Nik Kershaw

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Nik Kershaw

Nik Kershaw (Born Nicholas David Kershaw on March 1, 1958) is an English singer-songwriter, popular during the 1980s.

1 History
2 Discography
3 Collaborations
4 External links

[edit] History

Nik Kershaw was born Nicholas David Kershaw in Bristol, England on March 1, 1958. Kershaw played guitar and sang in a number of underground Ipswich bands before embarking on a full time career as a songwriter and performer. In 1983 he signed a contract with MCA Records, a deal which spawned his debut single, "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". At the beginning of 1984, Kershaw released his breakthrough song "Wouldn't It Be Good", featuring a video of Kershaw as a chroma key-suited alien. The song reached Number 4 in the UK charts and earned Kershaw world wide attention. He enjoyed three more Top 20 hits from his debut album Human Racing, including the title track and a successful re-issue of his debut single "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". This track ultimately proved his biggest hit as a performer when it reached Number 2 in the UK.

Despite winning awards, attracting admirers such as Elton John for his writing and gaining a huge teenage fanbase, Kershaw was not without his critics. Some complained that he did too much on stage when he had a competent backing band called the Krew to play all the required guitar and keyboard parts of his songs. Others derided his fashion sense. Kershaw made the snood and fingerless gloves into vital sartorial requirements in 1984. Some claimed he was, vocally, trying to sound like Stevie Wonder.

Kershaw second album "The Riddle" came quickly on the heels of his debut release. The title track, released as a single, would send fans, journalists and linguists into overdrive, as each tried to establish what the meaning was behind the strange set of circumstances and clues which Kershaw wove into the verses and chorus. "The Riddle" proved to be another major hit, and the album also spawned two more UK Top 10 hits, "Wide Boy" and "Don Quixote".

In July 1985 Kershaw was among performers at Live Aid, held at Wembley Stadium. His star began to wane soon afterwards and he enjoyed only one more UK Top 40 hit. He continued to make and release records, and collaborate with others. His prowess as a songwriter served him well in 1991 when his song "The One And Only", appeared on the soundtrack to the British movie Buddy's Song and in the American film Doc Hollywood. "The One and Only" proved to be a UK Number 1 single for the star of the film, Chesney Hawkes (son of the Tremeloes' Chip Hawkes). In 1993 The Hollies had a minor hit with another of Kershaw's songs, "The Woman I Love". During the mid-nineties he also wrote and produced material for the boy band Let Loose, with three of the tracks ("Seventeen", "Crazy" and "Everybody Say, Everybody Do") achieving reasonable success.

1999 saw the release of 15 Minutes, a collection of songs that Kershaw considered more personal and mature. Kershaw revealed that he decided to record these tracks himself when he could not envisage them being recorded by other artists.[1] Both "15 Minutes" and the more commercial To Be Frank (2001) were stylistically different from his earlier work, being underpinned by acoustic guitar rather than synthesiser.

In the 2000s, the onset of 1980s nostalgia brought Kershaw back into the public eye to discuss the heights of his career. It was at this point that he revealed that "The Riddle" meant, in fact, nothing. He added that he could not say anything at the time because he was receiving thousands of essays and theses on the song, analysing what "The Riddle" meant and stood for, and what the answer was, and he did not want to disappoint people. [2]

Over the years, Nik Kershaw has collaborated on albums with artists such as Elton John, Bonnie Tyler, Tony Banks, Les Rythmes Digitales and Imogen Heap.

In 2005, he released Then And Now, a collection of earlier material with four new tracks. In 2006, he completed another solo album, You've Got To Laugh, available only through his website or digitally. This new album contains 12 tracks and was released on his own label, Shorthouse Records. This year also saw the digital re-release of his 80s back-catalogue including The Riddle, Radio Musicola and The Works.

Kershaw and his wife Sheri, who is credited with backing vocals on several of his albums, separated in November 2003 after 20 years of marriage [3]. They have three sons, Rudi, Ryan, and Dylan. Kershaw currently live in Dunmow, Essex.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Collaborations

1992 Still by Tony Banks - Nik Kershaw on lead vocals "Red Day on Blue Street", "I Wanna Change the Score" and "The Final Curtain". "Red Day on Blue Street" and "I Wanna Change the Score" co-written by Tony Banks and Nik Kershaw.
1993 Duets by Elton John - "Old Friend" written by Nik Kershaw. All instruments by Nik Kershaw. Vocals by Nik Kershaw and Elton John.
1996 "Walls of Sound" (single) by Strictly Inc - B-side "Back to you" co written by Tony Banks and Nik Kershaw in 1991.
1999 "Darkdancer" by Les Rythmes Digitales - "Sometimes" co-written by Jacques Lu Cont and Nik Kershaw. Leads vocals by Nik Kershaw.
2006 "Get This" by Triple M - "Talkback Mountain" co-written by Ed Kavalee and Nik Kershaw. Leads vocals by Tony Martin.

[edit] External links

Official Nik Kershaw Website, the official site to keep his audience up-to-date.
http://nikkershaw.it, Fansite to Nik Kershaw.
Nikography, The Unofficial Nik Kershaw Discography Site
Nik Kershaw at All Music Guide
Nik Kershaw at the Internet Movie Database
Radio Kershaw, A guide to the Nik Kershaw UK Discography Collector