Born:
January 17, 1956
in
Luton
Best Known For:
A string of hit songs in the 1980s.
Early-life:
Paul Antony Young was born in Luton on January 17th, 1956. He has an elder brother and a younger sister. He became interested in music at a young age, and by the time he left school, he knew how to play the piano and guitar. During his teens, he worked in a car plant during the day and gigged with bands at night.
Career:
In 1979, Paul's group Streetband split up and he went on to form Q-Tips. For the next three years, the outfit gained a large following in the UK and Europe, but by the end of 1982, they split, leaving Paul free to sign up as a solo artist. Success came with the hit single Wherever I Lay My Hat, which established him as a star. The hits continued throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, but as his family grew, he spent more time away from the spotlight. The next few years saw him working steadily, touring and enjoying fatherhood. He returned to the music scene in 2002 with the release of his album Los Pacaminos. He continues to record, and away from music, has a passion for cookery. He has appeared on TV shows Celebrity MasterChef and Hell's Kitchen. In January 2014, he was a contestant in ITV reality series Splash!
Quote:
On forming his band Los Pacaminos: "I only started it for fun, but it's helped me to achieve lots of things."
Trivia:
In 1984, he was one of the artists who performed on Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas?