Ian Prowse
| Ian Prowse | |
|---|---|
|
Ian Prowse in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ian Prowse |
| Born |
10 January 1964 Chester, England |
| Genres | Pop, alternative rock, Celtic |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Labels | Polydor, Beat Crazy, CIA Records, IRL Records |
| Associated acts | Pele, Amsterdam |
Ian Prowse (born 10 January 1964 [1][2]) is an English singer-songwriter, currently frontman of Amsterdam[3] and previously of Pele.[4]
Biography
Pele
Prowse was born in Chester and grew up in Little Sutton, a suburb of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire where he attended Sutton Comprehensive School. Having performed in school bands When in Rome and Joseph Groome Towers, Prowse formed Pele in 1990. Signed by Michael Levy, Baron Levy in March 1991 to M&G Records, the band went on to release 2 studio albums and 1 live album. The band only troubled the lower regions of the charts in the UK, with it being often remarked that Pele sold more of their famous T-shirts than they did records, however they scored a number one single in South Africa with "Megalomania"and other hits in Holland, Portugal and Belgium. They split in 1996 due to problems with the record company.
Amsterdam
Prowse went on to form Amsterdam in 1999 with former Blow Monkeys drummer Tony Kiley and cousin Johnny Barlow. It wasn't until September 2004 that the band managed to secure a record deal in the form of London based Beat Crazy. They released one album The Journey in February 2005 and three singles, "The Journey" (which hit number 32 in the UK top 40) and "Does This Train Stop on Merseyside" also hit the lower reaches of the charts. The partnership was dissolved by mutual consent in 2006. The band then signed to The Stranglers management company and released their next album Arm in Arm on CIA Recordings in 2008.
"Does This Train Stop on Merseyside" regularly elicited an emotional response from Radio 1 DJ John Peel. Peel's widow Sheila Ravenscroft went on the station after the DJ's death and confirmed that 'He was not capable of playing it without crying'. The song itself got a further lease of life in 2009 as one of the centre pieces of Irish legend Christy Moore's album Listen, which spent 5 weeks at the top spot in his home country.
During this time, the band struck up a friendship with Elvis Costello who used them as his backing band on the Jonathan Ross television show[5] as well as support act on several occasions. Prowse also performed a duet with Costello for EMI Records with a cover of The Searchers' 1964 hit "Don't Throw Your Love Away" for the Liverpool Number Ones Project in 2008. He also picked up a musical icon award on Costello's behalf at Liverpool's Titanic Hotel in November 2014.
Other work
Prowse is a member of the Irish Sea Sessions, which is described as "Part super group, part colossal session and part festival, all in a single gig".
April 2012 saw the release of the career spanning "Does This Train Stop On Merseyside: The Very Best Of Ian Prowse". Prowse and former Style Council drummer Steve White released a version of Bruce Springsteen song Rosalita in 2013 for the 'Check 'em Lads' testicular cancer charity. Prowse has a young daughter named after the song. He released his first solo album "Who Loves Ya Baby?" in March 2014 initially via PledgeMusic and then IRL Records.[6]
Prowse also graduated with a BA (Hons) History Degree in 2009 and completed a Master's degree in Irish Studies in 2010 at the University of Liverpool. His Masters thesis was entitled 'Locating the Role of Christy Moore in Irish Folk and Traditional Music'.
Discography
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Pele - Fat Black Heart
 Song from Pele |
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References
- ↑ "findmypast.co.uk". Search.findmypast.co.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ↑ "Ian Prowse". Company Check. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- ↑ "Ian Prowse of band Amsterdam to perform at benefit gig at The Cavern, Liverpool, for victims of Haiti earthquake". Ellesmere Port Pioneer. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ↑ Davis, Laura (20 May 2009). "City band back for first gig of year". Liverpool Daily Post. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
- ↑ "Liverpool's Number One Project brings Amsterdam closer to Elvis Costello - The Elvis Costello Wiki". Elviscostello.info. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ↑ "Ian Prowse". PledgeMusic. Retrieved 23 September 2014.