Soul Syndicate band and as guitarist for Bob Marley & the Wailers, among others, and has recorded with many reggae artists, appearing on more than 500 albums.
Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers were a Jamaican-American reggae family group whose line-up consisted of the children of musicians, Bob Marley and Rita Marley, which includes lead singer Ziggy Marley with Sharon Marley, Cedella Marley, and Stephen Marley. Formed in 1979 in Brooklyn, New York, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers members began their musical endeavours in their pre-teens under the name the Melody Makers.
7 Day Weekend is the Comsat Angels' fifth album, released in 1985 on Jive Records. The album was reissued on CD with bonus tracks in 2001 for Jive's "Connoisseur Collection".
Chasing Shadows is the Comsat Angels' sixth album, released in 1986 on Island Records.
Fire on the Moon is the Comsat Angels' seventh album, released in 1990 on Island Records. It was issued under the alias Dream Command, and in limited quantities in the United States and the Netherlands only. A promo-only single of "Celestine" was released in similarly small quantities.
The Sun Is Often Out is the debut album by Longpigs, released in 1996 on U2's record label, Mother Records.
Jonathan Hugh Quarmby, is an English record producer and songwriter and son of English architect Arthur Quarmby.
Karima Francis is an English singer-songwriter.
Mariama Jalloh, is a singer–songwriter who lives in Paris, France.
Looner is an American indie rock duo formed in 2001 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The band, composed of Angel Roché Jr. and Zoë Roché, are husband and wife, and classify their music as "Steady Alternative Rock." The group has performed live concert shows and headlined their own United States Tour. Over time, the twosome has also included other musicians for live and recorded sessions. Looner's discography includes singles, EPs, and full-length albums.
Maverick a Strike is the debut studio album by Scottish musician Finley Quaye. It was released on 6 August 1997 through 550 Music and Epic Records. The album spawned five singles: "Sunday Shining", "Even After All", "It's Great When We're Together", "Your Love Gets Sweeter", and "Ultra Stimulation", all of which charted on the UK Singles Chart. The album peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. The album has been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.
Vanguard is the second album by the British musician Finley Quaye, released in 2000. It followed a tumultuous period in Quaye's life. It is thought that Quaye received £2 million for the album, which was considered in retrospect to have been a major setback in his career after the success of Maverick a Strike.