Suggs: I searched for my father for years, but found out he had died decades ago by reading my Wikipedia page | Daily Mail Online Suggs: I searched for my father for years, but found out he had died decades ago by reading my Wikipedia page comments Madness frontman Suggs has revealed that he found out his father was dead by reading his own Wikipedia page. The 51-year-old singer was brought up by his mother Edith Gower, a jazz singer and barmaid, but longed to be reunited with William McPherson, who had walked on the family when he was a baby. He spent years searching public records for information on his father, but only discovered the truth when a friend told him to check Wikipedia. Family tragedy: Suggs says he longed to be reunited with his father William McPherson and only discovered he had died by reading Wikipedia 'I looked myself up and there it all was,' he says during his Edinburgh Fringe Festival show Suggs: My Life in Words and Music. 'It said my father had died in 1975, aged just 40. The thing is, this website knew more about my life than me and my whole family combined.

'My dad had died in Birmingham, so I contacted the records office and a nice man there pieced things together for me. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share 'He had remarried so there was a glimmer of hope that he had turned his life around. But it was all a bit of a mess. 'He didn't have any kids, which put paid to the chance that I might have stepbrothers or stepsisters. When his death certificate arrived it was a real shock.' Music legend: The Madness star performs during the Olympic Closing Ceremony The Our House singer, who performed during the Olympics closing ceremony, also learnt that his father had injected paraffin in his eyes and was sectioned under the Mental Health Act shortly before his death. 'The shame was that he died when I was 15, when I was just starting in the band,' he added.

'If he been around a couple more years then my profile might have led him to get in touch and we could have met up but it wasn't to be.' Family man: Suggs, pictured with his wife Bette Bright, says he was determined to be a better father to his two daughters Suggs, whose real name is Graham McPherson, has two daughters, Scarlet, 28, and Viva, 25, with fellow singer Bette Bright, and says that they often asked about their grandfather when they were growing up. 'I missed having a father figure so I was determined to try and be around for my kids,' he added. 'They would ask what happened to their granddad. When they were old enough to understand I told them that he was mixed up with heroin and ended up in an asylum.' Madness | Biography, News, Photos and Videos | Contactmusic.com News Pictures Video Music Press Festival Quotes RSS Biography Madness (formed 1976) Madness is a British ska/pop band - they are originally from Camden Town, London. Madness originally rose to fame in the 1980s but their popularity has endured through into the 21st century.

The Early Years: The band that would become Madness originally formed as The North London Invaders. The lineup at that time consisted of Monsieur Barso (Mike Barson), Chrissy Boy (Chris Foreman) and Kix (Lee Thompson). Chas Smash (Cathal Smyth) was later recruited, as was John Hasler. They were also joined by Dikron. The lineup of the band was in constant flux, and they were joined by Suggs (Graham McPherson), Woody (Daniel Woodgate) and Bedders (Mark Bedford). The name of the band was changed; first to Morris and the Minors and then to Madness. They chose the name as a tribute to Prince Buster - one of their favourite ska / reggae artists, who had a song of the same name. Music Career: Madness' debut single 'The Prince' (another tribute to Prince Buster) was written by Kix and was released on 2Tone Records. The label was owned by Jerry Dammers of The Specials. Madness performed the song on Top of the Pops. The band's debut album One Step Beyond.

was released on Stiff Records (home to Elvis Costello and Ian Dury) in 1979. As well as releasing the title track as a single, they also released 'My Girl' and the 'Work Rest and Play EP', which featured 'Night Boat To Cairo'. In 1980, Madness' second album Absolutely was released. The album reached number two in the UK album charts and spawned some of Madness' most successful singles, including 'Baggy Trousers' and 'Embarrassment'. 1981 saw the release of Madness' third studio album, entitled 7. Three hit singles were released from the album - 'Grey Day', 'Shut Up' and 'Cardiac Arrest'. All three were Top 20 hits in the UK. At the end of the year they also released another of their biggest hits: a cover of Labi Siffre's 'It Must Be Love'. The following year, Madness released 'House of Fun', the only number one hit of their career to date. They played the song live on the sitcom The Young Ones, which starred Rik Mayall, Ade Edmonson and Nigel Planer.

Madness' fourth studio album was entitled The Rise and Fall and was released in 1982. 'Our House' was the most prominent single to be released from the album. It was around this time that Monsieur Barso decided that he wanted to take a break from touring. The band was joined instead by James Mackie, who made his live debut with the band on an episode of the US TV show Saturday Night Live. The next album for Madness was Keep Moving, which reached number 6 in the UK charts. Following Monsieur Barso's formal departure from the band, Madness left Stiff Records and formed their own record label, Zarjazz Record, a subsidiary of Virgin Records. Their sixth album Mad Not Mad, was released on the label in 1985, with Steve Nieve this time replacing Barso. Critically, the album was a flop and also performed badly financially. In 1986, Madness announced that they were going to split, because of 'musical differences'. They recorded a farewell single '(Waiting For) The Ghost Train'. Two years later, Suggs, Chas Smash, Kix and Chrissy Boy formed a new band named The Madness. They lasted for one album before splitting.

A singles compilation named Divine Madness was released in 1992 and went straight to number one in the UK charts. In August of that year, the band played two days of reunion concerts in Finsbury Park, named Madstock! A live album was released as well as a single - a cover of Jimmy Cliff's 'The Harder They Come'. In 1999, Madness released their sixth studio album, Wonderful. The single 'Lovestruck' gave them their first Top 10 hit in 16 years. Madness played a number of low-key gigs in 2004, using the name The Dangermen. Subsequently, they released an album entitled The Dangermen Sessions Vol.1 in 2005. Two years later, Madness released a non-album single, 'Sorry'. The single included a collaboration with Baby Blue and Sway, two young hip hop artists. 2008 saw the release of a new album, The Liberty of Norton Folgate. Alfie Allen and Jaime Winstone starred in the music video for 'Dust Devil'. In 2009, Madness performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.

Biography by Contactmusic.com Madness's music on thesixtyone 1 biography Madness are an English pop/ska band from Camden Town, London that formed in 1976. As of 2007, the band has continued to perform with their most recognised lineup of seven members, although it’s varied slightly over the years. They were one of the most prominent bands of the late-70s 2 tone ska revival. However, as their career progressed, the band moved away from ska & closer toward conventional pop music. Madness achieved most of their success in the 80s. Madness spent exactly 214 weeks on the UK singles charts from 1980-89, thereby sharing the record for most weeks spent by a group in the 80s UK singles charts, with UB40. Formation The core of the band formed as The North London Invaders in 1976, and included Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso) on keyboards and vocals, Chris Foreman (Chrissy Boy) on guitar and Lee Thompson (Kix) on saxophone and vocals.

