Graeme Kelling


1957 - 2004

Musician. Born in Paisley (Renfrewshire), Kelling developed his guitar technique with Tune Cookies and various other bands before successfully auditioning for Deacon Blue, named after a Steely Dan song of the 1970s. The band was formed in Glasgow in 1985 by Ricky Ross (b.1957) and comprised Kelling, vocalist Lorraine McIntosh (b.1964), keyboard player Jim Prime (b.1960), bass guitarist Ewan Vernal (b.1964) and Dougie Vipond (b.1966) on drums.

Their debut album Raintown (1987) was well-received and followed by others such as When The World Knows Your Name (1989), with a succession of chart-topping hits including Dignity, Fergus Sings the Blues and Real Gone Kid. The band grew to be one of Scotland's best-known acts of the 1980s, but split in 1994. Kelling went on to write theme music for television, before Deacon Blue reformed in 1999.

Kelling succumbed to cancer at Glasgow's Stobhill Hospital only months after his final appearance with the band at the Glasgow Academy.


Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry arrow

If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...

By using our site you agree to accept cookies, which help us serve you better