Biography
Hailing from Britain, the elegant pop duo Swing Out Sister blends the talents of vocalist Corinne Drewery with those of multi-instrumentalist and arranger Andy Connell, crafting a sound that draws on jazz, timeless and contemporary pop, infectious EDM, and synth pop. Their 1987 debut, It's Better to Travel, topped the British album charts, while the cinematic follow-up Kaleidoscope World from 1989 found an audience across the United States, Europe, and Japan. Subsequent releases such as 1992's Get in Touch with Yourself, 1994's The Living Return, and 1996's Shapes and Patterns broadened their reach, and 1999's Filth and Dreams incorporated samba, trip-hop, and EDM elements. Where Our Love Grows arrived in 2005 with jazzy orchestral arrangements embedded in polished studio production, and 2008's Beautiful Mess climbed to the Top Five on the American jazz charts. Private View in 2012 presented acoustic renditions of earlier material, after which 2018's Almost Persuaded reached number seven on the U.S. jazz album survey. The eight-disc compilation Blue Mood, Breakout and Beyond appeared in 2022, gathering albums, singles, and remixes.
The group originated in 1985 as a studio collaboration between keyboardist Andy Connell of A Certain Ratio and drummer Martin Jackson of Magazine. The pair produced electro tracks for Morgan Khan's Streetwise label and achieved underground recognition that drew the attention of Phonogram/Mercury Records. Connell recruited Diane Charlemagne of the Brit-funk band 52nd Street to perform on the demos, which helped secure the contract; Charlemagne's participation concluded once 52nd Street departed Factory Records for Virgin.
Nottingham native Corinne Drewery had worked as a fashion designer and model before relocating to London in 1977, where she studied at Central St. Martin's alongside Sade Adu and possessed no prior professional music credits. She encountered Connell by chance at the Hacienda Club shortly after the duo finished their demos and signed with Phonogram. The pair shared affinities for vintage Blue Note and Riverside jazz, the film scores of John Barry and Ennio Morricone, the Brazilian fusion of Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, the sophisticated pop of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, the cinematic soul of Isaac Hayes and David Porter, Motown and Stax/Volt recordings, and the voices of Dionne Warwick, Nina Simone, and Dusty Springfield. Following a short audition, Connell and Jackson welcomed her as a permanent member just in time for the official debut single "Blue Mood" at the end of that year. The trio adopted their name from a 1940s Billie Burke musical they collectively disliked. Although the single made little impact, its 1986 successor "Breakout" became a Top Ten hit in Britain and Japan.
The trio finished It's Better to Travel in 1987; its American release yielded chart successes with "Breakout" and "Twilight World" plus two Grammy nominations. The singles "Blue Mood," "Surrender," and "Twilight World" propelled the album to number one in the United Kingdom and strong international sales. After tours across Britain, Europe, and the United States, Jackson's role diminished on 1989's Kaleidoscope World. Produced by Paul Staveley O’Duffy, who co-wrote several tracks, Connell handled arrangements for all but two songs, the exquisite "Forever Blue" and "Precious Words," both scored by American composer Jimmy Webb. The singles "You On My Mind" and "Waiting Game" charted in the U.K., while in Japan the albums' popularity prompted the Japan-only remix collection Another Non-Stop Sister in late 1989 and the similar Swing 3 in 1990, which also gathered early B-sides and rarities and established the band's affinity for varied compilations.
Encouraged by radio, sales, and live success, Drewery and Connell pursued a distinctive sound that integrated their influences into a modern yet classically constructed form of sophisti-pop detached from prevailing trends. The 1992 album Get in Touch with Yourself, credited to Drewery and Connell without Jackson, returned the duo to the U.S. and U.K. charts via a cover of Barbara Acklin's "Am I the Same Girl," a 1960s pop hit derived from the instrumental "Soulful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited. The single performed even more strongly in Japan, where Swing Out Sister ranked among the country's most popular acts. That year Japan also received the remix compilation Swing Out Singles and Live at the Jazz Cafe. Get in Touch with Yourself carried a deeper soul orientation; its original material evoked Blaxploitation soundtracks by Johnny Pate, Oliver Nelson, and Bobby Womack, highlighted by the Acklin cover, and included a Frankie Knuckles remix of "Notgonnachange" that became a dance hit. The set reached the top of the U.S. adult contemporary chart yet missed the British listings. After sold-out tours of Japan and the United States, Swing Out Sister issued the upbeat, funky The Living Return in 1994. Produced by Ray Hayden for Opaz Records, the album featured a rawer, looser, more soulful and streetwise approach with contributions from the touring band. Its lead single, a cover of the Delfonics' "La-La Means I Love You," appeared in the soundtrack to Four Weddings and a Funeral. Though regarded as one of the group's strongest works, it charted only in Japan.
Mercury's U.K. office released 1996's The Best of Swing Out Sister but passed on 1997's Shapes and Patterns. O’Duffy returned to produce, enlisting the London Sessions Orchestra and additional singers and players. The single "Now You're Not Here" charted, earned a Japanese Grand Prix award, and served as the theme for a Japanese television series. The album's intricate vocal charts and harmonies appear to striking effect on a cover of Laura Nyro's "Stoned Soul Picnic." While it failed to chart elsewhere, it reached the Top Ten in Japan.
Widely viewed as the most unconventional entry in the catalog, 1999's Filth and Dreams emerged after the duo explored darker trip-hop, hip-hop, and drum-and-bass directions. Combined with intimate vocal production, organic loops, and Brazilian and Latin harmonies and rhythms—heard on the title track and the airy "Happy When You're High"—the album presented another facet of Swing Out Sister. Issued solely in Japan, it charted there yet remained scarce for most fans; several tracks, including the singles and "World Out of Control," stayed in the concert repertoire for years.
Experimentation continued with 2001's Somewhere Deep in the Night, which featured haunting vocal harmonies within soaring string arrangements indebted to film composers Michel LeGrand, Francis Lai, and Pierre Barouh, alongside instrumental showcases for Connell's arrangements. Released in England, Japan, and Europe, its singles—"Where the Hell Did I Go Wrong," the Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood-styled "Will We Find Love" with its dreamy harpsichord, and the sweeping title track—proved too adventurous to chart.
After world tours, Swing Out Sister signed with EMI for their eighth album, 2004's Where Our Love Grows. Its optimistic, retro-inflected sound fused jazz, soul, Latin, Brazilian, and Philadelphia International-flavored R&B; GQ described it as "indisputably their finest record to date." The single "When the Laughter Is Over" sampled Herbie Mann and Roger Nichols. Although it did not chart, the track remains a fan favorite, and Live in Japan followed a year later.
The duo returned to their London studio to write and record, becoming so immersed that they canceled a planned 2006 U.S. tour. They composed and released serial music for the pilot of the ITV1 drama The Outsiders, but the series ended after that episode. In August 2007 they issued the single "Secret Love," co-written by former Mott the Hoople keyboardist Morgan Fisher. Two additional tracks, "Butterfly Lullaby" and "Something Every Day," appeared digitally in December. Beautiful Mess, the band's first self-produced album, surfaced in Japan on February 27, 2008, reached the U.K. in August, and arrived in the U.S. via Shanachie in May 2009. Merging soulful grooves and complex vocal arrangements with contributions from longtime backing singer Gina Foster, it spotlighted the touring ensemble in the studio. Tours of Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines followed in 2008 and 2009.
A subsequent North American tour had been scheduled, for which the band rehearsed organic new arrangements of older and newer material never previously performed that way in the United States. An eruption of an Icelandic volcano two days before departure forced cancellation. Concerned the arrangements might be lost, they recorded the material; Connell supplied further arrangements and remixing. The finished collection remained unreleased for a year until Swing Out Sister issued it exclusively via their Facebook page as Private View in 2012. A deluxe edition with additional material and a DVD appeared through regular channels in 2013.
Over the next two years the group toured England, Europe, Japan, and Asia. In late 2016 they launched a crowd-funding campaign to finance their tenth studio album, inviting fans to participate in writing and recording. After multiple revisions during mixing, Almost Persuaded was released in June 2018, more than a decade after Beautiful Mess. Following Kaleidoscope World, it ranks among the duo's most cinematic albums and reached number seven on the North American jazz album charts.
