Ian McNabb

Robert Ian McNabb was born in Lourdes Hospital (now Spire Liverpool Hospital) in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, the first and only child of Patricia (née Forsyth) and Robert Gerard McNabb. At 18 months old he contracted pneumonia, leaving him with a damaged left lung. He had a brief stint as a child model, and a resultant photo was later featured on the album art of Potency: The Best of Ian McNabb. Following seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey as a child, McNabb has been an avid space-enthusiast. He has also been a supporter of Liverpool F.C. since childhood. McNabb cites his earliest musical influences as being from watching T. Rex's "Born to Boogie" and ''That'll Be the Day'' starring David Essex at the age of 10. After this he began attending guitar and music theory lessons. McNabb's first musical performance was playing "You're Sixteen" at Fairfield Conservative Club in Liverpool in 1974. In 1975, he auditioned and joined the young cabaret group Daybreak (Later renamed "Young World"). The group played at working men's clubs around the North-West of England during the mid-1970s. The group unsuccessfully auditioned for television talent show Opportunity Knocks. Chris Sharrock later joined the group, where McNabb first became friends with him, he would go on to drum for The Icicle Works. McNabb wrote his first song at age 15, titled "Apologise (I Will)". McNabb quit Young World near the end of 1976 and joined an all-male teen cabaret group called City Lights. In 1977 the group auditioned for ITV's New Faces but were unsuccessful. McNabb began attending the Mabel Fletcher College of Music and Drama. He quit City Lights in February 1980, having agreed to start a band with Chris Sharrock. ==The Icicle Works==

McNabb became the lead vocalist and songwriter for the band, which was founded in 1980. The band's other members were Chris Sharrock on drums and Chris Layhe on bass guitar and backing vocals. During 1981, McNabb auditioned for the role of Barry Grant in Brookside but was unsuccessful. He also played extras in many television dramas at this time. The Icicle Works had success in the UK with the top 20 single "Love Is a Wonderful Colour" in 1983. They also hit the top 40 in the United States and Canada with the single "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)" in 1984. The Icicle Works continued recording through the 1980s with limited success. In the UK, several of the band's follow-up singles charted, although none reached higher than No. 52. In the US, they briefly made the Modern Rock charts in 1988, but achieved no further mainstream recognition and were regarded in the US and Canada as a one-hit wonder. The original line-up of the Icicle Works broke up in 1988. McNabb put together a new "second generation" Icicle Works line-up in 1989, which released one album in 1990. However, the album was commercially unsuccessful and the band broke up the following year. In October 2006, after 15 years as a solo artist, McNabb unexpectedly revived the name the Icicle Works for a series of UK concerts. However, this new version of McNabb's old band did not feature any original Icicle Works members other than McNabb himself. In essence, McNabb seemed to be re-branding himself, using a somewhat more successful trade name in order to give his work increased exposure. Throughout 2007 and into early 2008, McNabb played dates as both a solo artist and with The Icicle Works. He then retired the name for a few years, before playing a handful of "30th Anniversary" shows as the Icicle Works in 2011. He still continues to perform live shows with The Icicle Works in addition to solo performances. ==Solo career==

1991–1997: This Way Up era Around the time of the split of the Icicle Works in 1990, McNabb spent some time as a de facto member of the Wild Swans, playing guitar and singing background vocals. The Wild Swans dissolved in late 1990, and McNabb then issued two solo singles in 1991 to little notice. He then resurfaced in 1993 with a collection of demos which would form the basis of his first solo album, Truth and Beauty. ==Solo discography==

See Ian McNabb discography & List of songs recorded by Ian McNabb Albums • Truth and Beauty (1993) • Head Like a Rock (1994) • Merseybeast (1996) • A Party Political Broadcast on Behalf of the Emotional Party (1998) • Ian McNabb (2001) • The Gentleman Adventurer (2002) • Before All of This (2005) • Great Things (2009) • Little Episodes (2012) • Eclectic Warrior (2013) • Krugerrands (2015) • Respectfully Yours (2016) • Star Smile Strong (2017) • Our Future in Space (2018) • Utopian (2021) • Ascending (2021) • Nabby Road (2022) • New Brighton Rock (2023) • Fleetwood McNabb (2024) • ''If It Wasn't for the Music'' (2025) Compilations of rarities, demos, etc. • Waifs and Strays (2001) • Boots (2003) • ''People Don't Stop Believin'' (2005) • Eclectic Warrior -- Demos (2013) ==Collaborations with other artists==

Around the time the "second generation" Icicle Works were winding down, McNabb became a de facto member of The Wild Swans, playing guitar and singing back-up vocals on their second studio album, 1990's Space Flower. As well, he worked with Ian Broudie on Broudie's studio project The Lightning Seeds, providing backing vocals on the band's first three albums, released between 1990 and 1994. McNabb also co-wrote a total of two songs with Broudie that wound up on The Lightning Seeds' second and third albums, 1992's Sense and 1994's Jollification. 1998 saw McNabb as part of a touring band for Mike Scott and The Waterboys, playing bass and sometimes keyboards. He also had occasion to serve as a touring bassist for one of his heroes, Ringo Starr, whose son Zak Starkey had had an early music industry break in 1988 when McNabb hired him to be a member of a late-running version of The Icicle Works. McNabb has also contributed guitar on Amsterdam's album The Journey (2005) and Gary Cooke's debut album Songs for Everyday Use (2006). ==References==

• "The Crazy Dreamer", review of Head Like a Rock, from Vox, 1994. • Allmusic.com entry for Icicle Works • [ AllMusic.com] entry for Ian McNabb. • Information posted by Ian McNabb on Yahoo!Groups discussion list • Biography on official Ian McNabb website • Liner notes to McNabb albums, particularly Waifs and Strays, Boots • The Right to Imagination & Madness, by Martin Roach (London: Independent Music Press, 1994) . • Guinness Rockopedia, by David Roberts (London: Guinness World Records Ltd., 1998) . • The Great Rock Discography, by M.C. Strong (Edinburgh: Mojo Books, 2000) . ==External links==