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Paul Heaton

From Alfawiki
Paul Heaton
Born (1962-05-09) May 9, 1962 (age 64)
Bromborough, Wirral, Merseyside, England
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active1983–present
Known forLead vocalist and lyricist of the Housemartins and the Beautiful South; solo career

Paul David Heaton (born 9 May 1962) is a distinguished English singer-songwriter, primarily recognized as the lead vocalist and chief lyricist of the Housemartins. The group gained notable commercial acclaim across the UK and Europe from 1985 to 1988, with popular tracks such as "Happy Hour" and the chart-topping "Caravan of Love" in 1986. Following the dissolution of the band, Heaton co-established the Beautiful South alongside drummer Dave Hemingway. Their first single, "Song for Whoever", along with their debut album, Welcome to the Beautiful South (1989), achieved considerable commercial success. Throughout the 1990s, the band delivered multiple hits including the number-one track "A Little Time" before ultimately disbanding in 2007.

Subsequently, Heaton embarked on a solo career, issuing three albums before reuniting with former Beautiful South vocalist Jacqui Abbott for What Have We Become? in 2014. Together, they produced four additional albums: Wisdom, Laughter and Lines (2015), Crooked Calypso (2017), Manchester Calling (2020), and N.K-Pop (2022).

The British publication The Guardian lauded Heaton as "one of our finest songwriters," commending his melodic craftsmanship and incisive wit. Meanwhile, AllMusic highlighted that his "warm, mellifluous voice often masks the jagged satirical content of his lyrics."

Early life

Born on 9 May 1962 in Bromborough, Wirral Merseyside (formerly Cheshire), Paul David Heaton is the son of Doris and Horace Heaton. When he was four years old, his family relocated to Sheffield, where his father assumed a managerial position. Reflecting on his upbringing, Heaton described it as "fairly middle class, although you wouldn't know it given the schools I went to and the friends I had."

During his teenage years, Heaton moved to Chipstead, Surrey—a phase he summarized as "bred in Sheffield, fed in Surrey." It was there that he and his brother Adrian formed their initial band called "Tools Down." While attending sixth form, he connected with Norman Cook and Chris Lang to create the band "Stomping Pond Frogs," which dissolved after Cook departed for university. Heaton chose not to pursue higher education himself but worked in various office roles that later influenced his songwriting. After living in Surrey, he hitchhiked throughout Europe before settling in Hull in 1983.

Football was Heaton’s predominant passion during his youth; he frequently attended Sheffield United matches and played over 700 competitive junior and amateur games, often balancing weekend football with his musical engagements.

The Housemartins

In 1983, Heaton—using the stage name P.d. Heaton—formed the Housemartins with guitarist Stan Cullimore. The lineup expanded with the addition of bassist Ted Key and drummer Hugh Whitaker. In 1985, Norman Cook replaced Key on bass, followed by Dave Hemingway taking over drums from Whitaker in 1987.

The Housemartins released multiple singles and two studio albums: London 0 Hull 4 and The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death. Their most prominent success was an a cappella rendition of "Caravan of Love," which secured the number one spot on the UK charts in December 1986.

Their songwriting merged elements of Marxist ideology with Christian themes, encapsulated by the phrase "Take Jesus – Take Marx – Take Hope" printed inside the sleeve of London 0 Hull 4.

The Beautiful South

In 1988, Paul Heaton established the Beautiful South alongside Dave Rotheray (lead guitar), Sean Welch (bass), who had previously been a roadie for the Housemartins, drummer David Stead, and Dave Hemingway, the former Housemartins drummer, who shared lead vocal duties. The songwriting duo of Heaton and Rotheray became the creative force behind the band's achievements. Their first album, Welcome to the Beautiful South (1989), featured hit singles "Song for Whoever" and "You Keep It All In," both reaching the top ten and including vocals from Irish singer Briana Corrigan.

Their most successful single was "A Little Time" (1990), which climbed to number one on the UK charts. The group went on to release eight additional albums, two of which topped the UK charts: Blue Is the Colour (1996) and Quench (1998). The compilation album Carry on up the Charts, which achieved platinum status, also reached number one before the band parted ways.

On 30 January 2007, the band announced their breakup, citing "musical similarities." Heaton later clarified in 2008 that this referred to a decade of producing albums with a similar sound.

Solo albums

In 2001, Heaton launched a solo project under the alias Biscuit Boy (also known as Crackerman), which was used as the official name for his early solo releases. His debut solo album, Fat Chance, reached number 95 on the UK albums chart. The single "Mitch" attained position 75 on the UK Singles Chart.

Mercury Records reissued Fat Chance in 2002 with updated cover art and credited to Paul Heaton; however, it charted lower at number 168. The follow-up single "The Perfect Couple" peaked at number 102. Heaton rejoined the Beautiful South from 2002 until their dissolution in 2007.

Following the band's breakup, Heaton formed The Sound of Paul Heaton. His sophomore solo album, The Cross-Eyed Rambler, was released on 7 July 2008 and reached number 43 on the charts. This was followed by his third solo effort, Acid Country, released in September 2010.