London's Cherry Red label released the deluxe eight-disc box set Blue Mood, Breakout and Beyond: The Early Years, Pt. 1 in August 2022. It contained remastered versions of the first three studio albums and Live at the Jazz Cafe, with discs five through seven devoted to various mixes and remixes and disc eight presenting B-sides plus radio and club edits. The package included a booklet with full track notes, a liner essay and interviews with current and former members by writer/blogger Paul Sinclair, and original artwork by Drewery. The set appeared while Swing Out Sister were recording their first big-band album.
The group originated in 1985 as a studio collaboration between keyboardist Andy Connell of A Certain Ratio and drummer Martin Jackson of Magazine. The pair produced electro tracks for Morgan Khan's Streetwise label and achieved underground recognition that drew the attention of Phonogram/Mercury Records. Connell recruited Diane Charlemagne of the Brit-funk band 52nd Street to perform on the demos, which helped secure the contract; Charlemagne's participation concluded once 52nd Street departed Factory Records for Virgin.
Nottingham native Corinne Drewery had worked as a fashion designer and model before relocating to London in 1977, where she studied at Central St. Martin's alongside Sade Adu and possessed no prior professional music credits. She encountered Connell by chance at the Hacienda Club shortly after the duo finished their demos and signed with Phonogram. The pair shared affinities for vintage Blue Note and Riverside jazz, the film scores of John Barry and Ennio Morricone, the Brazilian fusion of Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, the sophisticated pop of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, the cinematic soul of Isaac Hayes and David Porter, Motown and Stax/Volt recordings, and the voices of Dionne Warwick, Nina Simone, and Dusty Springfield. Following a short audition, Connell and Jackson welcomed her as a permanent member just in time for the official debut single "Blue Mood" at the end of that year. The trio adopted their name from a 1940s Billie Burke musical they collectively disliked. Although the single made little impact, its 1986 successor "Breakout" became a Top Ten hit in Britain and Japan.
The trio finished It's Better to Travel in 1987; its American release yielded chart successes with "Breakout" and "Twilight World" plus two Grammy nominations. The singles "Blue Mood," "Surrender," and "Twilight World" propelled the album to number one in the United Kingdom and strong international sales. After tours across Britain, Europe, and the United States, Jackson's role diminished on 1989's Kaleidoscope World. Produced by Paul Staveley O’Duffy, who co-wrote several tracks, Connell handled arrangements for all but two songs, the exquisite "Forever Blue" and "Precious Words," both scored by American composer Jimmy Webb. The singles "You On My Mind" and "Waiting Game" charted in the U.K., while in Japan the albums' popularity prompted the Japan-only remix collection Another Non-Stop Sister in late 1989 and the similar Swing 3 in 1990, which also gathered early B-sides and rarities and established the band's affinity for varied compilations.
Encouraged by radio, sales, and live success, Drewery and Connell pursued a distinctive sound that integrated their influences into a modern yet classically constructed form of sophisti-pop detached from prevailing trends. The 1992 album Get in Touch with Yourself, credited to Drewery and Connell without Jackson, returned the duo to the U.S. and U.K. charts via a cover of Barbara Acklin's "Am I the Same Girl," a 1960s pop hit derived from the instrumental "Soulful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited. The single performed even more strongly in Japan, where Swing Out Sister ranked among the country's most popular acts. That year Japan also received the remix compilation Swing Out Singles and Live at the Jazz Cafe. Get in Touch with Yourself carried a deeper soul orientation; its original material evoked Blaxploitation soundtracks by Johnny Pate, Oliver Nelson, and Bobby Womack, highlighted by the Acklin cover, and included a Frankie Knuckles remix of "Notgonnachange" that became a dance hit. The set reached the top of the U.S. adult contemporary chart yet missed the British listings. After sold-out tours of Japan and the United States, Swing Out Sister issued the upbeat, funky The Living Return in 1994. Produced by Ray Hayden for Opaz Records, the album featured a rawer, looser, more soulful and streetwise approach with contributions from the touring band. Its lead single, a cover of the Delfonics' "La-La Means I Love You," appeared in the soundtrack to Four Weddings and a Funeral. Though regarded as one of the group's strongest works, it charted only in Japan.
