Midge Ure

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Midge Ure

Background information
Birth name James Ure
Born 10 October 1953 (1953-10-10) (age 54)
Origin Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Genre(s) Punk, New Romantic
Occupation(s) singer, guitarist, producer, keyboard player
Instrument(s) Singing, guitar
Years active 1972 - present

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.

Contents

[edit] Career

Ure began his career with Slik. Before Slik became famous they were known as Salvation and 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. He turned down an offer to be the lead singer of the Sex Pistols[1]. He would go on to play in The Rich Kids (with then-former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock) and temporarily for Thin Lizzy before replacing John Foxx as singer of electronic New Wave band Ultravox in 1979. 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. Steve Harley 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 Ure scored his one and only solo UK number one single with "If I Was". This was followed by the album The Gift. Ultravox as a band did not last more than a year or so after Live Aid. He released the non-album single "Call Of The Wild" in 1986, which reached #27 in the charts.

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.[2] He was made a Doctor of Music by University of Edinburgh in 2006.[3] In 2007 Ure received his third honorary doctorate from the University of Paisley for his contribution to Scottish culture and charity work.[4]

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.

[edit] 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.

Ure made a speech and gave prizes at Prior Park College's annual speech day, on 7 July 2007.[citation needed]

[edit] Solo discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] 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)

[edit] 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 - - - -

[edit] References

  1. ^ Midge Ure on Rocking Scots Radio 4 12th May 2007
  2. ^ Midge Ure given honorary degree, 12 October 2005
  3. ^ Midge Ure in line for great big honour from university, 1 March 2006
  4. ^ Third degree for Scots singer Midge Ure, 26 June 2007

[edit] External links