Kirsty MacColl

With a smoky, melodic voice and sparkling wit, Kirsty MacColl was one of the most beloved and respected singer/songwriters in England during the ’80s and ’90s. Born in Croydon, Surrey, England, in 1959, with a musical background—her dad was the folk singer Ewan MacColl—she began her career at age 18 in a punk band called the Drug Addix. A solo deal followed on Stiff Records; the label issued her harmony-heavy ’60s-pop throwback 1979 debut single “They Don’t Know,” later a hit for Tracey Ullman. MacColl found more solo success with the twangy, urgent “There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis” (from her 1981 debut album, Desperate Character) and a jangling 1984 cover of Billy Bragg’s “A New England.” She spent much of the rest of the decade singing backup for bands like The Smiths and Talking Heads, and she portrayed a sassy, hardened character in The Pogues' 1987 holiday hit “Fairytale of New York.” MacColl also branched out sonically, exploring jazz, electronic music, and, on 1999’s Tropical Brainstorm, Latin music. Tragically, MacColl’s career was cut short when she died at age 41 in 2000 from a powerboat accident during a diving trip.