They later recruited John Hasler on drums and Cathal Smyth (better known as Chas Smash) on bass guitar. Later in the year, they were joined by lead vocalist “Dikron”. This six-piece lineup lasted until part way through 1977, when Graham McPherson (better known as Suggs) took over the lead vocals after seein... (+) expand Madness are an English pop/ska band from Camden Town, London that formed in 1976. As of 2007, the band has continued to perform with their most recognised lineup of seven members, although it’s varied slightly over the years. They were one of the most prominent bands of the late-70s 2 tone ska revival. However, as their career progressed, the band moved away from ska & closer toward conventional pop music. Madness achieved most of their success in the 80s. Madness spent exactly 214 weeks on the UK singles charts from 1980-89, thereby sharing the record for most weeks spent by a group in the 80s UK singles charts, with UB40.

Formation The core of the band formed as The North London Invaders in 1976, and included Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso) on keyboards and vocals, Chris Foreman (Chrissy Boy) on guitar and Lee Thompson (Kix) on saxophone and vocals. They later recruited John Hasler on drums and Cathal Smyth (better known as Chas Smash) on bass guitar. Later in the year, they were joined by lead vocalist “Dikron”. This six-piece lineup lasted until part way through 1977, when Graham McPherson (better known as Suggs) took over the lead vocals after seeing the band perform in a friend’s garden. Smyth, who was poor on bass guitar, was replaced by Gavin Rogers, an acquaintance of Barson. McPherson was kicked out of the band for too often choosing to watch football instead of rehearsing. Thompson left the band after Barson criticised his saxophone playing. By 1978, the band had allowed McPherson to return, after filling in temporarily for Hasler (who had taken over vocals when McPherson was removed).

Thompson returned after patching things up with Barson, and Daniel Woodgate (Woody) and Mark Bedford (Bedders) also joined the band, on drums and bass guitar respectively. After briefly changing their name to Morris and the Minors, the band renamed itself as Madness; paying homage to one of their favourite songs by ska/reggae artist Prince Buster. The band remained a sextet until late 1979, when Chas Smash rejoined and officially became the seventh member of Madness as a backing vocalist and trumpet player. Early success In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition “The Prince”. The song, like the band’s name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts at #16. A performance of “The Prince” on popular UK music show Top of the Pops helped Madness gain public recognition. Madness then toured with fellow 2 Tone bands The Specials and The Selecter, before recording their debut album, One Step Beyond…, which was released by Stiff Records.

The album included a re-recording of “The Prince” and the band’s second and third singles: “One Step Beyond” and “My Girl”. The title song was a cover of the B-side of the 1960s Prince Buster hit “Al Capone”. One Step Beyond… stayed in the British charts for over a year, peaking at #2. After the release of “My Girl”, the band felt that they had exhausted the material from One Step Beyond…, and did not want to release any more singles from the album. However, Dave Robinson, head of Stiff Records, disagreed. Eventually, a compromise was made, and the band decided to release an EP featuring one album track and three new tracks. The result was the Work Rest and Play EP, which was headlined by the song “Night Boat to Cairo”, from the One Step Beyond album. The EP reached #6 in the UK singles chart. The following year, the band’s second album, Absolutely reached #2 in the UK album charts. Absolutely spawned some of the band’s biggest hits, most notably “Baggy Trousers”; which peaked at #3 in the UK singles chart.

“Embarrassment” reached #4 in the charts, and the instrumental song “Return of the Los Palmas 7” climbed to #7. Change of direction In 1981, the band’s third studio album, 7 reached #5 in the UK album charts and contained three hit singles. In an article in 1979, Chris Foreman explained that the band’s music would move with the times, and change styles as time goes on. This was shown to be the case, as unlike the two ska-filled, fast-paced albums that preceded it, 7 was somewhat of a change in direction. Suggs’ vocal performance changed significantly, and his strong Cockney accent from the previous albums had been watered down. The album strayed from the ska-influenced sound of One Step Beyond… and Absolutely, and moved towards a more conventional and mature pop sound; a trend that continued with subsequent albums. Near the end of 1981, Madness released one of their most recognised songs; a remake of Labi Siffre’s 1971 hit “It Must Be Love”. The song climbed to #4 in the UK and entered the US charts at #33.

In 1982, Madness released their only #1 hit to date, “House of Fun”; as well as their fourth studio album The Rise & Fall. The album contained their most internationally successful single to date, “Our House”, which reached #5 in the UK music charts and # 7 in the US charts. In 1983, their single “Wings of a Dove” peaked at #2 in the UK charts. Their following album, Keep Moving, peaked at #6 in the UK album charts, and several singles from that album reached the top 20 in the UK music charts. Decline and breakup In October 1983, the band’s founder, keyboardist and prominent songwriter Mike Barson decided to leave the band, partly because he had relocated to Amsterdam, Netherlands. He officially left the band in June 1984, following the release of “One Better Day”. The six remaining members left Stiff Records and formed their own label, Zarjazz Records, which was sub-label of Virgin Records. In 1985, the label released the band’s sixth album, Mad Not Mad.

Barson’s keyboard parts were filled by synthesisers, and in later years, frontman Suggs described the production as “polished turd”. The album reached #16 in the UK charts, which was the band’s lowest position on the album charts to date. Despite the poor chart showing, the album was listed as #55 in NME’s All Time 100 Albums. The singles for the album fared even worse, with “Yesterday’s Men” peaking at #18 in the UK charts. The subsequent singles, “Uncle Sam” and “Sweetest Girl”, failed to make the top 20, which was a first for Madness singles. The band then attempted to record a new album, and 11 demo tracks were recorded. However, musical differences arose between band members, and in September 1986, the band announced that they were to split. Barson rejoined the band for a farewell single, “(Waiting For) The Ghost Train”, but did not appear in the music video. The band officially split following the release of the single, which reached a high of #18 in the UK.

In 1988, four members of the band — Suggs, Chas Smash, Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman — created a new band, using the name The Madness. After one self-titled album and two singles that failed to make the the top 40, the band split. Reunions and The Dangermen In early 1992, “It Must Be Love” was re-released and reached #6 in the UK singles chart. Following that, the singles compilation Divine Madness was released and peaked at #1 in the album charts. Madness then announced plans for a reunion concert, Madstock!, which was held at Finsbury Park, London on August 8 and 9 of that year. The original lineup reunited, performing together for the first time since Mike Barson left the band in 1984. Over 75,000 fans attended the weekend festival, and during “One Step Beyond”, the crowd danced so much they caused an earth tremor which measured over 4 on the richter scale.

A subsequent live album was released, and the associated single, “The Harder They Come” (a cover of Jimmy Cliff’s 1973 song) reached #44 in the UK. The band continued to reunite for annual UK Christmas season tours and held three more Madstock! festivals; in 1994, 1996 and 1998. In 1999, Madness released their first studio album since 1986, entitled Wonderful. The album reached #17 in the UK album charts, and the lead single, “Lovestruck”, gave the band their first new top 10 hit in the UK since 1983. Neither of the two subsequent singles from the album, “Johnny The Horse” and “Drip Fed Fred”, entered the top 40 of the UK charts. From October 28, 2002 to August 16, 2003, a musical based on Madness songs, Our House, ran at the Cambridge Theatre in west London.

