Paul Carrack comes to Victoria Hall in Hanley

Feb 10 2010 by Will Harris, Crewe Chronicle

HIS name might not be a household one, but when it comes to creating a buzz in music circles, few have a better pedigree to do just that than Paul Carrack.

He visits the Victoria Hall in Hanley next week on Friday, February 19.

Sheffield-born Paul has spent 30 years playing with some of the biggest names in the music business and now he is the one standing in the spotlight as a solo artist.

He has worked with Roxy Music, Squeeze and Mike and the Mechanics, while also appearing on albums with Elton John, Eric Clapton, The Pretenders, The Smiths and BB King.

As a keyboard player Carrack began his career with jazz/rock fusion band Warm Dust and then formed Ace with bassist Tex Comer. Their debut single, How Long, written and sung by Paul, became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

When Ace disbanded, Paul joined Roxy Music and left them to replace Jools Holland on keyboards with Squeeze.

In the mid-80s Carrack teamed up with Mike Rutherford of Genesis to form Mike and the Mechanics and was with them through a string of successes including a US number one and UK chart number two with the title track from the album The Living Years.

The show starts at 8pm and tickets are £26.50. To book, phone 0844 871 7649.