Midge Ure
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Template:Infobox musical artist 2 Midge Ure OBE (born James Ure, 10 October 1953, Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland) is a pop guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter. He had particular success in the 1970s and 1980s, most notably with the band Ultravox. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of his real name, Jim.
Career
Early years
Born to a working-class family, he attended Rutherglen Academy, in Glasgow, until he was 15 years old. After leaving school, Ure began to work as engineer and to playing music in a Glasgow band called Stumble.
Salvation and Slik
In 1972, he joined a band called Salvation, formed in Glasgow in 1970 by the brothers Kevin (voice) and Jim McGinlay (bass guitar). The problem was there were two members called "Jim" (Ure and McGinlay), so Kevin McGinlay decided to turn Ure's name backwards to "Midge". Ure became to name himself in the music scene as Midge Ure.[1] In those days, the band were the house band playing mostly covers in Glasgow disco Clouds (above Green’s Playhouse), where all major bands played when they came to the city. Midge played guitar.
But in April 1974, Kevin McGinlay left to pursue a solo career[2], so Ure became the vocalist without leave the guitarist place. In November 1974, Salvation began to be Slik. In 1975, the band began to trust in Bill Martin and Phil Coulter, who wrote their songs. By those days, he turned down an offer to be the lead singer of the Sex Pistols[3].
Although Slik were rising in popularity in early 1976, it was in its low point at the end of the year, because punk rock began to attract the youth and the music press. In early 1977, Slik were still releasing their last songs, when Jim McGinlay decided to quit the band, being replaced by Russell Webb.
Punk days: PVC2 and The Rich Kids
When Slik had not hope for their popularity as a boy-band, they finished their contract with Martin and Coulter. After a number of gigs through Europe, they decided to change their style to punk and their name to PVC2. Ure only released with them the "Put You In The Picture" single by mid-1977, and departed in September, joning The Rich Kids (with then-former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock) in October.
He knew Matlock, who called him to form part of the band in early 1977, but he rejected, to continue with PVC2, but chose to join Matlock after leaving them. He was the main vocalist, although Matlock also sang some songs. However, the bad commercial sellings led to the split of the band in December 1978, although it was announced in mid-1979. During his sojourn with Rich Kids, Ure began to interest in keyboards and synthethizer, and befriended band's drummer Rusty Egan, who also shared with him interests for the electronic music. Both formed in March 1979 a very short-lived band called The Misfits (not to confuse with the american hardcore band).
Thin Lizzy
With The Rich Kids and The Misfits finished, Ure joined Thin Lizzy in July 1979, replacing Gary Moore. But Ure knew Lynnot, some years ago, and wrote along him "Get Out Of Here", a song for the album Black Rose. He played in a compilation called The Continuing Saga of the Ageing Orphans (also released in 1979) and toured with the band in America and Japan. In 1980, in the second part of the tour he switched to keyboards, being replaced by Snowy White as guitarist. After the tour, he left the band to concentrate in Ultravox and Visage (see below), but continued to collaborate sometimes with their leader Phil Lynnot.
Visage, Ultravox and another contributions
Still with The Rich Kids, Ure and Egan formed, along lead vocalist Steve Strange, a synthpop project called Visage, in 1978. The trio released in that year a song called In The Year 2525. In 1979, after playing with The Rich Kids and Thin Lizzy, he returned to work with a more grown line-up, comprised by Magazine members Dave Formula, John McGeoch and Barry Adamson, and Ultravox keyboardist Billy Currie. Ure and Currie befriended in this line-up, and the latter was member of the synthpop band Ultravox, which lacked lead singer (John Foxx left early the year to pursue a solo career) and guitarist (Robin Simon also left, shortly before Foxx went solo). Ure decided to help Currie in Ultravox, joining April of the same year as singer and guitarist, after being examined by the bandmembers of that band.
Although, he joined Ultravox, also had another music recordings and performances during 1979: He was touring with Thin Lizzy, recording along Currie the single Tar in Visage, and doing some records with punk band The Skids. However, he reunited with Ultravox, doing a tour in USA late the year; they wrote a number of songs wich were included in their album the next year.
Shortly afterwards, they had a huge UK hit with "Vienna", and became one of Britain's top bands for several years. Later that year, Ure also formed the band Visage with Steve Strange and fellow former Rich Kid Rusty Egan. The following year, Ure and Thin Lizzy leader Phil Lynott co-wrote Lynott's biggest solo hit, "Yellow Pearl". A re-recording of the song done in 1981 was used as the theme for Top of the Pops.
