The Beautiful South -

The Beautiful South was an English sophisti-pop band from Kingston upon Hull that debuted with the album Welcome to the Beautiful South on Go! Discs in 1989, followed by nine further discs during the ensuing 16-year period. Vocalist/songwriter Paul Heaton and drummer David Hemingway hailed from The Housemartins. On their sophomoric 1990 release Choke, the band were joined by ex-Rough Diamond/Champion keyboardist Damon Butcher, fresh from his sideman stint with Everything But the Girl.

Members: Paul Heaton (vocals), David Hemingway (drums, vocals), David Stead (drums), David Rotheray (guitar), Sean Welch (bass), Briana Corrigan (vocals, 1990-92), Jacqui Abbott (vocals, 1994-2000), Alison “Lady” Wheeler (vocals, 2003-07)

Background

The Beautiful South formed in 1988 in Kingston upon Hull when former Housemartins singer Paul Heaton and drummer Dave Hemingway started a new group after the Housemartins breakup. They recruited guitarist Dave Rotheray and bassist Sean Welch, then completed the quintet with drummer Dave Stead. Heaton fronted the Housemartins from their 1983 formation through their final recordings. Hemingway replaced drummer Hugh Whitaker before the second Housemartins album, The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death, and moved to lead vocals in the new group.

Rotheray played with Hemingway in Hull groups the Newpolitans and the Velvetones, then pursued postgraduate psychology at University of Hull. He lived near Heaton on Grafton Street when Heaton recruited him as guitarist and songwriting partner. Heaton recruited former Housemartins roadie Welch and asked him to learn bass. He chose Stead after asking Hull musicians for a drummer; Stead previously played with the Luddites and Vicious Circle. Heaton and Hemingway chose the Beautiful South name as an ironic reference to their northern English base.

Belfast-born Briana Corrigan moved from Portstewart to Newcastle upon Tyne at eighteen to study Theatre and Creative Performing Arts at Northumbria University. She joined the Anthill Runaways, whose members submitted a demo to Go! Discs. A&R head Jona Cox heard Corrigan on the tape and played it to Heaton. Heaton invited Corrigan to Hull for a meeting, after which she joined the group for debut-album sessions in Milan.

The band released “Song for Whoever” through Go! Discs in June 1989 (b/w “Straight in at 37”). The single took the group to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The Beautiful South followed with a short British tour that summer. The band completed Welcome to the Beautiful South ahead of an October release through Go! Discs.

Discography: