Paul Heaton

After the Housemartins disbanded in the late '80s, Heaton then fronted the Beautiful South, a group that mirrored the Housemartins' no-frills approach. Nevertheless, the Beautiful South expanded Heaton's musical canvas, exploring jazz and even country influences. While many critics and student-run radio stations in the U.S. continued to laud Heaton's talent, the Beautiful South became far more successful in England, where they charted several number one albums. The group called it quits in 2007, having sold more than 15 million records worldwide, and Heaton shifted his focus to his growing solo career. While Fat Chance technically marked his solo debut in 2001 (albeit under the name Biscuit Boy aka Crackerman), 2008's The Cross Eyed Gambler was billed as a genuine Heaton release. Two years later, Heaton returned with Acid Country, which he helped to promote with a bicycle-led U.K. pub tour. The year 2012 saw the release of Presents the 8th, a stage play that boasted a single conceptual song told in eight chapters, dealing with the seven deadly sins, and featuring guest vocalists. In 2014 he released What Have We Become?, a collaborative album recorded with the other singer from the Beautiful South, Jacqui Abbott. After the warm of that effort, which catapulted to number three on the U.K. albums chart -- Heaton's highest-charting album since his Beautiful South days -- the duo regrouped for 2015's Wisdom, Laughter and Lines. The success of their renewed partnership was also reflected in an extensive and warmly received set of live dates, culminating in a sold-out homecoming gig to a crowd of 20,000 people in Hull in 2017. That same year, Heaton and Abbott announced they would be releasing their third record as a duo that summer. Crooked Calypso was produced by longtime collaborator John Williams (Cocteau Twins, Sinéad O'Connor, Alison Moyet), and featured the pair's wry wit and flair for infectious melodies.