Ian McCulloch
Posted by Thurston in Echo and the Bunnymen, Ian McCulloch, New Wave
Ian McCulloch (born Ian Stephen McCulloch, 5 May 1959, Liverpool) is an English singer best known for his work with Echo & the Bunnymen.
McCulloch was a singer-songwriter with the Crucial Three, one of many local bands that sprung up amongst the regulars who patronized a Liverpool club called Eric's in the late seventies. The other two members were Julian Cope, later of The Teardrop Explodes and Pete Wylie who went on to form Wah!
In 1978 McCulloch formed Echo & the Bunnymen with Will Sergeant (guitar), Les Pattinson (bass) and a drum machine (allegedly named Echo), making their live debut at Eric's later that year. In 1979 the Bunnymen exchanged the drum machine for Pete de Freitas on drums. With their line up solidified, the Bunnymen enjoyed critical acclaim in the late seventies and early eighties culminating with the release of Ocean Rain in 1984. McCulloch left to pursue a solo career under the impression the Bunnymen would be laid to rest if only temporarily. When the remaining Bunnymen continued using the name with a new singer the split became permanent with McCulloch referring to the band as "Echo & the Bogusmen".
In 1990 McCulloch achieved modest chart success with the album Candleland which reflected a more mature outlook on the world, owing to the recent deaths of McCulloch's father and Pete de Freitas. It yielded two Modern Rock Tracks singles, "Proud To Fall" (#1 for four weeks) and "Faith and Healing". The album Mysterio was released in 1992 as the public's interest in the former Bunnyman was waning. Shortly after, McCulloch left the public eye to devote more time to his family.
More info available from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
