The Waterboys

The Waterboys were formed in 1983 by Scottish multi-instrumentalist Mike Scott as a vehicle for his songwriting and vocals. Scott is the only permanent member and although there have been more than 30 players there have been a few important and prominent additions such as Anthony Thistlethwaite (multiple instruments notably saxophone and mandolin), Karl Wallinger (Keyboards) and Steve Wickham (Fiddle). The Waterboys have released more than ten albums but their most well known album is undoubtedly Fisherman's Blues (1988) which saw its title track reach the top ten. However it is their earlier album This Is the Sea (1985) that produced their two biggest hit singles "The Whole of the Moon". The Waterboys have been noted as an influence by many musicians most notably Grant Nicholas (Feeder), The Edge and Bono (U2) and Colin Meloy (The Decemberists). Most recently The Waterboys released a new album Book of Lightning (2007), which as so far produced one single, "Everybody Takes A Tumble" and they are currently playing limited dates in the US and Canada.