Biography
The Bible originated in 1986 inside a record shop in Cambridge, England, where local singer/songwriter Boo Hewerdine, recently back from an unsuccessful stint in London, played several of his own songs for clerk Tony Shepherd. Shepherd consented to handle both keyboards and drums on a forthcoming demo; those recordings soon surfaced as the band’s first album, Walking the Ghost Back Home. Critical praise greeted songs such as “Graceland” and “Mahalia,” prompting an immediate contract with Chrysalis.
Once drummer Dave Larcombe and guitarist Neill MacColl—brother of vocalist Kirsty—joined, the lineup expanded to four and work began on a major-label debut. Dissatisfied with initial recordings, the group enlisted Steve Earle as producer, yielding the more understated and refined Eureka. Issued in early 1988, the album found few listeners, and singles “Crystal Palace” and “Honey Be Good” vanished from the charts. Adding bassist Leroy Lender, the Bible toured and prepared a third collection, yet label executives rejected the completed songs and instead demanded a reissue of earlier material; that decision belatedly placed “Honey Be Good” inside the Top 40 before the band split.
Hewerdine subsequently recorded the 1989 album Evidence alongside Texas musician Darden Smith and released his own first solo set, Ignorance, in 1992. The Bible reconvened in December 1993 for a run of concerts that proved popular enough to inspire a full reunion and fresh songwriting. An EP appeared in 1994, but the group disbanded again before completing a new album; the surviving tracks later surfaced on Hewerdine’s 1996 solo release Baptism Hospital.
Once drummer Dave Larcombe and guitarist Neill MacColl—brother of vocalist Kirsty—joined, the lineup expanded to four and work began on a major-label debut. Dissatisfied with initial recordings, the group enlisted Steve Earle as producer, yielding the more understated and refined Eureka. Issued in early 1988, the album found few listeners, and singles “Crystal Palace” and “Honey Be Good” vanished from the charts. Adding bassist Leroy Lender, the Bible toured and prepared a third collection, yet label executives rejected the completed songs and instead demanded a reissue of earlier material; that decision belatedly placed “Honey Be Good” inside the Top 40 before the band split.
Hewerdine subsequently recorded the 1989 album Evidence alongside Texas musician Darden Smith and released his own first solo set, Ignorance, in 1992. The Bible reconvened in December 1993 for a run of concerts that proved popular enough to inspire a full reunion and fresh songwriting. An EP appeared in 1994, but the group disbanded again before completing a new album; the surviving tracks later surfaced on Hewerdine’s 1996 solo release Baptism Hospital.
Albums
