Rob Dickinson

Last updated

Rob Dickinson
Rob Dickinson.jpg
Rob Dickinson playing live at the 2006 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Background information
Birth nameRobert Dickinson
Born (1965-07-23) 23 July 1965 (age 58)
Norwich, Norfolk, England [1]
Genres Alternative rock, shoegazing
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, automobile restorer / modifier
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, harmonica
Years active1985–present
LabelsWilde Club, Fontana, Mercury, Columbia, Chrysalis, Sanctuary
Website MySpace Facebook: The Catherine Wheel

Robert Dickinson (born 23 July 1965) is a British musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter previously of the band Catherine Wheel. [2] Dickinson was raised in Norfolk, England, and is the paternal cousin of Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson. [3] He is now a solo artist and the founder and creative director of Singer Vehicle Design since 2009, which performs restoration and modification of client vehicles.

Contents

Career

While a member of Catherine Wheel from 1990 to 2000, Dickinson co-wrote and sang lead vocals on several hit singles. However, after the 2000 release of Catherine Wheel's last album, Wishville , the group disbanded.

Dickinson contributed vocals to two tracks on The Jimmy Chamberlin Complex album, Life Begins Again , which was released in January 2005. Dickinson returned to the music scene in September 2005 with the release of his debut solo album, Fresh Wine for the Horses . [4] The album includes tracks written by Dickinson while a member of Catherine Wheel, as well as newer material. The release was supported by a tour of small venues across the United States and Canada, where Dickinson performed intimate acoustic sets of both Catherine Wheel and solo material. Dickinson ultimately moved to United States in the same year.

In February 2006, he discussed his new solo record and his career with Catherine Wheel in an interview with Auralgasms.com prior to his solo set in Ferndale, Michigan.

At the invitation of Marty Willson-Piper of The Church, Dickinson toured the US with The Church during July and August 2006, opening each show and joining the band on stage for two encores.

On 10 June 2008, Fresh Wine for the Horses was re-released by Universal/Fontana with the new song "The End of the World" and a bonus disc, "Nude", which features Dickinson's re-workings of six Catherine Wheel songs including "Black Metallic" and "Crank".

His song "The Storm" was featured on an episode of Discovery's series Deadliest Catch .

Discography

Catherine Wheel

Solo

Guest appearances

Videography

Singer Vehicle Design

Rob Dickinson (on the right) with a 911 restored by Singer Vehicle Design SLY 5601 (15649077859).jpg
Rob Dickinson (on the right) with a 911 restored by Singer Vehicle Design

In 2009, Dickinson founded Singer Vehicle Design, which restores and modifies the Porsche 911 and 964. The company, located in Los Angeles, California, was named both in honor of renowned Porsche engineer Norbert Singer, and Dickinson's other career as a vocalist. [6] [ verification needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Wheel (band)</span> English band

Catherine Wheel were an English alternative rock band from Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. The band was active from 1990 to 2000, releasing five full-length albums in their career, embarking on many lengthy tours and experiencing fluctuating levels of commercial success. Their early music was associated with the shoegazing scene, but gradually evolved to a more aggressive style influenced by hard rock and metal. Initially receiving attention and success after releasing their debut album Ferment in 1992, the band achieved peak success with the release of "Crank" and their album Chrome in 1993. The band also achieved minor success with other albums, including Happy Days, which featured a popular song "Judy Staring at the Sun" as a collaboration with Tanya Donelly. Catherine Wheel also scored heavy rotation on MTV and performed there several times. Despite never having any albums or songs that achieved major success in their homeland, Catherine Wheel continue to be popular among alternative rock and shoegaze fans and critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Corgan</span> American musician (born 1967)

William Patrick Corgan Jr. is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the co-founder, lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only constant member of alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Corgan himself is credited with helping popularize the genre. He has also been the owner and promoter of the National Wrestling Alliance since 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron & Wine</span> American musician (born 1974)

Samuel "Sam" Ervin Beam, better known by his stage name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released six studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album. He occasionally tours with a full band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Dickinson</span> English heavy metal singer (born 1958)

Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Dickinson has performed in the band across two stints, from 1981 to 1993 and from 1999 to the present day. He is known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stage presence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Brown (singer)</span> English singer and musician (born 1964)

Samantha Brown is an English singer, songwriter and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra (singer)</span> German singer (born 1962)

Sandra Ann Lauer, later Sandra Cretu, commonly known mononymously as Sandra, is a German pop singer who enjoyed mainstream popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s with a string of European hit singles, produced by her then-husband and musical partner, Michael Cretu, most notably "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" (1985), "In the Heat of the Night" (1985), "Everlasting Love" (1987), "Secret Land" (1988), "Hiroshima" (1990), and "Don't Be Aggressive" (1992). Her albums Into a Secret Land (1988) and Close to Seven (1992) have won Sandra high critical acclaim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soul II Soul</span> British musical collective

Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven "Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four "Back to Life". They have won two Grammy Awards, and have been nominated for five Brit Awards—twice for Best British Group.

<i>Balls to Picasso</i> 1994 studio album by Bruce Dickinson

Balls to Picasso is the second solo album by Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson, released in 1994. It is the first album in Dickinson's solo career that was released after he had officially left Iron Maiden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jani Lane</span> American rock singer (1964–2011)

Jani Lane was an American singer and the lead vocalist, frontman, lyricist and main songwriter for the glam metal band Warrant. From Hollywood, California, the band experienced success from 1989 to 1996 with five albums reaching international sales of over 10 million. Lane left Warrant in 2004 and again in 2008 after a brief reunion. Lane also released a solo album, Back Down to One, in 2003, and the album Love the Sin, Hate the Sinner with a new group, Saints of the Underground, in 2008. Lane contributed lead vocals and songwriting to various projects throughout his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcella Detroit</span> American singer, songwriter, and guitarist

Marcella Levy, known professionally as Marcy Levy and Marcella Detroit, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She co-wrote the 1977 Eric Clapton hit "Lay Down Sally" and released her debut studio album Marcella in 1982. She joined Shakespears Sister in 1988 with ex-Bananarama member Siobhan Fahey. Their first two studio albums, Sacred Heart (1989), and Hormonally Yours (1992), both reached the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart. Detroit sang the lead vocals on their biggest hit, "Stay", which spent eight consecutive weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart in 1992. Detroit left the band in 1993 and had a UK top 20 hit with "I Believe" in 1994. She formed the Marcy Levy Band in 2002, and finished third in the 2010 ITV series Popstar to Operastar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanya Donelly</span> American musician

Tanya Donelly is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist based in New England. She came to prominence as a co-founder of the band Throwing Muses with her step-sister Kristin Hersh. Donelly went on to co-form the alternative rock band The Breeders alongside Kim Deal in 1989, before leaving to front her own band Belly in 1991. By the late 1990s, she settled into a solo recording career, working largely with musicians connected to the Boston music scene.

<i>Life Begins Again</i> Album by Jimmy Chamberlin

Life Begins Again is the debut studio album by the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex, led by drummer Jimmy Chamberlin of The Smashing Pumpkins and Zwan. It was released on January 25, 2005 and as an Enhanced CD. The album featuers several guest musicians and vocalists including Billy Corgan, Bill Medley, and Rob Dickinson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonestar</span> American country music group

Lonestar is an American country music group from Texas. The group consists of Drew Womack, Michael Britt, Dean Sams, and Keech Rainwater (drums). Britt, Sams, and Rainwater co-founded the band in 1992 with original lead vocalist Richie McDonald and bass guitarist/vocalist John Rich. Rich exited the band in 1998 and went on to join Big Kenny as one-half of the duo Big & Rich. Since his departure, Lonestar has relied alternatingly on session and touring musicians for bass guitar accompaniment. McDonald exited the band in 2007 to record as a solo artist, and was replaced by former McAlyster vocalist Cody Collins before returning in 2011. McDonald left a second time in 2021 to join The Frontmen, with former Sons of the Desert lead vocalist Drew Womack replacing him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caron Wheeler</span> Musical artist

Caron Melina Wheeler is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and musician. Born and raised in London, she performed in various singing competitions as a teenager and began her recording career as one of the founding members of Brown Sugar. She was also one of the founding members of the female backing vocalist group Afrodiziak. She officially rose to fame in the late 1980s as lead singer of R&B group Soul II Soul. Managed by her bandmate, Jazzie B, the group became one of the London's best-selling groups in the 1990s. Their debut album, Club Classics Vol. One (1989), which established them as a global success worldwide, earned two Grammy Awards and featured the UK and Billboard number-one singles "Keep on Movin'" and "Back to Life ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Scott Soto</span> American rock singer

Jeff Scott Soto is an American rock singer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for being the vocalist on Yngwie Malmsteen's first two albums, and the lead vocalist for Journey in 2006–2007. Soto also sang lead vocals in the band Eyes as well as Sons of Apollo. He also had a long tenure as the front man of hard rock band Talisman. Currently he works as a solo artist, with his self-named band SOTO and as the vocalist of supergroups W.E.T. and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In 2020, Jeff joined forces with the band Art of Anarchy and their debut together drops in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Fresh</span> English DJ and record producer

Daniel Edward Stein, known professionally as DJ Fresh, is an English DJ and record producer. He is one of the principal members of the drum and bass group Bad Company, alongside Darren White (dBridge), Jason Maldini and Michael Wojcicki (Vegas). He also owns and runs the drum and bass label Breakbeat Kaos with Adam F.

<i>Fresh Wine for the Horses</i> 2005 studio album by Rob Dickinson

Fresh Wine for the Horses is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Rob Dickinson. Released in 2005, it features tracks that Dickinson wrote while a member of Catherine Wheel but never made it onto official releases, as well as new material written since the band's breakup in 2000. The album received mixed reviews from the media, but was met with enthusiastic approval by longtime fans of the band. The release was supported by a tour of small venues across the United States and Canada, where Dickinson performed intimate acoustic sets comprising both Catherine Wheel and solo material. In 2008, the album was reissued as two disc edition with EP titled Nude, consists of acoustic version of Catherine Wheel tracks, and a slight changing of tracklist from the original release, with the addition of previously unreleased song called "The End of the World".

<i>Cameo</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Dusty Springfield

Cameo is the eighth studio album released by singer Dusty Springfield, released in 1973.

Shakespears Sister is an alternative pop and rock musical duo that was formed in 1988 by Irish singer-songwriter Siobhan Fahey, a former member of Bananarama. Shakespears Sister was initially a solo act but became a duo by 1989, with the addition of American musician Marcella Detroit. Together they released two top-ten albums and a string of top-forty hits, including the 1992 single "Stay", which remained at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for eight weeks. Detroit was sacked from the band in 1993, leaving Fahey as the sole member again, until the latter ended the project in 1996. After working under her own name for some years, Fahey revived the Shakespears Sister moniker in 2009. In 2019, Fahey and Detroit reunited as Shakespears Sister for a tour and released the singles "All the Queen's Horses" and "When She Finds You", and the EP Ride Again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singer Vehicle Design</span> American automotive company

Singer Vehicle Design is an American company that specializes in restoring and modifying Porsche 911s. It was founded by Rob Dickinson in 2009, who is also known as former frontman and guitarist of the English rock band Catherine Wheel. The company is based in Los Angeles, California.

References

  1. Catherine Wheel – Oxford Reference Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  2. Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN   1-84195-335-0, p. 664-5
  3. Soren, Tabitha (1992) "Wheel of Fortune", SPIN , July 1992, retrieved 2 July 2011
  4. Dye, David (2005) "Rob Dickinson Moves On, Again", NPR, 1 December 2005, retrieved 2 July 2011
  5. "'Oceans' by Rob Dickinson". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  6. Carfection (4 December 2014). Singer Vehicle Design: Porsche 911 Re-Imagined, Original Spirit. Event occurs at [ time needed ]. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2015.