Wayne Hussey

Last updated

Wayne Hussey
Die britische Rockband The Mission auf dem WGT - 2023 in Leipzig - 8.jpg
Hussey performing in 2023
Background information
Birth nameJerry Wayne Hussey
Born (1958-05-26) 26 May 1958 (age 65)
Bristol, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
Years active1980–present
Labels
Member of The Mission
Formerly of
Hussey performing at the M'era Luna Festival in Hildesheim, Germany, 2004 The mission wayne hussey.jpg
Hussey performing at the M'era Luna Festival in Hildesheim, Germany, 2004

Jerry Wayne Hussey (born 26 May 1958) [1] is an English musician who was born in Bristol, England. He is best known as the lead singer of the Mission, and as the guitarist of the Sisters of Mercy. [2]

Contents

Biography

Hussey grew up in Bristol. He was influenced at a young age by Marc Bolan and his band T. Rex, and was thus inspired to become a guitarist. Brought up in the LDS Church, he rebelled against his parents' wishes that he serve as a missionary and moved to Liverpool in the late 1970s to join the scene around Eric's Club, a noted nightclub of the time. [3]

Hussey started to perform, most notably with Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls, with whom he started songwriting. The first success for Hussey came when he joined Dead or Alive at the request of frontman Pete Burns. After Burns retreated to become more studio-based, Hussey decided to leave and was offered a position with the Sisters of Mercy, concentrating on twelve-string and six-string guitars, contributing to arrangements and using his higher ranged voice for backing vocals which contrasted with Andrew Eldritch's melancholic baritone. After leaving the Sisters of Mercy, Hussey and bassist Craig Adams set up the Mission, recruiting Mick Brown on drums and Simon Hinkler on guitars. He lived in Leeds for a while before moving to London towards the end of the 1980s. [2]

Hussey has produced and played on records by the Mission's Mercury Records labelmates All About Eve and in the late 1990s provided some remixes for Cleopatra Records. He also produced, remixed and appeared on some tracks for the US band Gossamer including the track "Run" for the first Unquiet Grave compilation album by Cleopatra Records. He also produced and played on Brilliant Mistakes (1996) by the Greek band the Flowers of Romance. Hussey has played live with both Gary Numan and the Cure. He is a Liverpool F.C. supporter and after his team's victory in the Champions League Final of 2005, he composed the song entitled "Draped in Red" featured on the studio album God Is a Bullet . [4]

In 2019, Hussey released his autobiography Salad Daze. [5]

Hussey currently lives in São Paulo, Brazil, married to a Brazilian actress, Cinthya, and has two children from previous relationships. [3]

Solo career

Since 2002, Hussey has regularly played solo shows that features Mission material, new songs and cover versions. After he wound up the Mission for the second time in early 2009, he released his first solo studio album called Bare in October of that year on the Sony Music label. (In Germany, there are four bonus tracks.) [6]

In May 2009, Hussey announced on the Mission's website and in an interview on BBC Radio 6 Music that he and Julianne Regan were working together on an album of cover versions, reinterpretations of old material and new songs, and invited fans to suggest songs for the duo to cover. This album was eventually released in the autumn of 2011 as Curios under the name Hussey-Regan on Cherry Red Records. In 2014, he released his second solo studio album, Songs of Candlelight & Razorblades, of largely acoustic songs. [7]

In August 2020, Hussey re-recorded "Tower of Strength" as ReMission International TOS 2020, in support of key workers dealing with COVID-19 globally. All proceeds went to charities personally chosen by each contributor to TOS2020. On this project Wayne collaborated with friends and musicians, including Michael Ciravolo, Andy Rourke of the Smiths, Billy Duffy of the Cult, Budgie of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Evi Vine, Gary Numan, James Alexander Graham of the Twilight Sad, Jay Aston of Bucks Fizz, Julianne Regan of All About Eve, Kevin Haskins of Bauhaus, Lol Tolhurst of the Cure, Martin Gore of Depeche Mode, Michael Aston of Gene Loves Jezebel, Midge Ure of Ultravox, Miles Hunt of the Wonder Stuff, Rachel Goswell of Slowdive, Richard Fortus of Guns N' Roses, Robin Finck of Nine Inch Nails, Tim Palmer, Trentemøller and Kirk Brandon of Theatre of Hate and Spear of Destiny. [8] [9] [10]

Equipment

When playing live solo, Hussey uses a Martin D42. When playing live with the band, Hussey currently uses a Schecter Corsair 12-string. [11] In the studio, he uses both a Fender Telecaster and Fender Starcaster.