Midge also worked as a producer for other artists, including Steve Harley, The Skids, and New Wave group STRASSE.
In 1984, Ure co-wrote with Bob Geldof and produced the Band Aid hit, "Do They Know It's Christmas?". He and Geldof jointly set up the Band Aid Trust and he remains active as a Band Aid Trustee to this day. He was also the co-organiser of Live Aid. The following year Ultravox disbanded and saw Ure score his one and only solo UK number one single with "If I Was". This was followed by the solo album The Gift. He released the non-album single "Call Of The Wild" in 1986, which reached #27 in the charts.
Solo career
After members of Ultravox went their separate ways, Ure pursued a solo career which included the international hit, 'Breathe,' also used in a Swatch TV ad campaign.
In 2005 he organised Live 8 concerts with Bob Geldof with the aim of pressing G8 leaders into taking action to end world poverty. Later that year he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to music and charity.
Ure received three honorary degrees in recent years. He was made an Honorary Doctor of Arts in 2005 by the University of Abertay Dundee for his artistic and charity work over the past 30 years.[4] He was made a Doctor of Music by University of Edinburgh in 2006.[5] In 2007 Ure received his third honorary doctorate from the University of Paisley for his contribution to Scottish culture and charity work.[6]
He is an Ambassador for Save the Children and in recent years has gone back to Ethiopia and visited Sierra Leone in that capacity.
Ure continues to perform his own songs, along with popular Ultravox songs, in concerts both solo, acoustic and with a band. In 2007 the single "Personal Heaven", credited to Midge Ure & X-perience was released in Germany.
Personal life
Ure resides in the village of Southstoke near the city of Bath.
Ure has been married twice: to actress and writer Annabel Giles (with whom he has one daughter, Molly) and to Sheridan Forbes (with whom he has three daughters, Kitty, Ruby and Flossie).
His daughter Molly has followed her father into the music industry, as the guitarist and vocalist of pop punk band The Faders, who split in July 2006. She is now pursuing a solo career.
Ure's two main passions are music and cooking. He was able to indulge the second of these in the 2007 Celebrity Masterchef series, easily winning his heat and progressing to the final on 15 June, alongside Nadia Sawalha and Craig Revel Horwood. Although all three competitors greatly impressed the judges, the trophy was won by Sawalha.
Solo discography
Albums
- 1985 The Gift (#2 UK Albums Chart)
- 1988 Answers to Nothing (#30 UK Albums Chart, #88 Billboard 200)
- 1989 Come the Day (Class of 1999 soundtrack)
- 1991 Pure (#36 UK Albums Chart)
- 1996 Breathe
- 2000 Went to Coney Island (soundtrack)
- 2001 Move Me
- 2001 Little Orphans
- 2006 Duet - Midge Ure and Troy Donockley
- 2008 10
Other Albums
- 1991 Live In Concert (live album)
- 1993 If I Was: The Very Best of Midge Ure & Ultravox (compilation album) (#10 UK Albums Chart)
- 2000 No Regrets: The Best of Midge Ure (compilation)
- 2001 A Glorious Noise - Breathe Live (live album)
- 2002 One Night in Scotland (live album)
- 2002 Intimate Moments April 12th - 22nd 2002 (a collection of songs and musings recorded on tour in 2002)
- 2003 Once Upon a Time in America (CD & DVD)
- 2004 Septemberfest (live album)
- 2005 Re-Live (live album)
- 2006 Move Me (expanded) (double CD)
Singles
| Single | Year | UK Singles Chart | US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Main- stream Rock | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Regrets | 1982 | 9 | - | - | - | |
| After A Fashion (with Mick Karn) | 1983 | 39 | - | - | - | |
| If I Was | 1985 | 1 | - | - | - | The Gift |
| That Certain Smile | 28 | - | - | - | ||
| Wastelands | 1986 | 46 | - | - | - | |
| Call Of The Wild | 27 | - | - | - | ||
| Answers to Nothing | 1989 | 49 | - | 26 | - | Answers to Nothing |
| Dear God | 55 | 95 | 4 | 6 | ||
| Cold, Cold Heart | 1991 | 17 | - | 12 | - | Pure |
| I See Hope (In The Morning Light) | - | - | - | - | ||
| Breathe | 1996 | 70 | - | - | - | Breathe |
| Guns And Arrows | - | - | - | - | ||
| You Move Me | 2001 | - | - | - | - | Move Me |
| Beneath A Spielberg Sky | - | - | - | - |