The Proclaimers
| The Proclaimers | |
|---|---|
|
The Proclaimers on stage in June 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
5 March 1962 (twins) Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Origin | Auchtermuchty, Fife, Scotland |
| Genres | Folk rock, celtic rock, country rock, college rock, jangle pop, indie pop |
| Instruments | Vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, tambourine |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Website |
www |
| Members |
Charlie Reid - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar Craig Reid - Vocals Backing Band Steven Christie - Keyboards Clive Jenner - Drums Garry John Kane - Bass Guitar Zac Ware - Lead Guitar |
The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of twin brothers Charlie and Craig Reid (born 5 March 1962). They are best known for the songs "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", "Sunshine on Leith", "I'm On My Way" and "Letter from America", and their distinctive singing style with a Scottish accent. The band tours extensively throughout the world. They have released ten studio albums since 1987 as well as three compilation albums and a DVD.
History
Career
Craig Reid and Charlie Reid were born in Leith on 5 March 1962, and grew up in Edinburgh, Cornwall and Auchtermuchty. When they lived in Auchtermuchty they attended Bell Baxter High School. After several punk rock bands at school they formed the Proclaimers in 1983.
The pair came to public attention when an Inverness-based fan sent their demo to the English band the Housemartins, who were impressed enough to invite the Proclaimers on their 1986 United Kingdom tour. The exposure of the tour won them a January 1987 appearance on the British pop music television programme The Tube on Channel Four;[1] "Letter from America" peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart,[2] while the album This Is the Story went gold.[3] The follow-up album Sunshine on Leith featured the singles "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", which went to number one in Australia[4] and New Zealand,[5] and "I'm On My Way".[2] They had a hit with their EP King of the Road, which reached number nine in the UK in 1990.[2] "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" belatedly peaked at number three in the US in 1993,[6] after appearing in the movie Benny & Joon. After seven low-profile years, they released their comeback album Persevere in 2001.
In March 2007 they recorded a new version of "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" with television comedy characters Andy Pipkin (played by Matt Lucas) and Brian Potter (Peter Kay) for the Comic Relief charity. A long list of celebrities were featured in the music video for this new version, including David Bellamy, Rod, Jane and Freddy, Paul O'Grady, David Tennant, Frank Sidebottom and many more. This new version of the song reached number one in the UK Singles Chart.[2]
A stage musical featuring their songs, Sunshine on Leith, was created in 2007 for Dundee Rep and adapted as a feature film in 2013 bearing the same name.[7]
The band was one of the B-52s' touring partners on their Funplex tour in Australia and New Zealand in November 2009, alongside Mental as Anything.
They featured in VH1's 100 greatest one hit wonders, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" having been their only US hit single.[8]
Influence
The brothers are fans of Hibernian Football Club, and "Sunshine on Leith" has become a club anthem, being played at home matches for important fixtures, such as the Edinburgh derby versus Heart of Midlothian FC, the club's city rivals. Charlie and Craig Reid appeared at the Easter Road stadium for the "Hands Off Hibs" campaign in 1990 when Wallace Mercer, a wealthy Edinburgh businessman with direct connections to Hearts FC, attempted a takeover of the club but was defeated by organised fan resistance.
They are also well-known supporters of Scottish independence and have, at various stages of their lives, been activists for the Scottish National Party, expressing such views during their promotional tour of Britain in March 2007.[9]
On 16 May 2006 the twins announced their participation in a campaign to free a fellow Scot, Kenny Richey, from his death row sentence in Ohio, including an appearance at a charity concert.[10] Also, in 2010 they participated with Billy Bragg in a show supporting Reprieve, a charity that seeks to end the use of the death penalty. (In December 2007, Kenny Richey accepted a plea bargain, which led to his release from death row and return to Scotland on January 9, 2008.)
The Proclaimers also support other charities such as the Lighthouse Foundation (addiction victims), Worldwide Cancer Research, Drake Music Scotland (helping disabled people through music) and 500 Miles (amputees and disabled people in Africa).
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certification | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [2] |
AUS [4] |
AUT [11] |
NZ [5] |
US [12] | |||
| 1987 | This Is the Story | 43 | 41 | – | – | – | |
| 1988 | Sunshine on Leith | 6 | 2 | 33 | 3 | 31 | |
| 1994 | Hit the Highway | 8 | – | 19 | – | – |
|
| 2001 | Persevere | 61 | – | – | – | – | |
| 2003 | Born Innocent | 70 | – | – | – | – | |
| 2005 | Restless Soul | 74 | – | – | – | – | |
| 2007 | Life with You | 13 | – | – | – | – | |
| 2009 | Notes & Rhymes | 30 | – | – | – | – | |
| 2012 | Like Comedy | 31 | – | – | – | – | |
| 2015 | Let's Hear It for the Dogs | 26 | – | – | – | – | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||
Compilation and remastered albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certification | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [2] |
IRE | NZ [5] | |||||
| 2002 | The Best of The Proclaimers | 5 | 24 | 41 | |||
| 2003 | Finest | – | – | – |
| ||
| 2011 | This Is the Story (two CD edition, remastered and bonus tracks) | – | – | – | |||
| 2011 | Sunshine on Leith (two CD edition, remastered and bonus tracks) | – | – | – | |||
| 2011 | Hit the Highway (two CD edition, remastered and bonus tracks) | – | – | – | |||
| 2013 | The Very Best Of: 25 Years (1987–2012) (two CD edition) | 80 | – | – | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||
EPs
- 17 (promotional acoustic EP) (2009)
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||||||||
| UK [2] |
AUS [4] |
AUT [11] |
BEL (FLA) [14] |
GER [15] |
IRE [16] |
NED [17] |
NZ [5] |
US [6] |
US Rock [18] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Throw the 'R' Away" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | This Is the Story |
| "Letter from America" (band version) | 3 | – | – | 24 | 57 | 2 | 29 | – | – | – | ||
| 1988 | "Make My Heart Fly" (band version) | 63 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" | 11 | 1 | – | – | – | 14 | – | 1 | – | – | Sunshine on Leith | |
| "Sunshine on Leith" | 41 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1989 | "I'm on My Way" | 43 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | – | – | |
| "Then I Met You" | – | 64 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1990 | "King of the Road" | 9 | 78 | – | – | 54 | 8 | 86 | – | – | – | non-album single |
| 1993 | "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" | – | – | 5 | 42 | 40 | – | – | – | 3 | 8 | Sunshine on Leith |
| 1994 | "Let's Get Married" | 21 | – | 21 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Hit the Highway |
| "What Makes You Cry?" | 38 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| "These Arms of Mine" | 51 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2001 | "There's a Touch" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Persevere |
| 2007 | "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" feat. Brian Potter and Andy Pipkin |
1 | – | – | – | – | 7 | – | – | – | – | Best of (2007 reissue) |
| "Life with You" | 58 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Life with You | |
| 2007 | "Whole Wide World" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2008 | "New Religion" (promo only) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2009 | "Love Can Move Mountains" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Notes & Rhymes |
| 2012 | "Like Comedy" [free download] | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Like Comedy |
| 2012 | "Spinning Around in the Air" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2012 | "Whatever You've Got" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2014 | "Cap in Hand" | 62 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Sunshine on Leith |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | ||||||||||||
DVD
- The Best of The Proclaimers 1987–2002 (2002)
Songs used in soundtracks
- The Crossing (1990) (song, "King of the Road")
- Benny & Joon (1993) (song, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)")
- Dumb and Dumber (1994) (song, "Get Ready")
- Bye Bye Love (1995) (song, "Bye Bye Love")
- Bottle Rocket (1996) (song, "Over and Done With")
- Slab Boys (1997) (songs, "Maybe Baby" and "No Particular Place to Go")
- The Closer You Get (2000) (song, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)")
- Shrek (2001) (song, "I'm on My Way")
- How I Met Your Mother (2007, 2009, 2013 – episodes "Arrivederci, Fiero"; "Duel Citizenship"; "Mom and Dad") (song, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)")
- Mama's Boy (2008) (song, "Then I Met You")
- Burke and Hare (2010) (song, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)")
- The Angels' Share (2012) (song, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)")
- Bachelorette (2012) (song, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)")
- Grey's Anatomy season 9 (song, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)")
- Pitch Perfect (2012) (song, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)")
- Identity Thief (2013) (song, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)")
- Uncle (TV series) (2015 - season 2, episode 6) (song, "Over and Done With")
Soundtracks
- Sunshine on Leith (2013) (from the film Sunshine on Leith - cover versions by film actors)
References
- ↑ Brian Logan (8 February 2007). "Pop idols". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-02-08.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Official Charts > Proclaimers". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for 'Proclaimers' (from bpi.co.uk)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- 1 2 3 Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
- Top 50 peaks: "australian-charts.com > The Proclaimers in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-09-24.
- "Then I Met You": Scott, Gavin. "25 Years Ago This Week: June 4, 1989". chartbeat.blogspot.com.au. Retrieved 2015-09-24.
- Top 100 peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- 1 2 3 4 "charts.org.nz > The Proclaimers in New Zealand Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- 1 2 Billboard > Artists / The Proclaimers > Chart History > The Hot 100, Billboard, retrieved 2016-03-21
- ↑ Sexton, David (12 September 2013). "Sunshine on Leith - film review". London Evening Standard.
- ↑ "100 Greatest One Hit Wonders". List. VH1.
- ↑ "The Simon Mayo Programme". BBC Radio Five Live. 2007-03-28. Archived from the original on 2007-03-23.
- ↑ "Letter to America: Proclaimers join campaign to free death-row Scot". The Scotsman. 2006-05-16.
- 1 2 "austriancharts.at > The Proclaimers in der österreichischen Hitparade" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- ↑ Billboard > Artists / The Proclaimers > Chart History > Billboard 200, Billboard, retrieved 2016-03-21
- ↑ "The ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart – 1989 (1–60) (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 1)". Imgur.com. Retrieved 2016-05-26. N.B. The triangle symbol indicates platinum certification.
- ↑ "Ultratop (Flanders) > The Proclaimers in Ultratop Vlaanderen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- ↑ German chart peaks:
- "Letter from America": "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > The Proclaimers – Letter from America (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- "King of the Road": "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > The Proclaimers – King of the Road (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)": "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > The Proclaimers – I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- ↑ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know > Search results for 'Proclaimers' (from irishcharts.ie)". Fireball Media. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- ↑ "dutchcharts.nl > The Proclaimers in Dutch Charts" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- ↑ Billboard > Artists / The Proclaimers > Chart History > Alternative Songs, Billboard, retrieved 2016-03-21
External links
- Official website
- Comprehensive Discography
- The Proclaimers at the Internet Movie Database
- The Proclaimers on Twitter
- The Proclaimers on Facebook
- The Proclaimers on MySpace