James William Somerville (born 22 June 1961) is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter. He sang in the 1980s with the pop groups

Bronski Beat Bronski Beat were a British synthpop trio which achieved success in the mid-1980s, particularly with the 1984 chart hit " Smalltown Boy", from their debut album '' The Age of Consent''. "Smalltown Boy" was their only US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

and

The Communards The Communards were a British synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985. The duo consisted of Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles. They are most famous for their cover versions of " Don't Leave Me This Way", originally by Harold Melvin & the B ...

, and has also had a solo career. He is known in particular for his powerful and soulful

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist ( ...

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentou ...

singing voice. Many of his songs, such as " Smalltown Boy", contain political commentary on gay-related issues.

Early life

Born on 22 June, 1961, James William Somerville grew up in Ruchill, a neighbourhood of northern

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 pop ...

. In 1980 he moved to London, where he lived in squats. He immersed himself in

gay culture Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual and homoromantic men may also dually identify as gay, and a number of young gay men also identify as queer. Historically, gay men have been referred to by a number of different terms, including ...

, and attended the London Gay Teenage Group.

Career

In 1983, Somerville co-founded the

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

group

, which had several hits in the British charts. Their biggest hit was " Smalltown Boy", which reached No. 3 in the UK charts. In the music video Somerville plays the song's titular character, who leaves his hostile hometown for the friendlier city, reflecting Somerville's own experiences when he moved to London. Somerville left Bronski Beat in 1985 and formed

with classically-trained pianist Richard Coles, who became a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

vicar (retired, April 2022) and broadcaster. They had several hits, including a cover version of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' " Don't Leave Me This Way", which spent four weeks at No. 1 in the UK charts and became the biggest-selling single of 1986 in the UK. He also sang backing vocals on

Fine Young Cannibals Fine Young Cannibals (FYC) was a British pop rock band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1984, by bassist David Steele (musician), David Steele, guitarist Andy Cox (both formerly of The Beat (British band), The Beat), and singer Roland Gift (fo ...

' version of "

Suspicious Minds "Suspicious Minds" is a 1968 song written and first recorded by American songwriter Mark James. After this recording failed commercially, it was cut by Elvis Presley with producer Chips Moman, becoming a No. 1 song in 1969, and one of the most ...

", which was a UK Top 10 hit. The Communards split in 1988; Somerville began a solo career the following year. He released his debut solo album ''

Read My Lips Read My Lips may refer to: Film and television * "Read My Lips" (''Batman: The Animated Series''), a television episode, 1993 * ''Read My Lips'' (film) or ''Sur mes lèvres'', a 2001 French film by Jacques Audiard Music Albums * ''Read My Lips'' ...

'' in November 1989, which contained three UK Top 30 hits, including a hit cover of

Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented a ...

's disco classic " You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" and a cover of " Comment te dire adieu?", a duet with June Miles-Kingston, which reached number 14 in the

UK Singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. He also sang on the second Band Aid project at the end of 1989. In November 1990, Somerville's greatest-hits album ''

The Singles Collection 1984/1990 ''The Singles Collection 1984/1990'' is a compilation album covering Scottish pop singer Jimmy Somerville's career in the bands Bronski Beat, The Communards and as a solo artist. It was released in 1990. In Italy, the album was marketed under the ...

'' (which featured his hits with Bronski Beat and The Communards in addition to his own material) was released; it reached number 4 on the UK Album Chart. It included a reggae cover 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 i ...

' hit song " To Love Somebody", which also reached the UK Top 10. Also in 1990, Somerville contributed the song " From This Moment On" to the

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

tribute album ''

Red Hot + Blue ''Red Hot + Blue'' is the first compilation album from the Red Hot Organization in the Red Hot Benefit Series. It features contemporary pop performers reinterpreting several songs of Cole Porter, and the title of the album originates from Col ...

'' produced by the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

, the proceeds from which benefited AIDS research. In 1991, Somerville provided backing vocals to a track called "Why Aren't You in Love With Me?" from the album '' Ripe'' by Communards offshoot band Banderas. The Banderas duo, Caroline Buckley and Sally Herbert, had previously been part of Somerville's backing band. After this, he disappeared from the limelight for several years. He returned in 1995 with the album ''Dare to Love'', which included "

Heartbeat A heartbeat is one cardiac cycle of the heart. Heartbeat, heart beat, heartbeats, and heart beats may refer to: Computing *Heartbeat (computing), a periodic signal to indicate normal operation or to synchronize parts of a system *Heartbeat, clus ...

" (a UK Top 30 hit and a No. 1 hit on the US dance chart), " Hurt So Good" and " By Your Side", though commercial success was now beginning to elude him and his contract with London Records to which he had been signed for over a decade came to an end. A new single, "Dark Sky", was released in 1997 and peaked at No. 66 in the UK. In the same year he provided vocals on " The Number One Song in Heaven" for the

Sparks Sparks may refer to: Places *Sparks, Georgia * Sparks, Kansas *Sparks, Kentucky *Sparks, Maryland * Sparks, Nebraska *Sparks, Nevada *Sparks, Oklahoma *Sparks, Texas * Sparks, Bell County, Texas * Sparks, West Virginia Books * ''Sparks'' (Raffi ...

album ''

Plagiarism Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and though ...

