Immaculate Fools -

Immaculate Fools were an English sophisti-pop band that made seven A&M singles and the 1985–87 albums Hearts of Fortune and Dumb Poet, followed by the 1990 CBS release Another Man’s World.

Members: Kevin Weatherill (vocals, guitar, harmonica, mandolin), Paul Weatherill (bass, vocals), Andy Ross (guitar 1984-90), Peter Ross (drums 1984-90)

Background

Immaculate Fools formed in London in 1984 when singer-guitarist Kevin Weatherill and bassist-vocalist Paul Weatherill teamed with guitarist-keyboardist Andy Ross and drummer Peter Ross. The Weatherill brothers came from Rochester, Kent, while the Ross brothers grew up in South London.

Kevin Raymond Weatherill was born in Kent in 1950 and grew up with rock-and-roll records played by his parents and jazz musicians among his maternal uncles. He left home at fifteen and supported himself through casual jobs, then began playing bass in bands in his twenties. Paul Weatherill, born in 1952, shared an early interest in rock and roll and R&B and also took up bass.

Andy Ross grew up in Orpington, South London, as a son of jazz saxophonist Ronnie Ross and nurse Joan Ross. He started on guitar at thirteen and played covers at workingmen’s clubs by age fifteen. Ross joined a jazz trio at sixteen, worked folk clubs, and entered Brighton Art College at eighteen. He left college to join Peter Ross in a London jazz-rock band and subsequently took an in-house songwriting post with Rondor Music.

Immaculate Fools signed a worldwide publishing agreement with Rondor Music International in September 1984, the month A&M issued their debut single “Nothing Means Nothing” (b/w “Little Tickets”). The quartet played an eight-song set at London’s Paris Theatre on Sept. 29 with “Save It,” “Hearts of Fortune,” and “Immaculate Fools” among the numbers.

A&M issued “Immaculate Fools” (b/w “As the Crow Flies”) in early 1985, and the single reached No. 51 on the UK Singles Chart. The quartet then recorded Hearts of Fortune with producer Colin Thurston, while Glyn Johns mixed the album for its spring 1985 release on A&M.

Discography: