Ambrose Reynolds
Encyclopedia
Early years
Began making music as a chorister at Liverpool Cathedral at the age of 7. A few years later, teaming up with David Knopov in a street busking band called The O'Boogie Brothers. The O'Boogie Brothers expanded its membership to include an Ian Broudie (Lightning Seeds) on Guitar and Nathan McGough (later to manage the Happy Mondays). With a new 6 piece line up they became a proper band after supporting legendary Liverpool band Deaf School on Christmas Eve 1976 at Erics Club, Mathew St, Liverpool. The O'Boogie Brothers eventually split (as bands do) in 1977. After a short stint playing with various Liverpool bands including the infamous Big In Japan with Jayne Casey and Ian Broudie Ambrose teamed up with David Knopv to put a new band together.In late 1977 Ambrose and David Knopov formed a new band Ded Byrds, a kind of cabaret punk bank featuring Denyse D'arcy (Sax & vocals), David Wibberley (Guitar), Wayne Hussey (Guitar) (Mission), Jon Moss (Drums) (not the Culture Club guy!), David Knopov (Vocal). The Ded Byrds were hugly successful on the NW band scene, playing regularly at Erics and Tony Wilson's Factory Club, Manchester. Ded Byrds were spotted supporting The Pretenders by Sire Records boss, Seymor Stein who signed them on the spot to a five-year record contract on the proviso that the band changed its name. In June 1979, Walkie Talkies, released one single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Rich and Nasty" b/w "Summertime in Russia" (Hussey) released in 1979 the band split in November of that year.
In the 1980s Reynolds was still tied to Sire Records an unable to start a new project and so worked with a close succession of other Liverpool groups: played with and produced Pete Burns band Nightmares In Wax, recording one single "Black Leather" worked with Factory Records to Produce "We Love The Moon" 12" Single and Album, The Project with The Royal Family And The Poor
The Royal Family and the Poor
The Royal Family and the Poor are a band from Liverpool, England, centred around multi-instrumentalist Mike Keane. After recording two singles and two albums for Factory Records in the 1980s, the band continued to release music into the 21st century.-History:...
.
In 1980 Ambrose formed a new band Frankie Goes To Hollywood with Holly Johnson, BF Tin and Steve Lovell. The name is a matter of contention, Holly wanted to call the band Hollycost, Ambrose disagreed, Holly responded "we could call it anything" his eyes drifted to a poster on the wall of Frank Sinatra (from a book called rock dreams) as he read out the caption, saying disparagingly, "we could even call it "Frankie goes to hollywood, it doesn't matter", at which point Ambrose said, "yes, that's what we SHOULD call it, it's original and different" the band split up soon after that, Ambrose continued to work under that name until 1981, with Holly using the name for his more successful band of the same name a few years later.
Reynolds teamed up again with Jayne Casey
Jayne Casey
Jayne Casey is an artistic director who was known for being involved in the Liverpool punk and new wave scene in the 1970s and 1980s, with Big in Japan, Pink Military and Pink Industry.-Big In Japan:...
, to form experimental electronic pop group Pink Industry
Pink Industry
Pink Industry were a post-punk band from Liverpool formed by Jayne Casey after her previous band Pink Military split up in 1981.-History:When Pink Military split up in 1981, singer Jayne Casey formed the more electronically oriented band Pink Industry along with Ambrose Reynolds Pink Industry were...
. Ambrose and Jayne also formed their own record company, Zulu Records, releasing a tsunami of records between 1981–1985. Pink Industry releases: Fort-Five EP 1981, Low Technology LP 1982, Who Told You You Were Naked? 1982, What I Wouldn't Give EP 1983, New Beginnings LP 1984, Cruel Garden EP 1984, Don't Let Go 12" 1985 (produced by Ian Broudie) .
Ambrose's Zulu label also released The Zulu Compilation 1984, featuring Frankie Goes To Hollywood's an early version of "Two Tribes" and Ambrose's solo album 'Greatest Hits an album of famous political speeches and assassinations from the mid 1960s set to music. In 1985 Pink Industry split up and Ambrose began working in theatre music touring Europe with various shows.
I
n 1987 Ambrose formed Urban Strawberry Lunch with BF Tin, specialising in making and playing music on recycled materials, USL have gone through many line-up changes but Ambrose is still playing!
Since 2003 Ambrose and USL have been working out of Liverpool's famous "bombed out church" St Luke's regenerating the ruined building through the arts, presenting music, exhibitions, poetry, dance, outdoor film screenings and even weddings!
Ambrose is married, with a grown up daughter.