Paddy McAloon is the singer, songwriter and guitarist of the melodic
pop band,
Prefab Sprout, which he formed
in 1977. Despite never being fashionable, the band developed a sizeable
following and enjoyed a series of minor hit singles and one top ten
single ("The King of Rock 'n' Roll" which reached 7 in 1988). Between
1984 and 1997, they accumulated 60 weeks on the UK singles chart. Four
of their albums have been top ten hits in the UK: "From Langley Park to
Memphis" (1988), "Jordan: The Comeback" (1990), "A Life of Surprises -
The Best of Prefab Sprout" (1992) and "Andromeda Heights" (1997). They
eventually accumulated 106 weeks on the album chart. Sadly, McAloon was
diagnosed with a medical disorder rendering him partially blind and
this delayed the release of
Prefab Sprout's 2001 album, "The Gunman
and Other Stories". He is frequently mentioned as one of the best
lyricists of his generation.