'' with production by

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of many ...

. His third album, entitled ''Manage The Damage'', was released in 1999 via Gut Records, but failed to chart. A companion remix album, ''Root Beer'', came out in 2000. His dance-orientated fourth solo album, ''Home Again'', was released in 2004, again not charting. Jimmy Somerville in Warsaw

May 2009 saw the release of Somerville's ''Suddenly Last Summer'' album, which contained acoustic interpretations of other people's songs. The album was initially only available as a digital download but in May 2010 was made available in a limited edition (3,000 copies) CD/DVD in the UK. In late 2010, Somerville released a dance EP called ''Bright Thing''. 2010's EP ''Bright Thing'' was the first of a series of three, with Somerville releasing ''Momentum'' in 2011 and ''Solent'' in 2012, with long-term collaborator John Winfield. Somerville released a disco-inspired album called ''Homage'' in 2014. Singles were "Back to Me" followed by "Travesty". The emphasis in recording the album was on achieving the musical authenticity of original disco which Somerville grew up listening to. He stated: "I've finally made the disco album I always wanted to and never thought I could." He has also had an acting career, appearing in

Sally Potter Charlotte Sally Potter (born 19 September 1949) is an English film director and screenwriter. She is known for directing ''Orlando'' (1992), which won the audience prize for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival. Early life Potter was born an ...

's 1992 film of

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born ...

's ''

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures r ...

'', in

Isaac Julien Sir Isaac Julien (born 21 February 1960Annette Kuhn"Julien, Isaac (1960–)" BFI Screen Online.) is a British installation artist, filmmaker, and distinguished professor of the arts at UC Santa Cruz. Early life Julien was born in the East End ...

's 1989 ''

Looking for Langston ''Looking for Langston'' is a 1989 British black-and-white film, directed by Isaac Julien and produced by Sankofa Film & Video Productions. It combines authentic archival newsreel footage of Harlem in the 1920s with scripted scenes to produce a ...

'', and in an episode of the cult science fiction television series ''

Lexx ''Lexx'' (also known as ''LEXX: The Dark Zone Stories'' and ''Tales from a Parallel Universe'') is a science fiction television series created by Lex Gigeroff and brothers Paul and Michael Donovan. It originally aired on April 18, 1997, on Cana ...

'' ("Girltown"). In February 2021, Somerville teamed up with producer Sally Herbert (formerly of 1990s duo Banderas and also part of The Communards' backing band) to record a cover of "Everything Must Change" by Benard Ighner as a charity record for End Youth Homelessness, a network of projects which includes Centrepoint in London and a number of other homeless charity organisations around the UK.

Discography

Solo albums

*''

'' (1989) *'' Dare to Love'' (1995) *''

Manage the Damage ''Manage the Damage'' is the 1999 third solo album by pop singer Jimmy Somerville. It was released on 14 June 1999 in the UK and 11 January 2000 in the US. (see section 'Upcoming Releases', p. 31) Track listing All tracks composed by Jimmy Som ...

'' (1999) *'' Home Again'' (2004) *''Suddenly Last Summer'' (2009) *''Homage'' (2015)

With Bronski Beat

*'' The Age of Consent'' (1984) *'' Hundreds & Thousands'' (1986) *

With The Communards

*'' Communards'' (1986) *'' Red'' (1987)

Awards and nominations

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" , + List of awards and nominations for Jimmy Somerville ! Awards!! Year !! Work !! Category !! Result !! Ref. , - ! scope="row" rowspan=4,

Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

, rowspan=2,

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, British Group , , rowspan=2, , - , " Smalltown Boy" , rowspan=2, British Single of the Year , , - ,

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airpor ...

, " Don't Leave Me This Way" , , , - ,

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...

, Himself , British Male Solo Artist , , , - ! scope="row",

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

, 1984 , '' Framed Youth'' , Grierson Award , , , - !scope="row", Queerty Awards , 2014 , "Travesty" , Earworn of the Year , , , - ! scope="row", RSH Gold Awards , 1991 , Himself , Power Groove of the Year , ,

References

External links

Jimmy Somerville's official websiteJimmy Somerville interviewJimmy Somerville
at the

*
How '80s LGBTQ band Bronski Beat’s haunting ‘Smalltown Boy’ made a difference: ‘It was very bold'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Somerville, Jimmy 1961 births 21st-century Scottish male singers 20th-century Scottish male singers Scottish house musicians Gay singers Gay songwriters Scottish LGBT singers Scottish LGBT songwriters Bronski Beat members The Communards members Living people Musicians from Glasgow Scottish new wave musicians Scottish pop singers Scottish singer-songwriters British Hi-NRG musicians British synth-pop new wave musicians Male new wave singers Scottish tenors Countertenors Gut Records artists 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people Scottish gay musicians