Hue and Cry (band)
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Hue and Cry are a Scottish pop duo formed in 1983 in
Coatbridge Coatbridge ( sco, Cotbrig or Coatbrig, gd, Drochaid a' Chòta) is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. Along with neighbouring town Airdrie, Coatbridge forms the area known as ...
, Scotland by the brothers
Pat Kane Patrick Mark "Pat" Kane (born 10 March 1964) is a Scottish musician, journalist, political activist and one half of the pop duo Hue and Cry with his younger brother Greg.Larkin, Colin (1997) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music'', Virgi ...
and Greg Kane. The duo are best known for their 1987 single "
Labour of Love ''Labour of Love'' is the fourth studio album by British reggae band UB40, and their first album of cover versions. Released in the UK on 12 September 1983, the album is best known for containing the song "Red Red Wine", a worldwide number-one ...
".


Career

Their first single "Here Comes Everybody" was released on a small
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
-based independent label, Stampede, in 1986. While not a hit, it attracted the interest of
Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...
' subsidiary Circa who signed the duo in 1986. Their debut single for Circa was "I Refuse". Their second single and biggest hit was "
Labour of Love ''Labour of Love'' is the fourth studio album by British reggae band UB40, and their first album of cover versions. Released in the UK on 12 September 1983, the album is best known for containing the song "Red Red Wine", a worldwide number-one ...
" from the debut album ''Seduced and Abandoned''. Other hits included "Looking for Linda" and "Violently (Your Words Hit Me)" – both from their second album ''Remote''. In the 1990s, the brothers embarked upon a period of musical experimentation. Their 1991 album ''Stars Crash Down'' embraced
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...
,
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
,
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and quartet
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
. ''Truth and Love'' (1992) was released on the brothers' own short-lived label, Fidelity. Hue and Cry had a brief chart revival in 1993 with the release of the Circa compilation album '' Labours of Love – The Best of Hue and Cry'', which included a
Joey Negro David Russell Lee (born 18 June 1964) is an English DJ and house music producer, formerly known by the stage name Joey Negro, which he retired in July 2020 following the George Floyd protests. He has released music under a variety of pseud ...
remix of "Labour of Love". 1994 saw a collaboration with
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
arranger and composer,
Richard Niles Richard Niles is an American composer, arranger, record producer, guitarist, broadcaster, and journalist. Biography Early years Niles was born May 28, 1951, in Hollywood. He is the son of Tony Romano, a composer, singer, and guitarist who writ ...
. This produced the album ''Showtime!'' and the single "Just Say You Love Me". Pat Kane continued to work with Niles sporadically on live concerts for
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
with the
BBC Big Band The BBC Big Band, originally known as the BBC Radio Big Band is a British big band, previously run under the auspices of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The band broadcasts exclusively on BBC Radio, particularly on BBC Radio 2's long- ...
. In 1996 Hue and Cry signed to the Scottish jazz and classical record label,
Linn Records Linn Records is a Glasgow-based record label which specialises in classical music, jazz and Scottish music. It is part of Linn Products. History While Linn engineers were testing their flagship product, the Sondek LP12 turntable, they became fr ...
, for an intended trilogy of albums. First came ''JazzNotJazz'', an album that mixed
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
with non-jazz sounds. The album was recorded in a week during the
Glasgow Jazz Festival {{coord, 55.861, -4.259, display=title, region:GB_scale:20000 Glasgow International Jazz Festival is a jazz festival in Glasgow, Scotland. Main Festival The Glasgow International Jazz Festival is held annually in June in the Merchant City area ...
, enlisting the services of some of the jazz musicians visiting the city. They included
Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...
(
tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...
) and
Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on Nov ...
(trumpet) – who had played on the ''Remote'' album – as well as guitarist
Mike Stern Mike Stern (born January 10, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist. After playing with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he worked with drummer Billy Cobham, then with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1985. He then began a solo career, re ...
(sidesman with
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
), drummer Danny Gottlieb (
Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progre ...
) and saxophonist Tommy Smith. ''Next Move'' (1999) featured
drum 'n' bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...
, R&B and
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Latin-
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
. The album contained a cover of
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
's " Sign 'O' the Times", which they stripped bare and built up again as an aggressive
bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...
number. The intended third album on Linn Records was never produced, as the brothers concentrated on their solo projects – Pat with his writing and solo performing, and Greg with his music production.


