Corduroy

Corduroy emerged as an acid jazz outfit built around singer and keyboardist Scott Addison, his brother Ben on drums, guitarist Simon Nelson-Smith, and bassist Richard Searle, the last of whom had played in the 1980s one-hit wonders Doctor & the Medics. The group arose from the remnants of the short-lived Brit-pop band Boys Wonder and made their live debut at a solitary New Year’s Eve show in 1991. That appearance went over so well that the musicians committed to working together full-time, which quickly led to a deal with the Acid Jazz label and the release of their largely instrumental first album, Dad Man Cat, in 1992. A year later came High Havoc, presented as the soundtrack to an imaginary film and featuring the U.K. Top Ten singles “Something in My Eye,” “The Frighteners,” and “London, England.” After the 1994 release of Out of Here, however, Acid Jazz ended its association with the band. Following an extended break, Corduroy signed with Big Cat and returned in 1997 with The New You!