Frank Usher (born 4 August 1949, in

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, England) is an English guitarist best known for his work in

Fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

's band. Usher lives and operates a guitar-manufacturing business in

Innerleithen Innerleithen ( gd, Inbhir Leitheann) is a civil parish and a small town in the committee area of Tweeddale, in the Scottish Borders. It was formerly in the historic county of Peeblesshire or Tweeddale. Etymology The name "Innerleithen" comes ...

, Scotland. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s he has worked with a variety of artists including

Mike Heron James Michael Heron (born 27 December 1942) is a Scotland, Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work in the Incredible String Band in the 1960s and 1970s. Career Heron was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and at ...

John Martyn Iain David McGeachy (11 September 1948 – 29 January 2009), known professionally as John Martyn, was a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Over a 40-year career, he released 23 studio albums, and received frequent critical acclaim. ...

Tam White Tam White (12 July 1942 – 21 June 2010) was a Scottish musician, stonemason and actor. Biography Born Thomas Bennett Sim White in Edinburgh, Scotland, White was primarily known as a blues vocalist with a trademark gravelly voice. In the 19 ...

and the locally noted Border Boogie Band. While playing in a band called Blewitt in 1980, he first met Fish who became their vocalist for a short time. When Fish left

Marillion Marillion are a British rock music, rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becomin ...

to start a solo career in 1988, he contacted Usher to become his guitarist. Since then he has played on seven Fish studio albums and the accompanying tours. Usher suffered a heart attack in December 2007, causing three gigs to be cancelled.

Fish discography with Frank Usher on guitar

Studio albums

* 1990: ''

Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors ''Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors'' is the debut solo album by Scottish neo-progressive rock singer Fish, released in 1990. Fish had departed Marillion in 1988. Although the recordings for this album finished as early as June 1989, EMI Records ...

'' * 1991: '' Internal Exile'' * 1993: ''

Songs from the Mirror ''Songs from the Mirror'' is the third solo album by Scottish singer-songwriter Fish, released in 1993 as his final album for Polydor. It does not contain any original material; instead it is a cover album featuring Fish's versions of songs by a ...

'' (

covers album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

) * 1994: '' Suits'' * 1997: ''

Sunsets on Empire ''Sunsets on Empire'' is a studio album by Fish, the fourth with original material since he left Marillion in 1988. It was mostly written together with Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, who co-composed six out of ten tracks on the original versio ...

'' * 2004: ''

Field of Crows ''Field of Crows'' is Fish's eighth solo studio album since he left Marillion in 1988 and the first since '' Fellini Days'' (2001). Released on Fish's own label Chocolate Frog Records, retail distribution is now handled by Snapper Music. Track ...

'' * 2007: '' 13th Star''

Compilation albums

* 1995: ''

Yin and Yang Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophy, Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the c ...

'' * 1998: ''

Kettle of Fish ''Kettle of Fish (88-98)'' is the title of a compilation album by Fish released in 1998, providing a retrospective on his solo career plus two new songs. Unlike the previous best-of ''Yin and Yang'' (1995), this is a single disc and does not in ...

(88–98)'' * 2005: ''

Bouillabaisse Bouillabaisse (; oc, bolhabaissa, bullabessa ) is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating in the port city of Marseille. The French and English form ''bouillabaisse'' comes from the Provençal Occitan word ''bolhabaissa'', a compound t ...

Singles

* 1989: "State of Mind" * 1989: "Big Wedge" * 1990: "A Gentleman's Excuse Me" * 1990: "The Company" (Germany only) * 1991: "Internal Exile" * 1991: "Credo" * 1992: "Something in the Air" * 1992: "Never Mind The Bullocks" (feat. Hold Your Head Up) * 1994: "Lady Let It Lie" * 1994: "Fortunes of War" * 1994: "Emperors song" * 1995: "Just Good Friends" (feat. Sam Brown) * 1997: "Brother 52" * 1997: "Change of Heart" * 2008: "Arc of the Curve" * 2008: "Zoë 25"

References

External links

Biography on the official Fish siteFrank Usher Guitars
{{DEFAULTSORT:Usher, Frank 1949 births Living people English rock guitarists