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Biography
BLP sources|date=October 2009Infobox musical artist | image = Jimmy Somerville in Warsaw.jpg| caption = Concert in Warsaw , 10 June 2006| image_size =| alt =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = James William Somerville| Born = Birth date and age|1961|06|22|df
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Glasgow , Scotland | death_date =| instrument = Vocals| genre = Pop music|Pop , synth pop | occupation = Singer , songwriter | years_active = 1983–present| label = London Records Gut Records BMG | associated_acts = Bronski Beat Communards (band)|The Communards | website = http://www.jimmysomerville.co.uk www.jimmysomerville.co.uk James William Somerville (born 22 June 1961) is a Scottish pop music|pop singer and songwriter. He had considerable success in the 1980s with the pop groups Bronski Beat and Communards (band)|The Communards , and has also had a successful solo career.cite web |title=His beat goes on - singer Jimmy Somerville |url= http://www.thefreelibrary.com/His+beat+goes+on-a062741798 |date=2000-06-20 |last=Walters |first=Barry |work= The Advocate |accessdate=2009-04-19 He is known in particular for his falsetto singing voice. He is also openly gay and vocal about gay rights .
Somerville's latest album, Suddenly Last Summer was released in May 2009.
Career
In 1983, Somerville co-founded the synth pop group Bronski Beat ,cite web |title=Jimmy Somerville official biography |url= http://www.jimmysomerville.co.uk/biography.php |accessdate=2010-09-23 which proceeded to have a number of hits in the British charts. Their biggest hit was " Smalltown Boy " which reached #3 in the charts. Somerville played the song's titular character in the music video who leaves his hostile 'straight' hometown for the friendlier city.
Somerville left Bronski Beat in 1985, and formed Communards (band)|The Communards with classically trained pianist Richard Coles (now a Church of England vicar).cite news |title=Revved Up: Richard Coles, a Very Modern Vicar |url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/revved-up-richard-coles-a-very-modern-vicar-1859853.html |date=2010-01-10 |last=Stanford |first=Peter |work= The Independent |accessdate=2010-09-23 They had a number of hits, including a cover version of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes 's " Don't Leave Me This Way ", which spent four weeks at #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 ' version of " Suspicious Minds ", which was a UK Top 10 hit.
The Communards split in 1988, and Somerville launched his solo career. He had several solo hits between 1989 and 1991, also singing on the second Band Aid (band)|Band Aid project at the end of 1989. After releasing his 1989 album Read My Lips , which included a hit cover of Sylvester James|Sylvester's disco music|disco classic " You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) " as well as a cover of The Bee Gees ' hit song " To Love Somebody (song)|To Love Somebody " a year later, Somerville left the limelight and was absent from recording for a number of years. In 1990, Somerville contributed the song " From This Moment On (Cole Porter song)|From This Moment On " to the Cole Porter tribute album " Red Hot + Blue " produced by the Red Hot Organization , 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 (duo)|Banderas . The Banderas duo Caroline Buckley and Sally Herbert had previously been part of Somerville's backing band.
Somerville returned in 1995 with the album Dare to Love, which included " Heartbeat (Jimmy Somerville song)|Heartbeat ", a #1 hit on the Hot Dance Club Play|U.S. dance chart . Another album, entitled Manage The Damage , was released in 1999, and its companion remix album Root Beer came out a year later. His dance-oriented fourth solo album, Home Again , was released in 2005.
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 music download|digital download but in May 2010 was made available in a limited edition (3.000 copies) CD/DVD in the UK.
In 2011 Somerville released a dance EP called "Bright Thing".
Somerville has also led an acting career, appearing in Sally Potter 's 1992 film of Virginia Woolf 's Orlando (movie)|Orlando , in Isaac Julien 's 1998 Looking for Langston , and in an episode of the cult science fiction television series Lexx ("Girltown").
