The Tearjerkers

The Tearjerkers are a five piece power pop band from Northern Ireland. Formed at the height of the punk rock boom in Ulster in the late 1970s, the band were composed of members from other Northern Irish groups namely Cobra, Midnight Cruiser and The Detonators.

Paul Maxwell (lead vocal) Paul McIlwaine (guitars) Brian Rawson (guitars, backing vocals) Howard Ingram (bass guitar, backing vocal and occasional lead vocal) Nigel Hamilton (drums)

Their first single was issued on Terry Hooley's Belfast punk record label, Good Vibrations. Drummer/manager, Nigel Hamilton, along with his partner, Elizabeth McCann, organised a tour for the Good Vibrations label, which took other leading punk bands Rudiand The Outcasts on tour with the Tearjerkers all over Northern Ireland. The Tearjerkers were offered a recording contract with Phonogram's Back Door label, and issued their second single, "Murder Mystery" produced by John Astley (producer of The Who and Pete Townshend's then brother in law) and Phil Chapman. This single scored minor hit status in Belgium, France and Sweden as well as reaching No.74 in the UK charts. The Tearjerkers recorded two sessions for BBC Radio One's John Peel Show, and also received extensive airplay on Belfast's Downtown Radio and RTÉ's Dave Fanning show.

With the death of the entertainment industry following the Miami Showband massacre, the Tearjerkers became prime movers in re-opening several concert venues and almost single-handedly creating the late 70s/early 80s contemporary band touring circuit within Northern Ireland.

The band travelled to England to start recording their follow up single, and recorded "Comic Book Heroes", "Fingers" and "Can't You See" with Chris "Merrick" Hughes (Adam and the Ants drummer) and Hugh Jones (Echo and the Bunnymen producer). These tracks were issued on the Mercury record label in the United States on the compilation album, Thru The Back Door. The Tearjerkers also record another three tracks with Laurence Juber at Radio Luxembourg's London Studios before returning to Northern Ireland where further tracks, some self-produced, were readied for their debut album (provisionally entitled 'The Grey Album')

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