Simon David Cranstoun (born October 1971) is a British singer who spent many years as a busker on the streets of London and performed in

the Dualers The Dualers are an eight-piece (or nine-piece) ska and reggae band from South East London. Initially comprising brothers Si and Tyber Cranstoun, and now led by Tyber following Si's departure in 2010 for a solo career, they first developed a ...

, a ska band he formed with his brother Tyber, before becoming better known as a composer and singer of music influenced by 1950s and 1960s

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

Life

Simon Cranstoun was born in

Caterham Caterham () is a town in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. The town is administratively divided into two: Caterham on the Hill, and Caterham Valley, which includes the main town centre in the middle of a dry valley but rises to equal ...

, Surrey. His father, Bill Cranstoun, promoted Jamaican music in the 1960s. Si also loved 1950s and 1960s rock and roll and R&B music. Because he knew so many songs, he was chosen as singer for his high school band. He began to write songs at the age of 16. Cranstoun and his brother Tyber formed

, a

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

band. Cranstoun spent twenty years as a street busker in London, and once was given 30p by Prime Minister

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

. Cranstoun met his wife, Tamu, while singing in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

. They have a daughter and a son. He left the Dualers in 2010. He adopted a style that had more rock or rhythm and blues. He formed a band which started to get hired to perform in pubs and small venues. He said of the difficulty in getting started, "they just saw me as a reggae artist doing bebop and were a bit like: 'What is he doing here? In 2013, he performed with Little Richard in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. He was spotted in April that year and signed up with Warner Music's East West label. His single "Caught in the Moonlight" was shortlisted on the

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. ...

playlist, while album ''Modern Life'' peaked at number 30 on the OCC UK Albums chart in October 2014.

Style

Cranstoun has said that

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

's music was the first music he ever listened to, and Presley profoundly influenced his taste. He told an interviewer, "As a kid I used to spend all my pocket money on vintage records from the '50s and '60s. I got it home, listened to it, loved it, sang along to it." His style draws heavily on music of this period. He said of his single "Never Gonna Let You Go", "Motown Soul fused with Rock 'n' Roll. Well, they said it could never be done so this song is going to prove them wrong." Chris Evans described his vintage pop as, "A squeeze of the

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...

, a bit of

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...

, a dash of

Dean Friedman Dean Friedman (born May 23, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter who plays piano, keyboard, guitar and other instruments, including the harmonica. Although considered a one-hit wonder in the US, he has had multiple singles chart in other terr ...

, and a ripple of Rodriguez."

Discography

Albums

*2009: ''Get Lively'', Galley Music *2009: ''Skinny Jeans'', Galley Music *2010: ''Alternative Floor Fillers'', Galley Music *2010: ''Get Festive Vol 1'', Galley Music *2012: ''Dancehalls and Supper Clubs'', Galley Music *2014: ''Modern Life'', East West *2015: ''Old School'', Ruf Records

Singles

*2010: "Dynamo", Gallery Music *2014: "Never Gonna Let You Go", East West *2014: "Dance for Evermore", East West *2014; "Caught in the Moonlight", East West

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cranstoun, Si 1971 births British rock and roll musicians British rockabilly musicians British ska musicians British soul singers English rhythm and blues singers Living people 21st-century British singers Musicians from Surrey