The 8th

In 2011, Heaton was commissioned by the Manchester International Festival to compose The 8th, a collection of songs inspired by the 7 deadly sins. Each sin was interpreted by a different performer including Wayne Gidden, Aaron Wright, King Creosote, Simon Aldred, Cherry Ghost, Jacqui Abbott, Yvonne Shelton, and Mike Greaves. The production featured narration by Reg E. Cathey and was scripted by Che Walker.

The 8th debuted in July 2011 at Manchester's Albert Square and had six additional performances during summer 2012. The touring lineup included artists such as Gareth Paisey from Los Campesinos!, Christian Madden of The Earlies, Simon Aldred, and Steve Menzies.

A combined CD/DVD set of The 8th was released concurrently with the live shows in 2012, showcasing tracks by Simon Aldred, Aaron Wright, Mike Greaves, Yvonne Shelton, Jacqui Abbott, and Heaton himself.

Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott

In 2013, Heaton reunited with former Beautiful South singer Jacqui Abbott to create new music together. Their album What Have We Become?, released on 19 May 2014, reached number three on the UK Albums Chart. It contained twelve new tracks (with an additional four on the deluxe edition), primarily co-written by Heaton and Jonny Lexus, with some solely authored by Heaton.

Heaton likened collaborating again with Abbott to discovering a "beautiful, covered up Rolls-Royce," emphasizing her as one of his finest creative partners and a vital part of his musical history.

On 29 June 2014, they performed live on BBC Two during the Glastonbury Festival, delivering acoustic renditions of "Moulding of a Fool" and a cover of Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton's "Islands in the Stream." Throughout summer 2014, they appeared at prominent festivals across the UK and Ireland such as Glastonbury, Latitude, V Festival, and Festival N°6.

On 11 November 2014, BBC Radio 2 premiered "Real Hope," featuring the Grimethorpe Colliery Band; this track appeared on the deluxe version of What Have We Become?.

Their next two albums—Wisdom, Laughter and Lines (2015) and Crooked Calypso (2017)—both secured places in the UK top ten. Their fourth joint release, Manchester Calling (2020), marked their first UK Number One album in over twenty years. They followed this achievement with another UK chart-topper, N.K-Pop (2022), supported by an arena tour across the UK and Ireland including a headline performance at London's O2 Arena. During their December 2022 tour dates, Abbott became unwell; consequently, Heaton continued performing solo before bringing in guest vocalists for subsequent shows in Ireland early in 2023 and various summer festival appearances.

In 2023, Heaton collaborated with Scottish vocalist Rianne Downey at TRNSMT, returning again at Glastonbury Festival in June 2024. Their latest album together,The Mighty Several, produced by Ian Broudie, was released on 11 October 2024 featuring twelve tracks and reached number two on the UK charts.

The Last King of Pop

On 16 November 2018, a comprehensive anthology named The Last King Of Pop was issued under the Virgin EMI label. This collection encompassed 23 tracks penned by Heaton, spanning his contributions to the Housemartins, The Beautiful South, solo endeavors, and collaborations with Jacqui Abbott.

Included in the compilation were the Housemartins' 1985 debut single "Flag Day", notable Beautiful South songs such as "Don't Marry Her", "Rotterdam", and "Perfect 10", the 2017 duet "I Gotta Praise" by Heaton & Abbott, a 2018 newly recorded version of "A Little Time" featuring Paul and Jacqui, along with an original track titled "7' Singles".

The album achieved a peak position of Number 10 on the UK Charts and attained Gold certification by 11 January 2019.

To promote this release, Heaton and Abbott delivered three performances at Sheffield City Hall, Blackpool Empress Ballroom, and London's Royal Albert Hall, presenting the album in its entirety.

Subsequent to these concerts, they announced headline open-air shows at Stockport County's Edgeley Park scheduled for 20 and 21 June 2019. Both dates sold out rapidly, with Richard Hawley appearing as the special guest on each night.

A Channel 4 documentary detailing Paul Heaton's career and life was broadcast on 12 December 2018, incorporating archival footage alongside interviews from significant figures associated with his journey.

Personal life

Heaton resides in Manchester with his spouse and their three children.

He has openly discussed the prevalence of heavy drinking within The Beautiful South, with numerous songs exploring themes related to alcoholism and alcohol-related violence.

In December 2011, Heaton obtained the lease for The King's Arms pub located in Salford but divested it in December 2015.

He is a passionate collector with eclectic tastes including football memorabilia, crisp packets, beer mats, postcards, and comic books.

Other appearances

Throughout the 1990s, Heaton frequently appeared on Football Italia, Channel 4's coverage of Italian Serie A football matches, where host James Richardson often introduced him as an 'Italian football expert'.

Heaton also participated in BBC One's discussion show Why We Love the Royle Family, alongside Noel Gallagher, reflecting his admiration for the sitcom The Royle Family.

In May 2012, he embarked on a 50:50 cycling tour visiting pubs across Britain and Ireland to promote his latest album, covering a total of 2,500 miles—equivalent to fifty miles for each year of his life.

Unable to undertake a similar cycling journey in 2022, he instead sponsored sixty pubs throughout the UK and Ireland to serve complimentary pints in celebration of his sixtieth birthday.

In February 2023, Heaton appeared on Channel 4’s documentary Grayson Perry's Full English alongside his extensive Murphy’s Crisps packet collection, contributing an exhibit for Perry’s showcase on English identity.

The Housemartins

The Beautiful South

Collections

Albums Recorded in Studio

References

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