DERRY

1984 - 1991

OVERVIEW Feargal Sharkey was born in Derry in 1958. He originally came to fame as the lead singer in The Undertones. Sharkey was a co-founder of the group in 1975 and the band subsequently went on release a string of successful singles and albums. In 1983, the band split - John and Damian O'Neill went on form That Petrol Emotion. Feargal decided on a different musical path. In 1983, Sharkey teamed up with Vince Clarke [Yazoo, Depeche Mode & Erasure] to record one single. The duo were known as The Assembley and the single 'Never Never' went on to reach number 4 in the UK singles chart. His real solo career started in 1984 with the release of 'Listen To Your Father'. The single reached number 23 in the UK. The 1985 release of 'A Good Heart' marked a career highpoint for Sharkey. The track, penned by Maria McKee, went on to reach Number 1 in the UK chart as well as in overseas territories such as Australia. His eponymously-titled debut album performed well peaking at Number 12. His sophomore long player, 'Wish', released in 1988 did not perform as strongly. The singles plucked from the album failed to crack the UK Top 40. Undeterred, Sharkey returned in 1991 with 'Songs From The Mardi Gras'. This marked a change of direction, with the artist producing a more serious record than the previous releases. The lead single, 'I've Got News For You' rose to Number 12 in the UK charts with the album reaching the Top 40 also. In spite of the relative success of 'Songs From The Mardi Gras', Feargal decided to retire from the performing side of music business. Since 1992, he has gone on to hold a number of music industry business roles including A&R Manager for Polydor Records, Member Of The Radio Authority, CEO of British Music Rights and most recently Head Of UK Music. 1984 - Release of 'Listen To Your Father' single 1985 - Release of 'Loving You' single - Release of 'A Good Heart' single - Release of 'Feargal Sharkey' album - Release of 'Someone To Somebody' single - Release of 'You Little Thief' single 1988 - Release of 'Out Of My System' single - Release of 'Wish' album - Release of 'More Love' single 1991 - Release of 'I've Got News For You' single - Release of 'Songs From The Mardi Gras' album - Release of 'Women & I' single - Release of 'To Miss Someone' single