Paul Carrack announces Scarborough Spa gig

Carrack features on numerous classic worldwide hits such as How Long, Tempted, The Living Years and Over My Shoulder.

The covers album celebrates the pioneering golden era in music from the 50s and beyond spanning blues, gospel, country and jazz including Cryin' Won't Help You – Paul’s tribute to BB King.

Paul has a deep love of R&B songs from the Fifties and beyond. For him, 50s music was filled with intense emotion, it was wildly kinetic and had a profound impact on his career.

In Paul’s mind, it’s where all modern pop music began, the sounds were spectacular and revolutionary. Days when the change from jazz to pop was stretched via pioneers and great singers like Bobby Bland, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Lloyd Price.

These artists always resonated as fantastic performers with stylistic records that had such joy and intensity.

The 50s were not only a time for musical revolution but a social and generational upheaval of vast and unpredictable scope. The power of this music is as vital today as it ever was with the power to change lives forever.

After working with the SWR Big Band on a number of projects, Paul and his producers had the idea to find and record a selection of these time-warped classics, some well-known, others not so much, and the title track, a modern song that harks back to those times called ‘Don’t Wait Too Long’.

The result is an impassioned, compelling album. Honest, epic, touching, the album showcases a great vocalist who is at home with his art and talent.

Paul said, “Over the past 15 years it’s been my pleasure to collaborate on a number of projects with the SWR Big Band who are widely acknowledged as one of the finest jazz orchestras in the world.

“Many of these collaborations have taken me, a self-taught rock ‘n’ roll musician, out of my musical comfort zone and into areas where I might not ordinarily venture. It’s been a great experience in so many ways which has broadened my musical education whilst learning on the job.

"With this album I wanted to bring the repertoire and feel of the record a little closer to my own musical roots of Soul, Pop and classic Rhythm and Blues.

“Recording the album remotely during the 2020 lockdown presented some technical challenges but I think recording my vocals in my studio at home turned out to be a positive and I’m very pleased with the performances which I believe are some of the best of my long and varied career.

One of the highlights of my career undoubtedly was playing and singing on an album called Deuces Wild by the late, great BB King.

"BB was a joy to work with and great fun. This is my tribute to him.”

Also featured on the album is Paul’s version of Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland’s classic The Only Thing Missing Is You.

Tickets for the Spa date ar available on: 01723 376774 or www.scarboroughspa.co.uk/