Chris Bailey
Encyclopedia
Chris Bailey is the co-founder and singer of rock band The Saints
. He was born in Nanyuki, Kenya
in 1959 to Irish parents. Bailey grew up in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
until the age of seven, when his family emigrated to Australia
. The Saints were formed in Australia in 1974. Their first hit was in the UK with the classic punk anthem "(I'm) Stranded
". The band slowly evolved toward a more sophisticated sound on their next few albums.
After several years of solo adventure, Bailey revived The Saints to record Howling in 1996. This album was followed by Everybody Knows the Monkey
(1998), Spit the Blues Out
(2002), Nothing is Straight in My House
(2005) and Imperious Delirium
(2006), which were all recorded under the name of The Saints.
A cover of The Easybeats
' "The Music Goes Round My Head" was issued as a single in December 1988 and featured on the soundtrack to the film Young Einstein
. In 1991, Bailey formed the Chris Bailey Combo which included Paul Hester
, Nick Seymour and Dror Erez, as well as a revolving cast of guest players.
Demons was Bailey's second solo album, recorded in Memphis
, Tennessee
, where he had been sent by TVT Records. Savage Entertainment was released in October 1992, and in 1993 Bailey wrote and recorded together with Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano
, which included a rework of the song "All Fools' Day".
Bailey's fourth solo album 54 Days . . . at Sea was recorded in Malmö, Sweden and was released in 1994. It featured Bolivian folk musicians Mundo Folk, whom Bailey had seen busking when visiting friends in Sweden the previous year. Swedish musicians Eddie Nyström (guitar), Magnus Börjeson (bass) and Stellan Colt (drums) provided the rock base for the album.
For the Earth Music compilation, issued in June 1994, Bailey contributed a cover of Tim Finn's
"Not Even Close".
When Mushroom Music
celebrated their 25th anniversary in 1998, Bailey was one of the invited artists to perform on a stage at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
in front of an audience of about 100,000 people. He performed two of his most famous songs, "Ghost Ships" and "Just Like Fire Would", solo and also a duet with Paul Kelly: "Wide Open Road", a tribute to the late David McComb
of The Triffids
.
2003 saw Bailey make a guest appearance, singing the chorus vocals on "Bring It On", on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
album Nocturama
. Bailey then toured America with the group and performed with them on the Late Night with David Letterman
show.
At the 2005 Queensland Poetry festival in Brisbane, at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, Chris Bailey headlined the event.
Chris Bailey and the General Dog is another one of Bailey's constellations, their latest record being Bone Box
in 2005. During the spring of 2007, Bailey undertook a solo tour of France, on occasion as a double act with French rock artist Mickaël Furnon, alias Mickey, from rock group Mickey 3D
.
The Saints (band)
The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...
. He was born in Nanyuki, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
in 1959 to Irish parents. Bailey grew up in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
until the age of seven, when his family emigrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The Saints were formed in Australia in 1974. Their first hit was in the UK with the classic punk anthem "(I'm) Stranded
(I'm) Stranded
Stranded is the debut album by Australian punk rock group The Saints which was released by EMI on 21 February 1977. Their debut single, " Stranded", was issued ahead of the album in September 1976, which Sounds magazine's reviewer, Jonh Ingham, declared was the "Single of this and every week"...
". The band slowly evolved toward a more sophisticated sound on their next few albums.
After several years of solo adventure, Bailey revived The Saints to record Howling in 1996. This album was followed by Everybody Knows the Monkey
Everybody Knows the Monkey
Everybody Knows the Monkey is the tenth studio album released by The Saints.- Track listing :#What do you want#Easy money#Working overtime#Fall of an empire#Mustard#Vaguely jesus#What are you waiting for#Everything turns sour...
(1998), Spit the Blues Out
Spit the Blues Out
Spit the Blues Out is the eleventh studio album released by The Saints.- Track listing :#A Gentleman Came Walking 4:09#Who's Been Talking 2:59#Waiting for God 3:44...
(2002), Nothing is Straight in My House
Nothing is Straight in My House
Nothing is Straight in My House is the twelfth studio album released by The Saints.- Track listing :All tracks composed by Chris Bailey; except where indicated#Porno Movies#A Madman Wrecked My Happy Home#Nothing Is Straight In My House...
(2005) and Imperious Delirium
Imperious Delirium
Imperious Delirium is the thirteenth studio album released by Australian rock music group The Saints. With Marty Willson-Piper out of the band, The Saints were, for the first time, a trio...
