Billy MacKenzie
| Billy MacKenzie | |
|---|---|
Billy MacKenzie in concert, University of Dundee Student Union, Dundee. 1985
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William MacArthur "Billy" MacKenzie |
| Born |
27 March 1957 Dundee, Scotland |
| Died | 22 January 1997 (aged 39) Auchterhouse, Angus, Scotland |
| Genres | Post-punk, new wave, art pop, dream pop, alternative rock, synthpop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1976–97 |
| Labels | Nude Records, Fiction Records, Circa Records, One Little Indian, Warner Music Group |
| Associated acts | The Associates, British Electric Foundation |
William MacArthur "Billy" MacKenzie (27 March 1957 – 22 January 1997) was a Scottish singer, with a distinctive high tenor voice; he was best known as a member of The Associates.
MacKenzie was born and grew up in Dundee. As a youngster, he lived in Park Avenue in the Stobswell area and attended St Mary's Forebank Primary School and St Michael's Secondary School. He led a peripatetic lifestyle, decamping to New Zealand at the age of 16, and travelling across America aged 17. Here he married Chloe Dummar, the sister-in-law of his Aunt Veronica. While MacKenzie was quoted as saying the marriage was made to stave off deportation so that he could sing with the New Orleans Gospel Choir – calling his wife a 'Dolly Parton type' – Dummar still believes the pair were in love. He left her after three months of marriage and returned to Dundee, and the two never had contact again. Chloe Dummar filed for divorce in 1980, and MacKenzie did not contest the filing. Chloe's brother, Melvin Dummar, claimed to be the "one sixteenth" beneficiary of the estate of Howard Hughes, until the case was thrown out in 1978.
MacKenzie returned to Scotland where he met Alan Rankine and in 1976 formed the Ascorbic Ones. They changed the name to Mental Torture and finally Associates in 1979. Rankine left Associates in 1982, but MacKenzie continued to work under the name for several years until he began releasing material under his own name in the 1990s. Mackenzie also collaborated with many other artists during his career. In 1987, he wrote lyrics for two tracks on Yello's album One Second: "Moon on Ice", which he sang himself, and "The Rhythm Divine", which was sung by Shirley Bassey and was released as a single. A version sung by MacKenzie was released on the tape and CD versions of Associates' Popera compilation). MacKenzie also collaborated with B.E.F. (British Electric Foundation) for their two albums Music of Quality and Distinction Volume I (1982) & Volume II (1991).
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