Billy Mackenzie
Billy MacKenzie was a Scottish musician born on March 27, 1957 in Dundee, Scotland. He gained recognition as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter for the band Associates, which he formed with Alan Rankine in the late 1970s. Together, they released their first 7" cover of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging". The duo went on to produce a series of highly acclaimed albums and singles under the Associates name.
After parting ways with Alan in 1982, Billy continued his musical journey as The Associates with various line-ups. Throughout his career, he collaborated with other artists such as Skids and Yello, lending his distinctive vocals to their projects. In addition to his work with The Associates, Billy also released solo singles under different names like "MacKenzie sings Orbidoig", "Holger Hiller featuring Billy Mackenzie", and "BEF featuring Billy MacKenzie".
In 1992, Billy embarked on proper solo ventures under his own name with the release of the album "Outernational" and several accompanying singles. He continued to collaborate with notable musicians including Yello, Peach, Barry Adamson, Apollo Four Forty, Loom, and Siobhan Fahey.
Tragically, at the age of 39 on January 22nd, 1997 in Auchterhouse near Dundee Scotland,