Madness played a role in the executive production of the show, and Suggs played a role in the production for a period of time, playing the central character’s father. It won an Olivier Award for best new musical of 2003, and the performance was released on DVD on November 1, 2004. There was also a previous musical based on Madness songs, One Step Beyond!, written by Alan Gilbey. The musical had a brief run at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 1993. In 2004, the band played a series of low-key concerts as The Dangermen, performing covers of classic reggae and ska songs. A lot of the songs were those played by the band when they were first forming, and the band performed the songs as a celebration of their 25 year anniversary. This led to the release of the album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 in August 2005. However, during the sessions which produced the album, the band’s guitarist Chris Foreman announced his departure.

Foreman left the band in mid 2005, citing “the petty, time consuming bollocks that goes on in the band” in a statement announcing his decision to leave. The band completed the album without him, and on release, it peaked at #11 in the UK album charts, which was the band’s highest studio album chart position in 21 years. Although two singles were released, neither was a major success in the UK. The more successful of the two, “Shame & Scandal”, reached #38. Despite the poor chart showing, the single reached #12 in France. In late 2006, this six remaining members of Madness began working on their first original album in seven years. However, for Madness’ 2006 Christmas season tour, Foreman rejoined the band. In March 2007, the single “Sorry” was released from the band’s upcoming album, peaking in the UK charts at #23. The single included a version featuring UK hip hop artists Sway DaSafo and Baby Blue. Both artists were included on the music video which accompanied the hip-hop version of the song, but not on the original music video.

Both music videos were also without Chris Foreman, despite the fact that he was a band member at the time of release. The new Madness song “NW5 (I Would Give You Everything)” and a re-recorded version of “It Must Be Love” were featured in the German film Neues vom Wixxer. The two songs were released in Germany as a double A-Side, and both of them were turned into music videos. While promoting “Sorry”, Sway DaSafo confirmed in an interview with NME that he will perform in the recording of Madness’ updated version of their song “Baggy Trousers”, entitled “Baggy Jeans”. The updated song will be featured on Madness’ upcoming studio album, and also released as a single. DaSafo predicted the song will be a “huge smash gaurenteed”, although the date of release is not yet known. Lyrical themes Although Madness were seen by many as somewhat of a humorous band with catchy, bouncy songs, they sometimes tackled, what were at the time, controversial issues in their lyrics.

“Embarrassment” (from the “Absolutely” album) was written by Lee Thompson, and reflected the unfolding turmoil following the news that his teenage sister had become pregnant and was carrying a black man’s child. The band discussed animal testing in the song “Tomorrow’s Dream”. The band criticized the National Health Service in “Mrs. Hutchinson”; which told the story of a woman who, after several misdiagnoses and mistreatment, became terminally ill. The story was based on the experiences of Mike Barson’s mother. Madness’ final single prior to disbanding, “(Waiting For) The Ghost Train”, commented on apartheid in South Africa. Skinhead controversy Early in their career, Madness were linked to skinheads; members of a British working class subculture that the media often stereotyped as racist (although many skinheads are anti-racist). Not only were Madness, along with other 2 Tone bands, popular with skinheads, but it was said that the band members themselves were associated with the subculture. The band’s relationship with the skinheads varied at times. Mike Barson was particularly displeased with the band’s skinhead following, often finding it disappointing that so many were present at performances.

Prior to becoming a full member of the band, Chas Smash had been involved in fights with skinheads at performances. In one particular incident on November 18, 1979, Madness were supported by “Red Beans and Rice”, who featured a black lead singer, and the band were prevented from completing the performance due to the racist chants from certain members of the skinhead filled audience. Suggs later came on stage to show his displeasure at their behaviour, but this didn’t stop much of the audience from Nazi saluting at the end of the show. In a 1979 NME interview, Madness member Chas Smash was quoted as saying “We don’t care if people are in the NF as long as they’re having a good time.” This added to speculation that Madness was a racist band supporting the National Front, although the band members denied those allegations, and Chas Smash responded to the NME article in the song “Don’t Quote Me On That”. Eventually, band members denied their skinhead roots, which disappointed much of their skinhead fan base.

Awards The band’s first notable musical award came in 1983 when they won an “Ivor Novello Award” for Best Song for the international hit “Our House”. They recieved another “Ivor Novello Award” 17 years later for an “Outstanding Song Collection”. In 2005, they were awarded the Mojo Magazine “Hall Of Fame” award, notably for being ‘an artist’s artist’. As of 2007, a campaign is taking place by fans of Madness for the band to be awarded a Brit award. Many fans and critics feel they have been overlooked over their past 30 years in the music industry. Locations There are a number of locations around London associated with Madness. Primrose Hill in North London was used for the cover of the album “Rise and Fall” Madness star Suggs on how his cat's death set him on a personal odyssey | Daily Mail Online comments As the frontman of pop-ska group Madness, Graham ‘Suggs’ McPherson has, for many fans, achieved the status of minor national treasure.

Aided by his cheeky, infectious grin, Suggs has worked as a TV presenter, actor and radio DJ – but he will always be best known for his procession of catchy, bittersweet hits, such as House Of Fun, Baggy Trousers and My Girl. At their best, Madness mined a peculiarly British vein of pop, creating a nostalgic, mischievous and sometimes melancholic world of family life and coming of age in the terraced streets of working-class Camden Town, North London. Out in the open: Suggs is set to reveal all in a new one-man show as well as releasing an autobiography But Suggs’s own upbringing was a world away from the cosy cockney domesticity of Madness’s many hits: he was born to a jazz singer and a heroin addict and survived a childhood in the bohemian bars of Sixties Soho that would make a modern social worker blanch. He remains sanguine about his ‘colourful’ (his word) upbringing. ‘Kids are much more resilient than they’re given credit for,’ he says. ‘I just accepted things for what they were.’ We meet in a bare room above a pub in Camden Town.

Suggs, casually but sharply dressed in a zipped bomber jacket and trousers, finds a table and two chairs, settles down with a pint of Guinness and a roll-up, and tells me of the moment he decided to explore his early life. More... Share this article Share On his 50th birthday in January, he was lying in his bath in the large Victorian house he shares with his wife Anne – better known as singer Bette Bright – in Holloway, North London, trying to get over an epic hangover. ‘Suddenly, there was this ear-splitting crash. I leapt out of the water and there was our four-year-old cat, a short-haired British blue called Mamba, lying surrounded by shards of glass. ‘The shelf on which he’d been sleeping – I’d put it up myself – had given way. ‘I could tell just by looking at the odd angle of his body that he was dead. I couldn’t believe it. I loved that cat. ‘It triggered a deluge of emotion. My two daughters had recently left home, I was 50 and now the cat was dead. My first thought was that God hated me.

