About Paul Carrack
Paul Melvyn Carrack is an English singer, musician, songwriter and composer who has recorded as both a solo artist and as a member of several popular bands. The BBC dubbed Carrack "The Man with the Golden Voice", while Record Collector remarked: "If vocal talent equalled financial success, Paul Carrack would be a bigger name than legends such as Phil Collins or Elton John."
Carrack rose to prominence in the mid-1970s as the frontman and principal songwriter of rock band Ace, and gained further recognition for his work as a solo artist and for his tenures as a member of Squeeze and Roger Waters' backing band, the Bleeding Heart Band, intermittently handling lead vocals on Squeeze and Waters recordings. From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, he enjoyed considerable success as the co-lead vocalist and a songwriter for Mike + The Mechanics; following Young's death in 2000, Carrack served as the band's sole lead vocalist until his departure in 2004.
Carrack sang some of his affiliated bands' best-known hits, including Ace's "How Long" ; Squeeze's "Tempted" ; and Mike + The Mechanics' "Silent Running " , "The Living Years" and "Over My Shoulder" . He also performed lead vocals on tracks from the Roger Waters albums Radio K.A.O.S. and The Wall – Live in Berlin . He has released nineteen solo albums and achieved a major hit of his own with "Don't Shed a Tear" . Carrack's songs have been recorded by artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Eagles, Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Michael McDonald and Jools Holland, and he has served as a session and/or touring musician for Roxy Music, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, B.B. King, the Pretenders, the Smiths and Madness.
Carrack's recording career began with the jazz-rock band Warm Dust, which released three studio albums of original material between 1970 and 1972. Carrack served as the band's keyboardist and occasionally played other instruments. The band's lead vocalist was Les Walker. In addition to Carrack and Walker, the line up also included David Pepper, Alan Solomon, Terry Comer, and John Surguy. The original line-up was made up of Les Dransfield Walker on lead-vocals, harp, guitar, Carrack on organ, piano, guitar, Dave Pepper on drums and Terry Corner on bass, guitar and recorder. While playing the Top Ten club in Hamburg, they met up with John Surgey who played tenor sax and Alan Solomon who played baritone sax who subsequently joined the band.
They played at venues in Germany and their appearances in the UK were considered rare. It was on the continent that they fared better. They even appeared to have upstaged Fleetwood Mac at a concert. Three of their performances were recorded for Beat Club. They were " Indian Rope Man", "Worm Dance Part 1" and "Worm Dance Part 2".
After Warm Dust broke up, Carrack and Warm Dust bassist Terry "Tex" Comer helped found the pub rock band Ace. The band's debut single, "How Long", was written and sung by Carrack and was a 1975 hit in both the UK and the United States. The track was Ace's only hit record and in 1977 the group disbanded. Carrack then worked as a backing musician for Frankie Miller and as a keyboardist for Roxy Music.
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