FINLEY QUAYE
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Strike it lucky
FINLEY QUAYE is on his way to the big time, with debut album Maverick A Strike in the bag. But the singer is not leaving his hometown of Edinburgh behind. Words: Jim Byers
18 mausr 12—25 Sept 1997
BACK IN MARCH, The List tipped a young Edinburgh-based singer called Finley Quaye for future success. At the time. few had heard ol‘ Quaye’s name. let alone his music, but in little over six months, his career has gone ballistic.
We‘ll skip — il‘ you don‘t mind — all the biographical stuff about Quaye being half Scottish and half Ghanaian and his being Tricky’s uncle and his brother playing guitar for Elton John and his dad being a jazz composer and how he has lived in Holland. France. America. England and blah blah blah . . .
Yes. it’s all true and no. it isn’t that import- ant. All you need to know is he‘s 24. he lives in Edinburgh where he was brought up and schooled. he makes a unique blend ol~ roots. reggae. rock and pop. and his debut album Maverick A Strike is out this month. He's doing rather well for himsell'. thank you very much.
Still not sure who he is'.’ Perhaps you missed him on Tap ()f'l‘he Paps. 'II If I. Friday. The Jae/t Doe/terry Show, Later Wit/t Jools Holland, The Ozone. The Big Breakfast and The Chart Show. Maybe you didn't read about him in NME, II), Melody Make): Time Out. Vat. Q. Dazed & (“mt/axed and Mitzi/t. Or see him at Glastonbury. Phoenix. V97 or Finsbury Park. Or realise that his second single ‘Sunday Shining‘ recently spent five weeks at Number 16 in the charts.
Mind you. he has been away touring in Holland. Germany. Switzerland and Belgium. And shooting a video in Namibia. And jam- ming with Iggy Pop and 'l‘ricky in New York.