‘But then I started considering my own mortality and, out of that, the idea of exploring my past crystallised somehow.’ All change: The death of Suggs's cat, pictured with him here, triggered a host of emotions which led to him to explore his past The result is a new show, which begins a nationwide solo tour with a two-week run at the King’s Head Theatre in London from December 2. ‘It’s a memoir with a few songs thrown in for good measure,’ he explains. ‘It’s not stand-up. It’s not An Evening With . . . ‘I toyed with calling it Mad-Life Crisis,’ he says, wincing, ‘but, in the end, it’s simply My Life Story, which does at least tell you what you can expect, the good bits and the darker moments.’ He won’t be short of material. Suggs is the only child of photographic pro-cessor William ‘Mac’ McPherson and his jazz-singer wife, Edith. ‘She’s always been known as Eddie, although she’s taken to calling herself Edwina in recent years,’ he says. His father was a jazz fan and drug addict.

‘My mum told me she’d come home and find him with needles sticking out of his hands. ‘Heroin was his drug of choice and it’s an unforgiving mistress. In the end, it did for the marriage. ‘I don’t think she was a saint. She wasn’t opposed to having the occasional laugh when drink was involved. Let’s put it like that. But she couldn’t deal with her husband’s habit, especially when I came along.’ In the limelight: Suggs with his bandmates madness - there are sure to be some interesting stories to be told about their career Mac left home when Suggs was three. ‘I have no recollection of him.’ The grim details of his father’s life were only pieced together later. ‘Apparently, he took to injecting his eyeballs with paraffin, was sectioned under the Mental Health Act and put in an asylum in Tooting Bec, South London. ‘Mum told me that he was let out for the day when I was about 12 and came to ask her if she could get him released permanently.

‘But she wasn’t really in a position to do that – both because of our slightly haphazard living circumstances and the effect it might have on me – and, anyway, I don’t think she was sure that it would be the right thing for him. About ten years later, when I’d become a bit famous, it did occur to me that he might come out of the woodwork looking for me. I wondered what my reaction would be, but I was never put to the test.’ In fact Mac was released from hospital and moved to Birmingham where he briefly married again, but died in 1975 at the age of 40 from a variety of drug-related conditions. His second wife died a year later from a drug overdose. Suggs’s feelings for the father he never knew might have remained ambivalent had he not asked his mother recently to talk about what kind of man he’d been. ‘She thought for a bit and then she said, “Well, he was a very nice man. He was like you.” And that was the most shocking thing I could have heard. I’d had him down in my mind as some wayward old wastrel who’d just pushed off. That was easy to deal with.

‘But the fact that he was a nice man really upset me. It seemed so sad. ‘Still, it taught me a useful lesson. Drugs were around when I was a kid but I wasn’t ever going to go near them. So, something good came out of something bad.’ When Mac left, Edith moved to Liverpool – with some success. In the mid-Sixties, Melody Maker named her Jazz Newcomer Of The Year. Support: Suggs, pictured with his wife Bette Bright, is set to reveal more about his hectic life as a child At the Blue Angel club where she sang most regularly, The Beatles and Cilla Black would be in the audience after stints at The Cavern. The Merseybeat boom died down at the end of the decade, and when Suggs was six, Edith moved with him to London where they lived in a succession of rented rooms in Fulham. ‘We only had each other and I don’t doubt the effort she put into just surviving. She was a singer who had to work in bars to earn extra money.’ And, invariably, Suggs had to tag along, too.

‘Well, what else was she going to do?’ One of his mother’s favourite haunts was the celebrated Colony Room, presided over by its imperious proprietress, Muriel Belcher. A sort of unregulated demimonde in the heart of London’s Soho, the club attracted a swathe of talented, if sometimes dissolute, names from the world of theatre, literature and painting. George Melly, Peter O’Toole, Lucian Freud, Daniel Farson, Jeffrey Bernard, Francis Bacon – all were regular patrons. Although it finally shut up shop in 2008, Muriel having died almost 30 years earlier, the club’s interior remains as vivid in Suggs’s mind as if it were yesterday. Talent: Suggs has many strings to his bow - including being an excellent radio host He was seven years old when he first climbed the rickety stairs of the club in Dean Street and entered the ‘bilious green room’. ‘I clearly recall staring up through the thick fug of tobacco smoke, the occasional hand ruffling my hair or giving me a florin, sometimes even a ten-bob note.

‘I couldn’t really understand what was going on at adult level, which was probably for the best. Whenever she saw me, Muriel would always say, “Oh, it’s the little ****” but she did so with a sort of affection. I had no idea what the word meant. ‘The room was full of old drunks mingling with strippers draped in feather boas, and gangsters, but there was also a kind of romance about the place. Amid all the booze, it was a creative hotbed of art and poetry and theatre.’ Not, though, an entirely suitable place for a seven-year-old. ‘Absolutely not,’ agrees Suggs, cheerfully. ‘But then, from my mother’s perspective, there was a kind of community in Soho. It never occurred to her or me that I’d ever come to any harm – and I never did.’ Edith also sang in a club called The Kismet. On one famous occasion, George Melly took a friend there. As he opened the door of the cellar club just off the Charing Cross Road – it was nicknamed ‘the iron lung’ – his friend said: ‘Goodness, what’s that smell?’ George didn’t hesitate.

‘Failure, dear boy,’ he said. Suggs chuckles. Soho was his playground, the place where he’d pop into the Colony, The Kismet or the French House pub and blag some money off one of his mother’s friends so he could go to the cinema. If Eddie was singing in the evenings, she’d prevail upon people renting rooms in the same house as them to ‘babysit’ her son. She’d get him to school herself. But quite often she’d pick him up and drag him to Soho. However, when Suggs was aged nine, a struggling Edith suddenly decided that it was time for her son’s bohemian life to come to an end. She took him to visit her sister Diana and her young family in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, and she left him there. Life in Wales was a culture shock but, though he missed his mother, he enjoyed the company of three cousins his own age. ‘She was doing what she thought was the right thing,’ he adds.

‘She’d been having trouble trying to find us somewhere to live – and, although she hasn’t ever quite said as much, I don’t think she was having the best time herself.’ It was three years before Edith felt in a position to collect him. She had managed to find a council flat in Clerkenwell and enrolled her son in a comprehensive school in Swiss Cottage. ‘Going to a London school was quite tough at first. I’d picked up a slight Welsh accent, which didn’t help.’ All an act? Madness frontman Suggs's performances are iconic - but he reveals he was nervous when hosting his one-man show Suggs’s school nicknames were originally either ‘Gray’ or ‘Mac’. ‘I wanted something a bit more distinctive. So I got hold of my mum’s book about jazz musicians, stuck a pin into a page and it landed on Peter Suggs, the drummer in an obscure jazz band in Kentucky. The name resonated with me and I’ve been Suggs ever since.’ Later he discovered that at the time he was casting off his father’s name, the real ‘Mac’ McPherson was dying.

