Born on 28 May: Roland Gift, the unique voice of Fine Young Cannibals

He was born in 1961 in Birmingham, UK. Although his voice has mellowed, it still retains the unique qualities that made "She Drives Me Crazy" such a hit.

Inspired by the film "All The Fine Young Cannibals" by Michael Anderson (1960), the name of the English trio founded with Andy Cox and David Steele (both from the ska group The Beat) already hints at the connection with their lead singer Roland Gift’s other career, both in the cinema and on "the small screen". But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…

The Fine Young Cannibals only ever recorded two albums: "FYC" (with a cover photo by the Dutchman Anton Corbijn) in 1985 and "The Raw And The Cooked" released at the very start of 1989. But what albums they were! An innate sense of rhythm and Roland’s truly unique voice. "My mother used to play Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, but also Desmond Dekker," he recalled in the pages of The Guardian in 1989. "I think my voice comes from there, from those mixed influences, from that joyful melancholy."

From their very first single "Johnny Come Home", Roland’s voice was the perfect counterpoint to Graeme Hamilton’s sharp, muted trumpet. Some critics at the time claimed his voice was simply "quavering." But the Birmingham trio’s trademark had already been found!

In just a few years, the band left their mark on popular music and the UK charts: the aforementioned "Johnny Come Home" (No.8 in the UK and Belgium), their cover of Elvis Presley’s "Suspicious Minds" (No.8 in the UK and No.6 in Australia), the surprising Buzzcocks cover "Ever Fallen In Love" (No.9 in the UK), "She Drives Me Crazy" (No.1 almost everywhere) and "Good Thing" with the instantly recognisable piano of Jools Holland (No.1 in Canada), before gradually fading from the spotlight.

Roland Gift then returned to his acting career. Notably, he starred in "Sammy & Rosie Get Laid" by Stephen Frears in 1987 (his finest role), as well as in many television series. His voice has, of course, mellowed over the years, but he now enjoys returning to the stage. He regularly performs at nostalgia-filled 80s festivals such as Rewind, Let’s Rock, Absolute 80’s, and even the W-Festival in Belgium.

From time to time, the Fine Young Cannibals repertoire is dusted off and remixed, with varying degrees of success, for a compilation that briefly puts them back in the spotlight. The latest, released by Rhino Records, is simply titled "The Collection." Gift also released a single self-titled solo album in 2002.

Upcoming concert:

26 July: Millennium Square – Leeds (England) with, among others, Kim Wilde and Go West

(MH with Stéphane Soupart – Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Roland Gift with Fine Young Cannibals on stage at Manhattan, Leuven (Belgium), 18 May 1986