Mercury's U.K. office released 1996's The Best of Swing Out Sister but passed on 1997's Shapes and Patterns. O’Duffy returned to produce, enlisting the London Sessions Orchestra and additional singers and players. The single "Now You're Not Here" charted, earned a Japanese Grand Prix award, and served as the theme for a Japanese television series. The album's intricate vocal charts and harmonies appear to striking effect on a cover of Laura Nyro's "Stoned Soul Picnic." While it failed to chart elsewhere, it reached the Top Ten in Japan.
Widely viewed as the most unconventional entry in the catalog, 1999's Filth and Dreams emerged after the duo explored darker trip-hop, hip-hop, and drum-and-bass directions. Combined with intimate vocal production, organic loops, and Brazilian and Latin harmonies and rhythms—heard on the title track and the airy "Happy When You're High"—the album presented another facet of Swing Out Sister. Issued solely in Japan, it charted there yet remained scarce for most fans; several tracks, including the singles and "World Out of Control," stayed in the concert repertoire for years.
Experimentation continued with 2001's Somewhere Deep in the Night, which featured haunting vocal harmonies within soaring string arrangements indebted to film composers Michel LeGrand, Francis Lai, and Pierre Barouh, alongside instrumental showcases for Connell's arrangements. Released in England, Japan, and Europe, its singles—"Where the Hell Did I Go Wrong," the Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood-styled "Will We Find Love" with its dreamy harpsichord, and the sweeping title track—proved too adventurous to chart.
After world tours, Swing Out Sister signed with EMI for their eighth album, 2004's Where Our Love Grows. Its optimistic, retro-inflected sound fused jazz, soul, Latin, Brazilian, and Philadelphia International-flavored R&B; GQ described it as "indisputably their finest record to date." The single "When the Laughter Is Over" sampled Herbie Mann and Roger Nichols. Although it did not chart, the track remains a fan favorite, and Live in Japan followed a year later.
The duo returned to their London studio to write and record, becoming so immersed that they canceled a planned 2006 U.S. tour. They composed and released serial music for the pilot of the ITV1 drama The Outsiders, but the series ended after that episode. In August 2007 they issued the single "Secret Love," co-written by former Mott the Hoople keyboardist Morgan Fisher. Two additional tracks, "Butterfly Lullaby" and "Something Every Day," appeared digitally in December. Beautiful Mess, the band's first self-produced album, surfaced in Japan on February 27, 2008, reached the U.K. in August, and arrived in the U.S. via Shanachie in May 2009. Merging soulful grooves and complex vocal arrangements with contributions from longtime backing singer Gina Foster, it spotlighted the touring ensemble in the studio. Tours of Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines followed in 2008 and 2009.
A subsequent North American tour had been scheduled, for which the band rehearsed organic new arrangements of older and newer material never previously performed that way in the United States. An eruption of an Icelandic volcano two days before departure forced cancellation. Concerned the arrangements might be lost, they recorded the material; Connell supplied further arrangements and remixing. The finished collection remained unreleased for a year until Swing Out Sister issued it exclusively via their Facebook page as Private View in 2012. A deluxe edition with additional material and a DVD appeared through regular channels in 2013.
Over the next two years the group toured England, Europe, Japan, and Asia. In late 2016 they launched a crowd-funding campaign to finance their tenth studio album, inviting fans to participate in writing and recording. After multiple revisions during mixing, Almost Persuaded was released in June 2018, more than a decade after Beautiful Mess. Following Kaleidoscope World, it ranks among the duo's most cinematic albums and reached number seven on the North American jazz album charts.
London's Cherry Red label released the deluxe eight-disc box set Blue Mood, Breakout and Beyond: The Early Years, Pt. 1 in August 2022. It contained remastered versions of the first three studio albums and Live at the Jazz Cafe, with discs five through seven devoted to various mixes and remixes and disc eight presenting B-sides plus radio and club edits. The package included a booklet with full track notes, a liner essay and interviews with current and former members by writer/blogger Paul Sinclair, and original artwork by Drewery. The set appeared while Swing Out Sister were recording their first big-band album.
Albums
Almost Persuaded
2018
Where Our Love Grows
2004
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of Swing Out Sister
2001
Shapes And Patterns
1997
The Living Return
1994
Kaleidoscope World
1989
It's Better To Travel (Deluxe Edition)
1987
Singles