Reformation

In April 2005, Hue and Cry made a comeback when they won the fourth-week heat of the
ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...
pop-competition show '' Hit Me Baby One More Time'' with a rendition of "Labour of Love" and a cover of
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
's "
Crazy in Love "Crazy in Love" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé, featuring a rap verse and ad-libs from her future husband Jay-Z from her debut solo studio album '' Dangerously in Love'' (2003). The song was released as her official debut single ...
". They were beaten in the final by
Shakin' Stevens Michael Barratt (born 4 March 1948), known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s. His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, althoug ...
. The band followed this up with dates in Scotland, a piano-vocal spot in support of
Jamie Cullum Jamie Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, songwriter and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums. He has recorded nine stu ...
at the 'Live on the Lawn' festival in
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, and a set in front of 25,000 at Glasgow's
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party. Their concerts in 2006 and 2007 sold out. The band performed two nights at the West End festival in Glasgow in 2007, where they showcased piano-vocal versions of new and old songs. They played Retrofest at
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on 2 September 2007, and headlined the Darvel Music Festival on 5 October. The duo showcased new tracks at a gig in Edinburgh Voodoo Rooms on 12 July 2008. At this time, the duo allowed fans exclusive access with the Hue and Cry Music Club through the official website. On 15 September 2008, they released their ''Open Soul'' album, for which recording and mixing finished in 2007. The first single "The Last Stop" on digital download was released on 1 September and coincided with the 20th anniversary of the release of ''Remote''. Their 'Open Soul' tour had sold out dates in
Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
, Aberdeen, Glasgow, London,
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and
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, beginning on 11 September 2008. On 1 December, the band released a second single "Heading for a Fall". They also opened for
Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...
on 30 October. They completed a tour of
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stores and, in February 2009, embarked on another sell out UK tour, billed as 'Open Soul..Open Road'. On 9 February, EMI released a 'Best of Collection' and the band released a third single called "Fireball." The band also launched the Hue and Cry Music Club. May 2009 saw the band headline the "Burns an' a' that" festival in Ayrshire, and play an acoustic set in Aberdeen. In July 2009, the brothers supported
Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album ''Dare' ...
at Thetford Forest and, in November 2009, played at "Homecoming Live- The Final Fling". They released a Christmas album on 30 November 2009 entitled ''Xmasday''. Hue and Cry played sold out nights as part of the History City weekend on 18 and 19 December 2009. A new Hue And Cry album, ''Hot Wire'' was released on 19 March 2012 to critical acclaim, and the band played acoustic gigs in support of it. They also appeared on
Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland, (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Jayne County, Sting, Eric C ...
's
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
show, and played "Shipbuilding" on the Titanic memorial show for Radio 2 receiving praise from Holland as well as
Dermot O'Leary Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary Jr. (born 24 May 1973) is an English broadcaster who currently works for ITV and BBC Radio 2. His radio career began when he worked as a disc jockey at Essex Radio, but he is best known for being the presenter of ''T ...
and
Jeremy Vine Jeremy Guy Vine (born 17 May 1965) is an English television and radio personality, presenter, broadcaster and journalist. He is best known as the host of his BBC Radio 2 lunchtime programme which presents news, views, interviews with live guest ...
. They also appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2012. Hue and Cry appeared on an August 2012 edition of '' Celebrity Big Brother, Bit on the Side'', singing "Labour of Love" at the end of the show. A further compilation album, ''A's and B's'' was released in 2012. They headed out on the road again in October 2012 with their band to play six shows in Scotland and performed further charity gigs towards the end of the year.


Discography

* '' Seduced and Abandoned'' (1987) * '' Remote'' (1988) * '' Bitter Suite'' (1989) * ''Stars Crash Down'' (1991) * ''Truth and Love'' (1992) * ''Showtime!'' (1994) * ''Piano & Voice'' (1995) * ''Jazz Not Jazz'' (1996) * ''Next Move'' (1999) * ''Open Soul'' (2008) * ''Xmasday'' (2009) * ''Hot Wire'' (2012) * ''Remote: Major to Minor'' (2014) * ''September Songs'' (2015) * ''Pocketful of Stones'' (2017)


References


External links


Official website for Hue and Cry – No Half Measures Management
{{Authority control Sibling musical duos British soul musical groups British pop music duos Scottish musical duos Scottish pop music groups Sophisti-pop musical groups Male musical duos