Clive Gregson

One of Britain’s most overlooked songwriters, Clive Gregson has been crafting sharp, emotionally direct material laced with wit since the middle of the 1970s. Although he has fronted a rock band, formed a contemporary-folk partnership, and worked alone, his compositions have earned steady respect from reviewers, attentive fans, and fellow musicians alike; Nanci Griffith, Norma Waterson, and Fairport Convention have all interpreted his songs, while Richard Thompson, Eddi Reader, and Plainsong have shared stages and tours with him. The most complete overview of his Any Trouble years appears on the 2013 anthology The Complete Stiff Recordings 1980-1981, and the most revealing document of his partnership with Christine Collister remains the 1989 album A Change in the Weather. Among his solo recordings, 1996’s I Love This Town, 2002’s Comfort and Joy, and 2004’s Long Story Short stand out.

Gregson entered the world on January 4, 1955, in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, England. The first wave of Beatlemania awakened his interest in music, and when his older brother abandoned the drums, their parents traded the kit for Clive’s first guitar. Although he played with school friends, his professional debut arrived only after he assembled Any Trouble, a Manchester pub-rock and new-wave quartet, in 1975. Reviewers frequently noted that the band’s style and Gregson’s own singing and writing echoed Elvis Costello, which helped Any Trouble land a deal with Stiff Records, Costello’s original label. Several critically admired yet commercially unsuccessful albums followed before the group disbanded in 1984.

In 1984 Gregson heard Christine Collister perform at a folk club and, struck by her voice, invited her to collaborate on upcoming projects. He had already begun working with Richard Thompson, contributing backing vocals to the 1982 album Shoot Out the Lights. While Thompson was recording Hand of Kindness, Gregson recommended Collister for additional harmonies; the combination proved successful, and the pair became mainstays of Thompson’s touring ensemble, widely regarded as one of his strongest live bands.

Gregson issued his first solo album, Strange Persuasions, in 1985, with Collister appearing on several tracks. Shortly afterward the two began performing as a duo on the folk-club circuit; their initial release was a self-recorded cassette sold at shows and later issued on vinyl as Home and Away. The formal studio debut Mischief appeared in 1987, followed by A Change in the Weather in 1989. Later that same year they released Love Is a Strange Hotel, an album of covers drawn from songs they both admired.

By 1992 the pressures of constant touring and limited commercial returns had strained the partnership. Gregson and Collister chose to disband after issuing The Last Word and completing a final tour. Gregson eventually moved to Nashville and began a solo career, issuing the live “official bootleg” Carousel of Noise on his own imprint in 1994. People & Places arrived in 1995, and Compass Records released I Love This Town in 1996. He also produced records for the Weather Prophets, the Oysterband, and the Brilliant Corners while frequently writing with Boo Hewerdine.

After a short period with Plainsong, Gregson returned in 1998 with Happy Hour and embarked on a successful British tour alongside Hewerdine and Eddi Reader. Comfort and Joy followed in 2002, prompting further travels that included infrequent visits to the United States and Japan. In 2003 a fall from a ladder fractured his shoulder and arm, halting activity for several months. He recovered fully and delivered the understated solo collection Long Story Short at the end of 2004.

Any Trouble reconvened in 2007 to record Life in Reverse, supporting the album with a few live appearances. Gregson resumed solo work with the self-produced 2011 album Bittersweet, which contained only original songs. Another solo effort, This Is Now, appeared in 2013. In 2015 he reassembled Any Trouble for Present Tense and toured the U.K.; that year he also began performing with singer-songwriter Liz Simcock, presenting material from the Gregson and Collister catalog. The pair reconvened in 2017 to record Underwater Dancing.

In 2020 Gregson declared his intention to retire from live performance, planning a final U.K. tour that would mark the end of his stage career. The COVID-19 pandemic canceled those shows, yet he embarked on another large-scale undertaking that year: issuing a new album each month. The series opened with One Year, twelve tracks each tied to a different month. Subsequent releases included Raggedy Ass, a rock-and-roll collection; Eighteen Strings, drawn from his 3 Boxes project; Every Face Is Turned My Way, centered on his musical life; Poorville, addressing political and topical themes; and Bus Stop Conversations, songs about life in northern England.