(2006), which were all recorded under the name of The Saints.
A cover of The Easybeats
The Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
' "The Music Goes Round My Head" was issued as a single in December 1988 and featured on the soundtrack to the film Young Einstein
Young Einstein
Young Einstein is an Australian comedy film directed by and starring Yahoo Serious, released in 1988.-Plot:Albert Einstein, the son of an apple farmer in Tasmania in the early 1900s, splits a beer atom with a chisel in order to add bubbles to beer, discovers the theory of relativity and travels to...
. In 1991, Bailey formed the Chris Bailey Combo which included Paul Hester
Paul Hester
Paul Newell Hester was an Australian musician and television personality; he was the drummer for the related bands Split Enz and Crowded House.-The early years:...
, Nick Seymour and Dror Erez, as well as a revolving cast of guest players.
Demons was Bailey's second solo album, recorded in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, where he had been sent by TVT Records. Savage Entertainment was released in October 1992, and in 1993 Bailey wrote and recorded together with Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano
Johnette Napolitano
Johnette Napolitano is an American singer, songwriter and bassist best known as the lead vocalist/songwriter and bassist for the alternative rock group Concrete Blonde.- Solo career :...
, which included a rework of the song "All Fools' Day".
Bailey's fourth solo album 54 Days . . . at Sea was recorded in Malmö, Sweden and was released in 1994. It featured Bolivian folk musicians Mundo Folk, whom Bailey had seen busking when visiting friends in Sweden the previous year. Swedish musicians Eddie Nyström (guitar), Magnus Börjeson (bass) and Stellan Colt (drums) provided the rock base for the album.
For the Earth Music compilation, issued in June 1994, Bailey contributed a cover of Tim Finn's
Tim Finn
Brian Timothy "Tim" Finn, OBE is a New Zealand singer and musician. Finn is most known for his music with New Zealand 1970s and 1980s rock group Split Enz, and later for his solo work, a temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowded House and his joint efforts with Neil Finn as the Finn...
"Not Even Close".
When Mushroom Music
Mushroom 25 Live
Mushroom 25 Live is a live album, video and DVD by various Australian musicians and was recorded at the Mushroom 25 Concert held on Saturday 14 November 1998, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground...
celebrated their 25th anniversary in 1998, Bailey was one of the invited artists to perform on a stage at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
in front of an audience of about 100,000 people. He performed two of his most famous songs, "Ghost Ships" and "Just Like Fire Would", solo and also a duet with Paul Kelly: "Wide Open Road", a tribute to the late David McComb
David McComb
David Richard McComb was an Australian rock musician. He was the singer-songwriter of the Australian band, The Triffids.-Early years in Perth:...
of The Triffids
The Triffids
The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K...
.
2003 saw Bailey make a guest appearance, singing the chorus vocals on "Bring It On", on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
album Nocturama
Nocturama
Nocturama is the 12th studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 2003. It received a fairly mixed reaction, though it had some moderate critical success. To date, it is the last Bad Seeds album to feature founding member Blixa Bargeld...
. Bailey then toured America with the group and performed with them on the Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
show.
At the 2005 Queensland Poetry festival in Brisbane, at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, Chris Bailey headlined the event.
Chris Bailey and the General Dog is another one of Bailey's constellations, their latest record being Bone Box
Bone Box
Bone Box is an acoustic 15 track collection of Saints and solo material recorded in Amsterdam by Chris Bailey and The General Dog.- Track list :# Stranded*# No Time*# Let's Pretend# In the Mirror# All Fools Day# Marie Antoinette...
in 2005. During the spring of 2007, Bailey undertook a solo tour of France, on occasion as a double act with French rock artist Mickaël Furnon, alias Mickey, from rock group Mickey 3D
Mickey 3D
Mickey 3D is a French rock group from Montbrison that was founded in 1997 when Mickaël Furnon alias Mickey and Aurélien Joanin alias Jojo parted from the local group 3Dk. They were supported by the group Louise Attaque, which had them play before their concerts. In 1999 they recorded their first...
.
Chris Bailey solo albums
-
- Casablanca (1983)
- What we did on our holidays (1984)
- Demons (1991)
- Savage Entertainment (1992)
- 54 Days at Sea (1994)
- Encore (1995)
- Bone BoxBone BoxBone Box is an acoustic 15 track collection of Saints and solo material recorded in Amsterdam by Chris Bailey and The General Dog.- Track list :# Stranded*# No Time*# Let's Pretend# In the Mirror# All Fools Day# Marie Antoinette...
(2005)