Paddy McAloon

Paddy McAloon is the singer, songwriter and guitarist of the melodic pop band, Prefab Sprout, which he formed in 1977. Despite never being fashionable, the band developed a sizeable following and enjoyed a series of minor hit singles and one top ten single ("The King of Rock 'n' Roll" which reached 7 in 1988). Between 1984 and 1997, they accumulated 60 weeks on the UK singles chart. Four of their albums have been top ten hits in the UK: "From Langley Park to Memphis" (1988), "Jordan: The Comeback" (1990), "A Life of Surprises - The Best of Prefab Sprout" (1992) and "Andromeda Heights" (1997). They eventually accumulated 106 weeks on the album chart. Sadly, McAloon was diagnosed with a medical disorder rendering him partially blind and this delayed the release of Prefab Sprout's 2001 album, "The Gunman and Other Stories". He is frequently mentioned as one of the best lyricists of his generation.