‘I’ve always thought that was rather poignant.’ Suggs was 15 and standing outside a cinema when he spontaneously burst into a rendition of Jailhouse Rock. A group of threatening-looking teenagers approached him and asked if he’d sing with their band. Madness was born. Success came quickly. My Girl went to No 3 in the charts in 1979 when Suggs was just 18 and a string of more than 20 hits followed. By the Nineties, Suggs had spread his talents to TV and radio presenting. After all, he needed the money. At just 20, he’d married and was father to his first daughter, Scarlett, now 29, a year later. He and Anne also have another daughter, Viva, 25, who sings professionally with her sister. ‘To some extent, I think it’s true to say that I deliberately created Fortress Suggs to give my life a bit of structure. But, having said that, I’d fallen in love with Anne. I wanted to be married to her. She certainly wasn’t an escape route.

We set up home in a mews house we bought in Camden – and other band members were having babies, too. ‘My life had been quite eventful up to that point. I was part of a successful band. We’d travelled the world. I didn’t think I’d missed out on anything by the time I chose to settle down, although it does seem incredibly young when I look back now.’ Suggs on Madness: 'We are all a bit dysfunctional, all a bit stronger for being together' Earlier this year, Suggs tried out his show. ‘The first night, I thought I’d contracted some weird tropical disease because my mouth was so dry I couldn’t speak. But it seemed to go pretty well.’ His mother travelled down to see the show in Brighton with a group of friends. ‘I was really nervous about what she’d think of it. I could see her from the stage and she was laughing and crying in all the right places, so I must have been getting it about right.’ Edith – who studied for a degree in psychology and acted as a foster mother to a series of children – is ‘proud and bemused’ by her son’s success. ‘She’s now got the life she wants.

She has a lovely flat overlooking St Giles’ Churchyard in Soho and within walking distance of her old stomping ground. She’s in her 70s but she and I sang together not long ago at the French House.’ Suggs will be appearing next weekend with Madness at the House Of Fun Weekender at Butlins Minehead in Somerset. The band will debut their new album, their 11th. And he is looking forward to it immensely. ‘Madness have always been about accentuating the positive. I have my down moments; everyone does. But it’s no accident these songs are still played three decades later. ‘They’re upbeat, timeless, a clear-eyed celebration of real life as it’s lived. The band has always been like a sort of surrogate family to me. ‘We are all a bit dysfunctional, all a bit stronger for being together.’ Once his solo stage tour finishes in February, Suggs will concentrate on proof-reading the pages for his forthcoming autobiography, the show expanded into book form. ‘It’s funny,’ he says. ‘When we were first rehearsing the show, my keyboard player would stop every so often and say, “Was that bit really true?” And it was, all of it.

Amazing, really.’ For tickets for Suggs: My Life Story In Words And Music, visit or call 0844 875 8758. suggs singer : definition of suggs singer and synonyms of suggs singer (English) 10 External links Early life McPherson was born in Hastings, the son of William Rutherford McPherson (1935–1975) [1] and Edith Gower, who married in Paddington in 1960. As a child Suggs was brought up in Hastings by his mother, his father having left shortly before he was born. In a 2009 interview he was asked about what happened to his father: " I don't know, but what I've heard hasn't been good: heroin, injecting his eyeballs with paraffin, being sectioned. He must be dead now. I mean, he would have got in touch if he was alive, wouldn't he? Yeah, he must be dead, poor bugger." [2] As a child he moved around a lot.

He spent three years of his childhood in Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire and had just started at a grammar school when he moved to North London. [3] [4] He then went to comprehensive school at Quintin Kynaston , Swiss Cottage , North London. [5] On the official Madness website he says " I was born in Hastings on a stormy evening on 13 January 1961. I only lived with my mum, so we were free agents. She was a singer in the pubs and clubs. We moved to Liverpool then London. I lived with relations in Wales for a while and came back to London. Because I was an only child, I was pretty insular and stubborn. All the upheaval made me lazy academically, so by the time I got to Quintin Kynaston school in Finchley Road I didn't bother much, I stayed on to the sixth form for social security reasons, and got two O-levels and a CSE on the way.

I met Mike Barson hanging around Hampstead School ."" [6] Suggs got his nickname from randomly sticking a pin in an encyclopedia of jazz musicians (hitting Peter Suggs) while he was still in school, to avoid being labelled as the member of an ethnic minority owing to his Scottish name. To capitalize on the name he went as far as to create a myth around it, writing lines like "Suggs is our leader" on the walls and only answering to that name. [7] A large part of Suggs' young life was the band Skrewdriver where he was a part of Ian Stuart Donaldson 's "crew" of skinheads and eventually became a roadie for Skrewdriver in 1977. [8] It had no wage but it meant he could get into gigs for free. Later he would lend Skrewdriver gear for their London gigs..[ citation needed ] Music Main article: Madness (band) Solo career After Madness' reformation for Madstock! in 1992 and 1994, Suggs went to work on his first solo album with the production help of acclaimed reggae producers Sly and Robbie .

In 1995 The Lone Ranger was released on WEA and peaked on the UK album charts at # 14. The first single to be released from the album was a cover of The Beatles song " I'm Only Sleeping " entering the UK Top Ten at # 7. The video featured appearances from Madness bandmates Mike Barson and Chas Smash . This was followed by "Camden Town", a homage to his favourite part of London which reached # 14 in the UK. In December of that year, Suggs released The Christmas E.P. featuring his song "The Tune" (co-written with Mike Barson ) plus covers of " Sleigh Ride " and "Alright" by Supergrass . In 1996, the third single from the album, a version of the Simon and Garfunkel classic " Cecilia ", became his most successful release, entering the U.K charts at # 4 and selling in excess of 500,000 copies. The final single to be released from the album was "No More Alcohol", charting at # 24. In 1997, Suggs recorded the song "Blue Day" for Chelsea FC with Chelsea players.

It was the official song for the team for the FA Cup , which Chelsea eventually won. The song reached # 22 in the UK charts. In 1998, Suggs released his second solo album The Three Pyramids Club on Warner Music , which was produced by Steve Lironi. The first and only single to be released was "I Am" charting at # 38. The song was also featured on the soundtrack to The Avengers . The album includes a collaboration with ragga artist General Levy and the trombone talents of ska legend Rico Rodriguez . After his brief solo career, Suggs returned to work with Madness on their first original album in 14 years. Wonderful was released in 1999 and was followed by the covers album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 in 2005. In 2009, Madness released The Liberty of Norton Folgate which reached # 5 in the UK Album Charts. Suggs - The Platinum Collection was released on 30 July in 2007 on Warner Music , featuring a selection of his best tracks from his two solo albums along with "Blue Day" and a remixed version of "Cecilia".