Discography

Dead or Alive

The Sisters of Mercy

The Mission

Solo

Guthrie Handley with Wayne Hussey

Stisch featuring Wayne Hussey

Wayne Hussey and Julianne Regan

Wayne Hussey and James Bacon

Wayne Hussey and the Divine

ReMission International

Related Research Articles

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

Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. Known for their dark image and gloomy sound, Bauhaus are one of the pioneers of gothic rock, although they mixed many genres, including dub, glam rock, psychedelia, and funk. The group consisted of Daniel Ash, Peter Murphy, Kevin Haskins (drums) and David J (bass).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sisters of Mercy</span> English rock band

The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame there, the band had their commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new records in protest against their record company, WEA. Currently, the band are a touring outfit only.

<i>First and Last and Always</i> 1985 studio album by the Sisters of Mercy

First and Last and Always is the debut studio album by English gothic rock band the Sisters of Mercy, first released on 11 March 1985 through the band's Merciful Release label. Prior to recording sessions for a debut album, the band started off by releasing multiple extended plays and singles from 1980 through 1984. Guitarist Ben Gunn departed the band in October 1983 and was subsequently replaced by Dead or Alive member Wayne Hussey. This created one of the band's most iconic lineups, comprising Hussey with frontman Andrew Eldritch, guitarist Gary Marx, and bassist Craig Adams.

All About Eve were an English rock band. The initial creative core consisted of Coventry-born Julianne Regan (vocals), Huddersfield-born Tim Bricheno (guitar) and Andy Cousin, with other members changing over the years. Their highest-charting UK single was "Martha's Harbour" (1988). The band was active from 1984 to 1993, then 1999 to 2004, achieving four UK Top-50 albums. The band had been recognised for their "unique, folk-rock-influenced take" on the gothic rock style, and Regan has been described as "certainly one of the more talented singers" of the scene in the late 1980s.

The Sisterhood was a musical project led by Andrew Eldritch. With guest musicians, the Sisterhood recorded songs he had originally intended for a second album by the Sisters of Mercy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julianne Regan</span> English-Irish singer, songwriter and musician

JulianneRegan is an English/Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. She achieved success in the late 1980s and early 1990s having formed the band All About Eve. Her major role in the band was as lead singer and songwriter. AllMusic describes Regan as "certainly one of the more talented singers of the late eighties British goth rock scene".

<i>All About Eve</i> (album) 1988 studio album by All About Eve

All About Eve is the self-titled debut album of All About Eve. Commercially, this was their most successful, reaching No. 7 in the UK charts and spawning four Top 40 singles. Most of the album was produced by Paul Samwell-Smith.

<i>Touched by Jesus</i> 1991 studio album by All About Eve

Touched by Jesus is the third studio album by All About Eve. It was the first album to feature Church guitarist Marty Willson-Piper on guitars. Despite this, the album fell short of the commercial achievements of both the first album and Scarlet and Other Stories, reaching No. 17 in the UK charts. Of the three singles released only "Farewell Mr Sorrow" charted, reaching No. 36.

<i>Gods Own Medicine</i> 1986 studio album by The Mission

God's Own Medicine is the debut studio album by the English gothic rock band The Mission. It was released in November 1986 under Mercury Records. The original LP version contains 10 songs. The CD and cassette versions had the songs "Blood Brother" and "Island in the Stream" added. Both had previously appeared on the "III" single.

<i>Children</i> (The Mission album) 1988 studio album by The Mission

Children is the second studio album by the English gothic rock band the Mission, released on 20 February 1988 by Mercury Records. Two singles were released from the album, "Tower of Strength" and "Beyond the Pale". A third single, "Kingdom Come", was scheduled but appeared only as a promotional single.

Andrew Cousin is an English bassist and radio presenter from Mirfield in England. He is principally known for being the bassist of All About Eve and he has also played for The Mission. Since 2016, he presents the Andy Cousin show on Deal Radio.

<i>God Is a Bullet</i> (album) 2007 studio album by The Mission

God Is a Bullet is the eighth studio album by The Mission. It was released at the end of April 2007 by SPV Records in Germany and Cooking Vinyl in the UK. The album features guest appearances by Julianne Regan, Tim Bricheno and Simon Hinkler. It was preceded by the single "Keep It in the Family" which was followed by "Blush". "Running with Scissors" reuses the music Wayne Hussey composed for Atsushi Sakurai's 2004 song "Sacrifice".

