Kirsty MacColl

Kirsty MacColl was born in Croydon, Surrey (now in South London), the daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl (1915–1989) and dancer Jean Newlove (1923–2017).

Her father was born in England of Scottish parents.

MacColl and her older brother, Hamish MacColl, grew up with their mother in Selsdon, in Croydon, where she attended Park Hill Primary School, Monks Hill High School and John Newnham High School, making appearances in school plays.

At the time of her birth, her father had been in a relationship with folk singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Peggy Seeger since 1956 (a relationship that would continue until his death in 1989), and already had a son with her.

Kirsty Anna MacColl (, ; 10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was an English singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl.

She came to notice when Chiswick Records released an EP by local punk rock band the Drug Addix (originally called Tooting Fruities) with MacColl on backing vocals (The Drug Addix Make A Record) under the pseudonym Mandy Doubt (1978).

Stiff Records executives were not impressed with the band, but liked her and subsequently signed her to a solo deal.

Her debut solo single "They Don't Know", released in 1979, peaked at number two on the Music Week airplay chart.

However, a distributors' strike prevented copies of the single getting into record stores, and the single consequently failed to appear on the UK Singles Chart.

MacColl recorded a follow-up single, "You Caught Me Out", but felt she lacked Stiff Records's full backing, and left the label shortly before the song was to be released.

The single was pulled, and only a few "white label" promo copies of the single are known to exist.

She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" and cover versions of Billy Bragg's "A New England" and the Kinks' "Days".

Her first single, "They Don't Know", had chart success a few years later when covered by Tracey Ullman.

MacColl also sang on a number of recordings produced by her then-husband Steve Lillywhite, most notably "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues.

MacColl moved to Polydor Records in 1981.

She had a number 14 UK hit with "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis", from her critically acclaimed debut album Desperate Character.

In 1983, Polydor dropped her just as she had completed recording the songs for a planned second album (to be called Real) which used more synthesizers and had new wave-styled tracks.

Also around this time, MacColl wrote and performed the theme song "London Girls" for Channel 4's short-lived sitcom Dream Stuffing (1984).

In the United States, MacColl was perhaps best known as the writer of "They Don't Know".

Tracey Ullman's recording of the song was a Billboard Top Ten hit.

Ullman's version reached No. 8 on the US Hot 100 in April 1984 (and did even better in the UK, hitting No. 2 in September 1983).

MacColl also sang back-up on the track, providing the "Baay-byy" because it was too high a pitch for Ullman.

She contributed backing vocals to the Simple Minds 1984 album, Sparkle in the Rain.

Her vocals can be heard on the tracks "Speed Your Love to Me" and "Street Hassle".

She returned to Stiff, where pop singles such as "Terry" and "He's on the Beach" were unsuccessful, but a cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England" in 1985 reached number 7 on the UK charts.

This included two extra verses specially written for her by Bragg.

Ullman also recorded three more of MacColl's songs, "You Broke My Heart In 17 Places" and "You Caught Me Out", as the title tracks of her first and second albums respectively, and "Terry" which was released as a single in 1985.

In 1986, MacColl contributed backing vocals for the Smiths song "Ask".

When Stiff Records went bankrupt in 1986, MacColl was left unable to record in her own right, as no record company bought her contract from the official receiver.

However, she had regular session work as a backing vocalist, and she frequently sang on records produced or engineered by her husband, Steve Lillywhite, including tracks for The Rolling Stones on the Dirty Work album, Robert Plant, the Smiths, Alison Moyet, Shriekback, Simple Minds, Talking Heads, Big Country, Anni-Frid Lyngstad (of ABBA) and the Wonder Stuff, among others.

She appeared in the videos "Welcome to the Cheap Seats" for the Wonder Stuff and "(Nothing But) Flowers" for Talking Heads (along with Johnny Marr, ex-member of the Smiths).

MacColl also set the track sequencing for U2's acclaimed breakthrough album The Joshua Tree, for which Lillywhite provided mixes.

MacColl re-emerged in the British charts in December 1987, reaching number 2 with the Pogues on "Fairytale of New York", singing a duet with Shane MacGowan.

This led to her accompanying the Pogues on their British and European tour in 1988, an experience which she said helped her temporarily overcome her stage fright.

In March 1989, MacColl sang backing vocals on the Happy Mondays' Hallelujah EP.

After the contract issue was resolved, MacColl returned to recording as a solo artist and received critical acclaim upon the release of Kite (LP) in 1989.

The album was widely praised by critics, and featured collaborations with David Gilmour and Johnny Marr.

MacColl's lyrics addressed life in Margaret Thatcher's Britain and addressed the vagaries of love in "Don't Come the Cowboy with Me Sonny Jim!".

It was played over the closing credits of Ullman's HBO show Tracey Takes On... in 1996.

Her death in 2000 led to the "Justice for Kirsty" campaign.