In 2008, Suggs contributed vocals to a cover of 'Hang Out The Stars In Indiana' to the soundtrack for The Edge of Love composed by Angelo Badalamenti . Suggs also has a cameo in the movie singing the track. Musical collaborations Suggs worked with Morrissey in 1989/1990, singing backing vocals on the tracks " Piccadilly Palare " and " Sing Your Life ". From early 1990 to 1992, he co-managed The Farm and co-produced their first album Spartacus which reached Number 1 in the UK Album Charts and spawned the international hit " All Together Now ". He also produced their first single 'Hearts and Minds' in 1984. He has collaborated with Jools Holland twice on his 'Small World Big Band' albums, firstly in 2001 with the song "Oranges and Lemons Again" and then with "Jack O The Green" in 2003. He also performed with Holland and his Rhythm And Blues Orchestra in 2003 for a television special where they performed two songs with veteran ska singer Prince Buster .

In July 2005, shortly after the terrorist attacks in London, Suggs and Chas Smash performed the Bob Marley song "So Much Trouble in the World" with Billy Bragg at a concert in London's Brockwell Park in aid of the victims. Also in 2005, Suggs collaborated with electronic group Audio Bullys on the track "This Road" from their Top 40 album Generation. In 2006, Suggs performed the Madness classic "My Girl" with The Ordinary Boys at the Brixton Academy which was released as a B-side on their UK hit single " Nine2five ". In May 2008, Suggs and Madness band mate Chas Smash , joined The Pet Shop Boys on stage at a gig in London's Heaven nightclub and they performed a dance version of the Madness classic My Girl . In 2010 Suggs and Mike Barson again worked with the Audiobullys on their album 'Higher Than The Eiffel'. They appear on the tracks 'Twist Me Up' and 'Goodbye'.

Acting & Stage Work Suggs has acted in films such as The Tall Guy and Don't Go Breaking My Heart (1998). He starred in the Channel 4 drama The Final Frame (1990), in which he played a pop star named East. He also played a pop star (called Jason Woods) in the Press Gang episode "Friends Like These" in 1990. He also played the part of Joe's dad in the stage musical Our House , featuring the songs of Madness for a limited period in London's West End in 2003. Suggs appears in the 2008 romantic drama The Edge of Love starring Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller , playing the part of 'the crooner' (also credited as Al Bowlly ) singing Bowlly's hit "Hang Out The Stars In Indiana". In late 2011, Suggs began a nationwide UK tour of a new one man stage show entitled 'LIVESUGGS'. In the critically acclaimed show, Suggs shares various anecdotes from his childhood to the present day intertwined with musical numbers. The show will tour into 2012.

Radio Suggs was a principal and original DJ on the BBC radio station BBC 6 Music when it launched in March 2002. [9] He also worked with the late Bob Monkhouse on the BBC Radio 4 musical sitcom I Think I've Got a Problem, which also starred comedian Phil Cornwell and was written by Andrew McGibbon . He became a DJ on Virgin Radio with the show Virgin Party Classics, and was nominated for a Sony Award in 2005. In 2006, Virgin launched the Party Classics radio channel, available via digital television. The channel was hosted by Suggs, but was short-lived, being pulled just four months after it launched. He regularly features on Virgin Radio competitions where listeners can win the chance to meet him and have a drink with him. On one such occasion well-known children's book writer, Simon I. Boy chatted about pop records that Suggs was pleased he had no connection with, particularly a 1974 Decca recording entitled 'Name it, you got it' by Micky Moonshine.

2007 saw him presenting a new show on the station five days a week entitled Afternoon Tea with Suggs which ran every weekday afternoon between 14:00 - 16:00. In August 2007 the show was given an extra hour and was on every weekday 13:00 - 16:00. It was produced by Mark Bingham. [10] The promotion of the show was voiced by Brian Sewell. On 3 December he quit Virgin and Neil Francis took over his weekday afternoon slot with immediate effect. On 27 September Suggs and Madness closed down Regent Street to perform for Absolute Radio's first birthday. [11] Television Suggs twice appeared with Madness on the British TV comedy show The Young Ones , firstly on the episode titled Boring in which the band performed "House of Fun". On the second series, the band performed "Our House" on the penultimate episode Sick. Suggs has hosted a celebrity karaoke game show on the UK's TV channel Five called ' Night Fever '.

He was a team captain in the BBC music trivia game show A Question of Pop, hosted by Jamie Theakston , opposite Noddy Holder . Suggs has also appeared as a guest on the BBC2 show Never Mind The Buzzcocks . He has hosted a series of sixty minute programmes called Salvage Squad , in which a group of engineers restored rare old machinery. Some of the items restored included a steamroller , a ploughing engine called "Margaret", a Blackpool "Coronation" tram , a Scammell Mechanical Horse , a Revopak dustcart , various boats, World War II tanks, early C20 motor launches, railway locomotives and vintage cars. In 2005 he filmed a series called Disappearing London for ITV in the London area, in which he investigates architectural and other curiosities that are vanishing. The series won three Royal Television Society awards with Suggs winning the award for 'Presenter of the Year'. A second series was filmed in 2006 for transmission in early 2007.

In 2005 he filmed a similar one-off programme for the BBC entitled A Picture Of London by Suggs, which featured the newly penned song "Cracks In the Pavement". Suggs has twice been a guest presenter on the BBC's long-running chart show Top Of The Pops , once in 1995 and again in 2005. In 2006, Suggs was the main presenter of the BBC London series Inside Out, a weekly programme for Londoners looking at surprising stories in the capital. He was part of Declan Donnelly 's Boy Band on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway the same year, and performed "It Only Takes a Minute" by Take That . In 2007, Suggs starred in a series of Birds Eye commercials which feature the Madness song Our House . A popular online game featuring Suggs was also based around the commercials. In December 2007, he narrated a one off documentary for ITV on the London music venue The Hammersmith Palais which closed down in 2007. The programme was broadcast on BBC Four on Christmas Eve.

In February 2008, Teachers TV broadcast Suggs in a one-off 'Teaching Challenge'. The challenge required Suggs to return to his secondary school, Quintin Kynaston School in North London, and teach a music lesson to a group of GCSE students. In this lesson he was assisted by renowned vocalist Micky Moonshine, his voice coach Been Cross and his valet S. I. Boy The class performed the timeless Decca classic 'Name it, You Got it.' [12] In 2008 he presented his own chat show titled Suggs in the City. The show, set in the Soho members club The Colony Room , aired on ITV London on Thursday nights. In October 2008 he presented a new culture series called 'Suggs' Italian Job' which was aired on Sky Arts, following the singer around Italy's most culturally significant hot spots. Suggs owns a holiday home in the Italian countryside. In 2009, Suggs performed with Zoë Ball in Let's Dance For Comic Relief dancing to You Can Never Tell from Pulp Fiction but was eliminated.