Discography
Bronski Beat
Albums
US !! Certification
1984
1985
British Hit Singles & Albums
Singles
" Smalltown Boy ", UK #3, NL #1, US Dance Chart #1, IRL #4, IT #3, France #8, US Hot 100 #48, # 3 Germany
" Why? (Bronski Beat song)|Why? ", September, 1984, UK #6, NL #2, IRL #6, France #8, IT #18, # 5 Germany
" It Ain't Necessarily So ", December, 1984, UK #16, NL #32, IRL #26, IT #28, # 31 Germany
"I Feel Love" (medley with Marc Almond), April, 1985, UK #3, NL #17, IRL #3, France #28, # 16 Germany
"Don't Leave Me This Way" (The Communards with SarahJane Morris (singer)
1 (4 Weeks)
40
-
1 (8 Weeks)
2 (2 Weeks)
19
6 (4 Weeks)
5
Communards
1986
"Don't Leave Me This Way" (Gotham City Mix) (The Communards with SarahJane Morris (singer)
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
14
Communards
1986
"So Cold the Night"
8
-
25
8
10
13
17
14
Communards
1986
"So Cold the Night" (Remix) + Multimix
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Communards
1987
"You Are My World '87" ( Remix )
21
-
-
23
-
-
-
59
Communards
1987
"Tomorrow"
23 (2 Weeks)
-
2
31 (2 Weeks)
23
-
32
25
Red
1987
" Never Can Say Goodbye "
4
51
2
3
12
-
9
6
Red
1987
" Never Can Say Goodbye " (Remix)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Red
1988
"For a Friend"/ "Megamix"
28
-
-
-
-
-
-
35
Red
1988
"There's More To Love"
20
-
-
-
-
-
-
34
Red
Solo
Read My Lips , London Records 1989, LP/CD British Phonographic Industry|UK : Gold, # 29 UK
:* Comment Te Dire Adieu (with June Miles-Kingston ), FFRR London Records 1989, single #3 France; #14 UK; #26 Netherlands, # 25 Germany :* "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" , FFRR London Records 1989, single #5 UK; #7 France; #34 US Dance; #49 Netherlands, # 22 Germany :* Read My Lips (Enough Is Enough) , FFRR London Records 1989, single #26 UK; #29 France, # 57 Germany
The Singles Collection , London Records 1990, LP/CD #4 (2 Weeks) Switzerland; #4 UK; #10 (2 Weeks) Australia
:* Run From Love , FFRR London Records 1991, single #27 France; #52 UK, # 98 Germany :* " To Love Somebody (song)|To Love Somebody ", FFRR London Records 1991, single #4 Netherlands; #5 Austria & New Zealand; #8 UK; #15 France, # 20 Germany :* ''Smalltown Boy '91 , FFRR London Records 1991, single, # 32 UK, # 28 Germany
Dare To Love , London Records 1995, LP/CD, # 38 UK, # 79 Germany
:* By Your Side , FFRR London Records 1995, single, # 41 UK :* Hurt So Good , FFRR London Records 1995, double single, # 24 UK, # 69 Germany :* "Heartbeat", FFRR London Records 1995, podwójny single, # 16 UK, # 54 Germany :* Safe In These Arms , FFRR London Records 1997, single
Master Series , FFRR London Records 1996, Compilation CD
:* Dark Sky , GUT Records 1999, single, # 66 UK :* Something To Live For , GUT Records 1999, single, # 100 Germany :* Lay Down , GUT Records 1999, double single
Root Beer , Instinct Records 2000, CD
:* Why? 2000 , Almighty 2000, single :* ''Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You , Almighty/Atoll Musi 2001, single #46 France
The Very Best Of Jimmy Somerville, Bronski Beat and The Communards , Waner Brothers/London Records 2001, CD, # 49 Germany
Home Again (Jimmy Somerville album)|Home Again (2004), BMG International 2004, CD, # 48 Germany
:* ''It's So Good , BMG International 2004, double single :* Come On , Hablando/BMG International 2004, single :* ''Ain't No Mountain High Enough , Hablando/BMG International 2005, single, # 88 Germany
Suddenly Last Summer (Jimmy Somerville album)|Suddenly Last Summer (2009), DigitalDownload - iTunes 2009 (Released in UK on CD/DVD set in April 2010)
For a Friend: The Best of Bronski Beat, The Communards & Jimmy Somerville (2009)
Bright Thing (EP) (2010) http://jimmysomerville.bandcamp.com/album/bright-thing-ep Bright Thing EP | Jimmy Somerville. Jimmysomerville.bandcamp.com (2010-12-12). Retrieved on 2012-01-01.
Momentum (EP) (2011) http://jimmysomerville.bandcamp.com/album/momentum-ep Momentum EP | Jimmy Somerville. Jimmysomerville.bandcamp.com (2011-06-24). Retrieved on 2012-01-01.
List of Jimmy Somerville songs
This is a list of all Jimmy Somerville songs, including the song title, writer(s), and the album/single on which they first appeared. Solo, group, and duet vocals are included, but songs featuring Somerville on backing vocals only are not.
List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.jimmysomerville.net Jimmy Somerville's official fanpage
http://www.jimmysomerville.co.uk/ Jimmy Somerville's official website
http://www.chaoscontrol.com/content_article.php? article=jimmysomerville Jimmy Somerville interview
IMDB name|id=0813896|name=Jimmy Somerville
http://jsfanbase.wordpress.com/ Jimmy Somerville Fanbase - The Blog
Use dmy dates|date=August 2010 Persondata | NAME = Somerville, Jimmy | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = 22 June 1961 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Somerville, Jimmy Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Scottish male singers Category:Scottish pop singers Category:People from Glasgow Category:LGBT musicians from the United Kingdom Category:Scottish singer-songwriters Category:LGBT people from Scotland Category:British house musicians
