Paul Heaton (Linocut Print)

*Previously on sale at £45, now £35!*

A signed, hand carved, hand pressed Linocut print of Paul Heaton, limited to only 80 editions.

On 9th May 1962, British singer-songwriter Paul Heaton was born in Bromborough, Cheshire. He moved to Sheffield when he was age 4, then on to Chipstead, Surrey during his adolescence. Heaton consequently described himself as "bred in Sheffield, fed in Surrey”.

Heaton formed the Housemartins in the early 1980s, with Stan Cullimore on guitar, Ted Key on bass (subsequently replaced by Norman Cook) and Hugh Whitaker on drums. The indie band charted three top ten albums and six top twenty singles in the UK, including singles such as "Happy Hour" and their most popular hit, an a cappella version of The Isley Brothers’ "Caravan of Love", which reached number 1 on 16 December 1986.

In 1988 The Housemartins disbanded. Norman Cook went on to create a very different sound through Fatboy Slim, whilst Paul Heaton formed the Beautiful South, whose debut single and album were released the following year, 1989. They had a series of hits including "Song for Whoever", "You Keep It All In", and the number-one single "A Little Time", which was released in 1990.

After 19 years together, the Beautiful South disbanded in 2007 due to "musical similarities". In a BBC interview the following year, Heaton clarified this statement by explaining that the band had made similar-sounding albums for the past ten years.

Heaton subsequently pursued a solo career, including numerous collaborations with former Beautiful South vocalist Jacqui Abbott. Heaton said: "Working with Jacqui again was like going into your garage and discovering a beautiful, covered up Rolls Royce that hadn't been started in years. Jacqui is one of the best singers I've worked with and is also part of my past. It was only a matter of time before I asked her."

The Housemartins' lyrics were a mixture of Marxist politics and Christianity and the American database AllMusic stated that "The warm, mellifluous voice of Paul Heaton often masks the jagged satirical content of his lyrics." British newspaper The Guardian described Heaton as "one of our finest songwriters: his music reveals an exuberant ear for melody, his lyrics a keen eye and a brilliant wit".

ITEM SPECIFICS:
This design is a signed, handprinted, limited edition of only 80 prints. As with all handmade items, each one will vary slightly, making it completely unique.

It is printed with water-based ink on Sunome Senaka, a fine 52gsm Japanese printmaking paper,