He also appeared in an episode of Australian music quiz show, Spicks and Specks , on 15 April. Books Suggs' first book, Suggs and the City: My Journeys Through Disappearing London, which is partly based on his TV series Disappearing London , was published in August 2009. Personal life He is married to singer Bette Bright , who was the vocalist of the 1970s British band Deaf School . They met through their connection with Clive Langer and married in 1981. They have two daughters, Scarlett and Viva. Suggs is a patron of the charity Children in Need , and has frequently appeared on the annual television fundraiser; performing various Madness tracks with other celebrities. He has also been involved with Cancer Research UK and their 'Busking Cancer' campaign, for which he busked live with Rod Stewart on HMS Belfast in May 2009. Suggs is a member of the 'Useless Information Society' (founded 1995) a society of journalists, writers and entertainers which focuses around useless esoteric information and has released books such as 'the Book of Useless Information'.

Other members include or have included Keith Waterhouse , Richard Littlejohn , Noel Botham, Ken Stott and Brian Hitchen . Suggs is a fan of Chelsea F.C. , made apparent by the F.A. Cup song which he wrote and then performed along with the rest of the 1996/1997 Chelsea squad. He is currently recording a new album with Madness. Solo discography For Suggs' albums and singles with Madness, The Madness and The Fink Brothers see Madness discography . Albums Madness’s Biography — Free listening, videos, concerts, stats and photos at Last.fm At least three artists exist by this name: 1) a British band 2) an American rapper 3) a Brazilian death metal group 1) Madness is a British pop and ska band from Camden Town, London, England that was formed in 1976. As of 2012, the group has continued to perform with their most recognised lineup of seven members, although that has varied slightly over the years.

Known for their cheeky humour and musical eclecticism, the band members called a "dysfunctional family", the group was one of most prominent artists in the late- 70s 2 Tone ska movement. As their career progressed, Madness moved closer toward conventional pop music and has become one of the most successful British bands of all time. The guys achieved most of their success in the 80s , often picking up new wave fans who enjoyed the band's eclectic sound. Madness, in fact, spent exactly 214 weeks on the U.K. singles charts from 1980-89, thereby sharing the record for most weeks spent by a group in said charts with UB40 . Examples of some of their most popular songs include 1979's " One Step Beyond ", 1982's " Our House ", and 1984's " Keep Moving ". Formation The core of the band formed as "The North London Invaders" in 1976. This outfit included Mike Barson (Monsieur Barso) on keyboards and vocals, Chris Foreman (Chrissy Boy) on guitar and Lee Thompson (Kix) on saxophone and vocals.

They later recruited John Hasler on drums and Cathal Smyth (better known as Chas Smash) on bass guitar. Later in the year, they were joined by lead vocalist "Dikron". This six-piece lineup lasted until part way through 1977, when Graham McPherson (better known as Suggs ) took over the lead vocals after seeing the band perform in a friend's garden. Smyth, who was poor on bass guitar, was replaced by Gavin Rogers, an acquaintance of Barson. McPherson was kicked out of the band for too often choosing to watch football instead of rehearsing. As well, Thompson left the band after Barson criticised his saxophone playing. By 1978, the band had allowed McPherson to return, after filling in temporarily for Hasler (who had taken over vocals when McPherson was removed). Thompson returned after patching things up with Barson, and Daniel Woodgate (Woody) and Mark Bedford (Bedders) also joined the band, on drums and bass guitar respectively. After briefly changing their name to Morris and the Minors, the band renamed itself as Madness; paying homage to one of their favourite songs by ska/reggae artist Prince Buster.

The band remained a sextet until late 1979, when Chas Smash rejoined and officially became the seventh member of Madness as a backing vocalist and trumpet player. Early success In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts at #16. A performance of "The Prince" on popular UK music show Top of the Pops helped Madness gain public recognition. Madness then toured with fellow 2 Tone bands The Specials and The Selecter, before recording their debut album, One Step Beyond …, which was released by Stiff Records. The album included a re-recording of "The Prince" and the band's second and third singles: " One Step Beyond " and " My Girl ". The title song was a cover of the B-side of the 1960s Prince Buster hit "Al Capone". One Step Beyond… stayed in the British charts for over a year, peaking at #2.

After the release of "My Girl", the band felt that they had exhausted the material from One Step Beyond…, and did not want to release any more singles from the album. However, Dave Robinson, head of Stiff Records, disagreed. Eventually, a compromise was made, and the band decided to release an EP featuring one album track and three new tracks. The result was the Work Rest and Play EP, which was headlined by the song "Night Boat to Cairo", from the One Step Beyond album. The EP reached #6 in the UK singles chart. The following year, the band's second album, Absolutely reached #2 in the UK album charts. Absolutely spawned some of the band's biggest hits, most notably "Baggy Trousers"; which peaked at #3 in the UK singles chart. "Embarrassment" reached #4 in the charts, and the instrumental song "Return of the Los Palmas 7" climbed to #7. Change of direction In 1981, the band's third studio album, 7 reached #5 in the UK album charts and contained three hit singles.

In an article in 1979, Chris Foreman explained that the band's music would move with the times, and change styles as time goes on. This was shown to be the case, as unlike the two ska-filled, fast-paced albums that preceded it, 7 was somewhat of a change in direction. Suggs' vocal performance changed significantly, and his strong Cockney accent from the previous albums had been watered down. The album strayed from the ska-influenced sound of One Step Beyond… and Absolutely, and moved towards a more conventional and mature pop sound; a trend that continued with subsequent albums. Near the end of 1981, Madness released one of their most recognised songs; a remake of Labi Siffre's 1971 hit "It Must Be Love". The song climbed to #4 in the UK and entered the US charts at #33. In 1982, Madness released their only #1 hit to date, "House of Fun"; as well as their fourth studio album The Rise & Fall. The album contained their most internationally successful single to date, "Our House", which reached #5 in the UK music charts and # 7 in the US charts.

In 1983, their single "Wings of a Dove" peaked at #2 in the UK charts. Their following album, Keep Moving, peaked at #6 in the UK album charts, and several singles from that album reached the top 20 in the UK music charts. Decline and breakup In October 1983, the band's founder, keyboardist and prominent songwriter Mike Barson decided to leave the band, partly because he had relocated to Amsterdam, Netherlands. He officially left the band in June 1984, following the release of "One Better Day". The six remaining members left Stiff Records and formed their own label, Zarjazz Records, which was sub-label of Virgin Records. In 1985, the label released the band's sixth album, Mad Not Mad. Barson's keyboard parts were filled by synthesisers, and in later years, frontman Suggs described the production as "polished turd". The album reached #16 in the UK charts, which was the band's lowest position on the album charts to date. Despite the poor chart showing, the album was listed as #55 in NME's All Time 100 Albums.

The singles for the album fared even worse, with "Yesterday's Men" peaking at #18 in the UK charts. The subsequent singles, "Uncle Sam" and "Sweetest Girl", failed to make the top 20, which was a first for Madness singles. The band then attempted to record a new album, and 11 demo tracks were recorded. However, musical differences arose between band members, and in September 1986, the band announced that they were to split. Barson rejoined the band for a farewell single, "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train", but did not appear in the music video. The band officially split following the release of the single, which reached a high of #18 in the UK. In 1988, four members of the band — Suggs, Chas Smash, Lee Thompson and Chris Foreman — created a new band, using the name The Madness. After one self-titled album and two singles that failed to make the the top 40, the band split. Reunions and The Dangermen In early 1992, "It Must Be Love" was re-released and reached #6 in the UK singles chart.

Following that, the singles compilation Divine Madness was released and peaked at #1 in the album charts. Madness then announced plans for a reunion concert, Madstock!, which was held at Finsbury Park, London on August 8 and 9 of that year. The original lineup reunited, performing together for the first time since Mike Barson left the band in 1984. Over 75,000 fans attended the weekend festival, and during "One Step Beyond", the crowd danced so much they caused an earth tremor which measured over 4 on the richter scale. A subsequent live album was released, and the associated single, "The Harder They Come" (a cover of Jimmy Cliff's 1973 song) reached #44 in the UK. The band continued to reunite for annual UK Christmas season tours and held three more Madstock! festivals; in 1994, 1996 and 1998. In 1999, Madness released their first studio album since 1986, entitled Wonderful.

The album reached #17 in the UK album charts, and the lead single, "Lovestruck", gave the band their first new top 10 hit in the UK since 1983. Neither of the two subsequent singles from the album, "Johnny The Horse" and "Drip Fed Fred", entered the top 40 of the UK charts. From October 28, 2002 to August 16, 2003, a musical based on Madness songs, Our House, ran at the Cambridge Theatre in west London. Madness played a role in the executive production of the show, and Suggs played a role in the production for a period of time, playing the central character's father. It won an Olivier Award for best new musical of 2003, and the performance was released on DVD on November 1, 2004. There was also a previous musical based on Madness songs, One Step Beyond!, written by Alan Gilbey. The musical had a brief run at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 1993.

In 2004, the band played a series of low-key concerts as The Dangermen, performing covers of classic reggae and ska songs. A lot of the songs were those played by the band when they were first forming, and the band performed the songs as a celebration of their 25 year anniversary. This led to the release of the album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 in August 2005. However, during the sessions which produced the album, the band's guitarist Chris Foreman announced his departure. Foreman left the band in mid 2005, citing "the petty, time consuming bollocks that goes on in the band" in a statement announcing his decision to leave. The band completed the album without him, and on release, it peaked at #11 in the UK album charts, which was the band's highest studio album chart position in 21 years. Although two singles were released, neither was a major success in the UK. The more successful of the two, "Shame & Scandal", reached #38. Despite the poor chart showing, the single reached #12 in France.

In late 2006, this six remaining members of Madness began working on their first original album in seven years. However, for Madness' 2006 Christmas season tour, Foreman rejoined the band. In March 2007, the single "Sorry" was released from the band's upcoming album, peaking in the UK charts at #23. The single included a version featuring UK hip hop artists Sway DaSafo and Baby Blue. Both artists were included on the music video which accompanied the hip-hop version of the song, but not on the original music video. Both music videos were also without Chris Foreman, despite the fact that he was a band member at the time of release. The new Madness song "NW5 (I Would Give You Everything)" and a re-recorded version of "It Must Be Love" were featured in the German film Neues vom Wixxer. The two songs were released in Germany as a double A-Side, and both of them were turned into music videos.

While promoting "Sorry", Sway DaSafo confirmed in an interview with NME that he will perform in the recording of Madness' updated version of their song "Baggy Trousers", entitled "Baggy Jeans". The updated song will be featured on Madness' upcoming studio album, and also released as a single. DaSafo predicted the song will be a "huge smash gaurenteed", although the date of release is not yet known. Lyrical themes Although Madness were seen by many as somewhat of a humorous band with catchy, bouncy songs, they sometimes tackled, what were at the time, controversial issues in their lyrics. "Embarrassment" (from the "Absolutely" album) was written by Lee Thompson, and reflected the unfolding turmoil following the news that his teenage sister had become pregnant and was carrying a black man's child. The band discussed animal testing in the song "Tomorrow's Dream". The band criticized the National Health Service in "Mrs. Hutchinson"; which told the story of a woman who, after several misdiagnoses and mistreatment, became terminally ill. The story was based on the experiences of Mike Barson's mother.

Madness' final single prior to disbanding, "(Waiting For) The Ghost Train", commented on apartheid in South Africa. Skinhead controversy Early in their career, Madness were linked to skinheads; members of a British working class subculture that the media often stereotyped as racist (although the clear majority of skinheads were anti-racist). Not only were Madness, along with other 2 Tone bands, popular with skinheads, but it was said that the band members themselves were associated with the subculture. The band's relationship with the skinheads varied at times. Mike Barson was particularly displeased with the band's skinhead following, often finding it disappointing that so many were present at performances. Prior to becoming a full member of the band, Chas Smash had been involved in fights with skinheads at performances. In one particular incident on November 18, 1979, Madness were supported by "Red Beans and Rice", who featured a black lead singer, and the band were prevented from completing the performance due to the racist chants from certain members of the skinhead filled audience.

Suggs later came on stage to show his displeasure at their behaviour, but this didn't stop much of the audience from Nazi saluting at the end of the show. In a 1979 NME interview, Madness member Chas Smash was quoted as saying "We don't care if people are in the NF as long as they're having a good time." This added to speculation that Madness was a racist band supporting the fascist group National Front, although the band members denied those allegations. Numerous fans felt upset that Chas Smash's views were mispresented by the media, with yellow journalists just looking for a story in their eyes. Smash responded to the NME article in the song "Don't Quote Me On That". Eventually, band members denied their skinhead roots, which disappointed much of their skinhead fan base. The issue faded as the years went by and the far-right skinhead groups failed completely in winning converts, their particular fringe shrinking massively while in the meantime Madness' international popularity grew. Awards The band's first notable musical award came in 1983 when they won an "Ivor Novello Award" for Best Song for the international hit "Our House".

They received another "Ivor Novello Award" 17 years later for an "Outstanding Song Collection". In 2005, they were awarded the Mojo Magazine "Hall Of Fame" award, notably for being 'an artist's artist'. As of 2007, a campaign is taking place by fans of Madness for the band to be awarded a Brit award. Many fans and critics feel they have been overlooked over their past 30 years in the music industry. Website madness.co.uk 2) Madness is also the name of a hip-hop artist from Florida in the U.S. He has competed in many Grindtime Rap Battle events, and the rapper work is featured on the release 'Fresh Coast Perishables Volume One' as well as in his own underground albums. 3) Madness is a Brazilian death metal band.

Question: Graham McPherson achieved fame as a singer using which name?
Answer: Suggs