"Unravel" is the third song on the album Homogenic by Björk, which was released in 1997. The song features a prominent example of Björk's use of a half-singing, half-speaking technique which, according to folklorist Njáll Sigurðsson, is comparable to that of Old Icelandic choirmen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David M. Allen</span> British record producer

David M. Allen is an English record producer, engineer and mixer. He is mostly known for his work with new wave, synth-pop and goth rock bands including the Cure, the Sisters of Mercy, the Chameleons, Depeche Mode, the Mission, the Associates, the Human League, Clan of Xymox, Gianna Nannini, Shelleyan Orphan and others. He also produced Neneh Cherry's hit album Man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Thwaite</span> British guitarist

Mark Gemini Thwaite, also known as MGT, is an English musician who has been the guitarist for a number of rock bands and artists, including The Mission, trip hop pioneer Tricky, Peter Murphy of Bauhaus, New Disease, Spear of Destiny & Theatre of Hate, Mob Research, and Canadian band National Velvet plus various live and recorded appearances with Gary Numan, Al Jourgensen of Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Roger Daltrey of the Who, P.J. Harvey, Alanis Morissette, Raymond Watts and PIG, Primitive Race, Ricky Warwick of Thin Lizzy, Ginger of The Wildhearts, Stan Lee of Marvel Comics, Franz Treichler of The Young Gods, Miles Hunt & The Wonder Stuff, Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory, American rapper DMX, Laurence "Lol" Tolhurst and Porl Thompson of The Cure and Ville Valo of Finnish band HIM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mission (band)</span> English gothic rock band

The Mission are an English gothic rock band formed in 1986. Initially known as the Sisterhood, the band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams, soon adding drummer Mick Brown and guitarist Simon Hinkler. Aside from Hussey, the lineup has changed several times during the years and the band has been on hiatus twice.

Hussey-Regan was a collaborative project between Wayne Hussey and Julianne Regan. The duo started to work together in 2006, as well as their other personal projects. In 2011 they released their first album, Curios.

"Tower of Strength" is a song released by the English gothic rock band The Mission in February 1988. It was the first of two singles to be released from their second studio album Children. It peaked at No. 12 on the UK charts on its original release, but has seen re-recorded releases in 1994 and 2020 separately.

<i>Another Fall from Grace</i> 2016 studio album by The Mission

Another Fall from Grace is the tenth studio album by The Mission released on 30 September 2016. Wayne Hussey has described the album as a lost link between The Sisters of Mercy's First and Last and Always album and The Mission's own first album, God's Own Medicine. He attributes this in part to his use of the 12-string guitar which he fell out of favour with after God's Own Medicine was released.

"Butterfly on a Wheel" is a song released by English gothic rock band the Mission in January 1990. It was the first of three singles to be released from their third studio album, Carved in Sand (1990). It peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 50 in Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, as well as on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, where it reached number 23.

References

  1. Ball, Jon (26 April 2018). "Wayne Hussey on a birthday Mission to Sheffield". The Sheffield Star. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Music Interview: Wayne Hussey". Yorkshire Evening Post. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 Graham, Ben (12 October 2011). "The Mission Celebrate Their Quarter Century: Wayne Hussey Interviewed". The Quietus . Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  4. Draped in Red Archived 9 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (downloadable link)
  5. Hussey, Wayne (30 May 2019). Salad Days. Omnibus Press. ISBN   9781785586606.
  6. "Featured Content on Myspace". Myspace. Archived from the original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  7. Scott-Bates, Paul (17 October 2014). "Wayne Hussey: Songs Of Candlelight And Razorblades – album review". Louder Than War . Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  8. Grace, Paul (11 August 2020). "Wayne Hussey re-releases Tower of Strength with huge cast of musicians for Covid-19 charities". Louder Than War. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  9. Benitez-Eves, Tina (28 August 2020). "Wayne Hussey Remakes The Mission's "Tower of Strength" with Members of The Cure, Depeche Mode, Bauhaus, The Smiths, Guns N' Roses and More to Support COVID Relief". American Songwriter . Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  10. "REMISSION INTERNATIONAL 2020". www.loltolhurst.com. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  11. "Wayne Hussey Corsair-12". schecter.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.