Quinn was a classmate of
Edwyn Collins between the ages of 11 and 15, and sang backing vocals on "Rip It Up" by Collins' band
Orange Juice. After singing with
Postcard Records band Jazzateers (contemporaries of
Josef K, The French Impressionists and
Aztec Camera) he formed Bourgie Bourgie in May 1983 along with former members of his previous band. The group began recording an album with producer
Mike Hedges but it remained unreleased when they split up. Quinn then collaborated with
Edwyn Collins on a version of
The Velvet Underground's "
Pale Blue Eyes", released on Postcard Records boss Alan Horne's new Swamplands label, which reached number 72 in the UK in August 1984. In early 1985, Quinn released his first solo single, "Ain't That Always the Way", which again featured Collins but was credited solely to Quinn for contractual reasons, which was also a minor hit, reaching number 98 in the UK. He then collaborated with
Vince Clarke on the "
One Day" single, which fared similarly. Quinn returned in 1992 with a new band, The Independent Group, a supergroup containing former members of
Orange Juice,
Aztec Camera,
Lloyd Cole & the Commotions, and
The Bluebells. Signed to a revived Postcard Records, they released two albums in 1992 and 1994. In 1995, Quinn collaborated with
Nectarine No. 9 on the
Pregnant with Possibilities EP. Quinn has neither recorded nor made any public appearances for many years. In December 2020, it was announced that a boxset anthology of Quinn's work was to be released in 2021 on a reactivated
Postcard Records == Bourgie Bourgie ==