Andrew Strong | |
---|---|
Born |
Dublin, Ireland |
14 November 1973
Genres |
Pop rock Soul Blues |
Occupation(s) |
Singer Actor |
Years active | 1990s–present |
Associated acts | The Commitments |
Website | http://www.andrewstrong.com/ |
Andrew Strong (born 14 November 1973) is an Irish singer and the son of Irish musician and singing coach Robert (Rob) Strong. He grew up in Omagh, County Tyrone (where his father lived while performing with showbands), and Naas, County Kildare. He starred as Deco Cuffe in the 1991 cult film The Commitments based on the book by Roddy Doyle, having been cast at only 16 years of age with a voice sounding much older. In 1991 he was nominated for a Grammy Award as a member of The Commitments.
Since then, Strong has released a number of albums, including a platinum disc, and toured with artists including The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Prince, Lenny Kravitz and Bryan Adams.
Strong does not tour with the official tribute act to the Commitments, although he did perform with the original cast for the 20th anniversary concert in the O2 in Dublin in March 2011.
In 2003, Andrew formed The Bone Yard Boys with Bent Larsen Petersen, a partnership that endures to the present day. The Bone Yard Boys music is more contemporary with shades of Bowie, U2, Soundgarden, Sly, and “pretty much everything what inspires them”
2005 Andrew recorded “When I'm Coming Home” in Los Angeles for the Film “Brothers”, directed by Academy Award winner Susanne Bier. 2006 saw the “Greatest Hits” album released by Sony BMG, this record consists of tracks from all of Andrew’s previous recordings and a couple of new tracks co-written by Andrew. During 2006 and 2007 he toured Europe and Australia to promote “Greatest Hits” while also writing and recording with The Bone Yard Boys.
In 2009, Andrew kicked off his first US East Coast tour since 1998, while also playing festivals in Europe, and also recording with The Bone Yard Boys. Then in 2010 he performed concerts on a US West Coast tour and played festivals in Europe. The Commitments got back together in March 2011 for a reunion tour to mark the 20th anniversary of the movie with four shows in Ireland ending in the O2 arena in Dublin to critical acclaim. They played to 24,000 people over 4 shows and also donated 30,000 euro to The Irish Cancer Society.