Born on 13 August: Feargal Sharkey (Undertones), between punk and fishing

He was born in Derry (Northern Ireland) in 1958. Before leaving the stage in 1991, he excelled in a wide variety of musical genres.

From the punk of the Undertones to the dazzling soul-funk of his eponymous debut album in 1985 (not forgetting The Assembly with his friend Vince Clarke), Feargal Sharkey laid down his deceptively fragile but unmistakably unique voice on a wide variety of scores. But it was undeniably the three albums of his all-too-short solo career that revealed the full extent of his vocal abilities, as well as his artistic versatility between blues ("I've Got News For You"), flashy brass ("You Little Thief"), soul ("Someone To Somebody") and an acute sense of melody.

When his former bandmates in the Undertones decided to take to the road again in 1999, he was offered the chance to join in the adventure, but Feargal Sharkey preferred his activities to the business side of music. Since 1991, he has only appeared on stage once, once again at the invitation of his friend Vince Clarke. It was in 2011 to perform 'Never Never', the only single they produced together under the name The Assembly.

An avid river fisherman, Feargal Sharkey has spent the last few years working to preserve water resources and clean up rivers. Since his retirement, the man from Derry has had his work cut out for him, so there's never a dull moment. But to celebrate his 66th birthday, give him the pleasure of listening once again to some of his anthems such as 'A Good Heart' (1985), 'Never Never' with The Assembly (1983) and the seminal 'Teenage Kicks' with the Undertones, released in 1978 on the - aptly named - independent label Good Vibrations...

(Stéphane Soupart - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Feargal Sharkey in concert at the Stade de l'Union in Forest (Brussels), Belgium, 21 June 1986