Martin Fry

Martin David Fry (born 9 March 1958, in Stockport, Cheshire) is an English singer. He is the lead singer (and currently sole member) of the new wave band ABC.

Biography

He grew up in Bramhall, Stockport, alongside his younger brother Jamie (of Earl Brutus).

ABC

Martin Fry first met up with future bandmates Mark White and Stephen Singleton while interviewing them for a fanzine that he edited called Modern Drugs. White and Singleton, then fronting a rock band called Vice Versa, invited Fry to join their band to play the keyboards. The group changed its name to ABC and changed its sound to a synthpop style that at that time led them to be categorized with bands like Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, and The Human League.

Between 1982 and 1992, ABC recorded six studio albums (The Lexicon of Love, Beauty Stab, How to Be a...Zillionaire!, Alphabet City, Up and Abracadabra) and released a greatest hits compilation, Absolutely. During this time, the band went through numerous personnel changes, with Martin Fry and Mark White being the only permanent members.

Mr. Blue Sky

"Mr. Blue Sky" is a song by British rock group Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), featured on the band's seventh studio album Out of the Blue (1977). Written and produced by frontman Jeff Lynne, the song forms the fourth and final track of the "Concerto for a Rainy Day" suite, on side three of the original double album. "Mr. Blue Sky" was the second single to be taken from Out of the Blue, peaking at number 6 in the UK Singles Chart and number 35 in the United States. The song was played as a wake-up call to astronaut Christopher Ferguson on Day 3 of STS-135, the final mission of Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Inspiration

In a BBC Radio interview, Lynne talked about writing "Mr. Blue Sky" after locking himself away in a Swiss chalet and attempting to write ELO's follow-up to A New World Record:

The song's arrangement has been called "Beatlesque", bearing similarities to Beatles songs "Martha My Dear" and "A Day in the Life".

Arrangement

The arrangement makes prominent use of a cowbell sound, although this is credited on the album, to percussionist Bev Bevan, as "fire extinguisher."

Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra

Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra (also known as Mr. Blue Sky) is a 2012 album by Jeff Lynne. It consists of solo re-recordings of hits originally recorded by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and was released on Frontiers. It was issued simultaneously with Lynne's cover album Long Wave.

Background

Jeff Lynne told Rolling Stone magazine that the idea came from him listening to the original Electric Light Orchestra recordings, and thinking that he could produce a better result having since had a long career as a record producer. Lynne decided to re-record a number of songs from scratch, and began with "Mr. Blue Sky". He told Rolling Stone that "I enjoyed doing that a lot, and when I listened back to it and compared it to the old one, I really liked it much better." It was suggested by his manager that Lynne record a few more versions of Electric Light Orchestra songs, the results being recordings of "Evil Woman" and "Strange Magic". Lynne also liked these versions, so he continued by producing a full album of re-recordings.

Andrew Collins (broadcaster)

Andrew Collins (born 4 March 1965) is an English writer and broadcaster. He is the creator and writer of the Radio 4 sitcom Mr Blue Sky. His TV writing work includes EastEnders and the sitcoms Grass (which he co-wrote with Simon Day) and Not Going Out (which he initially co-wrote with Lee Mack). Collins has also worked as a music, television and film critic.

Personal life

Collins was a member of the Labour Party between the late 1980s and early 1990s, leaving after Labour's defeat in the 1992 General Election.

In 2007, he was made patron of Thomas's Fund, a Northampton-based music therapy charity for children with life-limiting illnesses.

Career

Collins started his career as a music journalist, writing for the NME, Vox, Select and Q (where was editor, 1995–97). He also wrote for and edited film magazine Empire in 1995. He formed a double-act with fellow music journalist Stuart Maconie, presenting the Sony Award-winning BBC Radio 1 show Collins and Maconie's Hit Parade, after forging their style on a daily comedy strand on Mark Goodier's BBC Radio 1 drivetime show, and Collins & Maconie's Movie Club on ITV.