Chris Rainbow

Before he sang lead for <a href="spotify:artist:2m62cc253Xvd9qYQ8d2X3d">the Alan Parsons Project</a>, Chris Rainbow had embarked on a solo career in 1974. For six years, he recorded in the U.K. for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22EMI+Records%22">EMI Records</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Polydor+Records%22">Polydor Records</a>, and he also acted as producer and wrote his own material. His first experience in a band occurred just two years before he went solo, in his hometown of Glasgow in a group known as Hope Street. He and his bandmates had been given a contract to record and publish with a London company; but in 1973, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Polydor%22">Polydor</a>'s Nicky Graham heard a demo of a trio of Rainbow's self-penned numbers and he secured his own four-year contract thanks to Norman Jones, a friend of the singer's who submitted the tape.

In addition to his recording deal with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Polydor%22">Polydor</a>, Rainbow signed a deal to publish with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Warner+Bros.+U.K.%22">Warner Bros. U.K.</a> Jones, who changed his name to Van Den Berg, took on the task of managing his friend's career, and Rainbow -- a pseudonym the artist adopted in 1974 -- went on to put out two albums with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Polydor%22">Polydor</a>, Looking Over My Shoulder and Home of the Brave. Five singles followed: "Living in the World Today," "All Night," "Mr. Man," "Give Me What I Cry For," and "Solid State Brain." When Jones relocated to California in 1977, Rainbow hired David Knights, formerly of <a href="spotify:artist:0GbqW5TJr7n4is453VOY4C">Procol Harum</a>. Knights remained Rainbow's manager through 1986. During this time, Rainbow also wrote advertising jingles for BBC Radio 1 and Capitol Radio.

In 1978, his contract with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Polydor%22">Polydor</a> ended and within a week he joined the stable at <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22EMI%22">EMI</a>. The company released his White Trails album and the singles "Body Music" and "Ring Ring." Soon, however, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22EMI%22">EMI</a> started to scrutinize the bottom line and Rainbow was one of a good number of artists dropped by the company. He hooked up with <a href="spotify:artist:2m62cc253Xvd9qYQ8d2X3d">the Alan Parsons Project</a> in 1980 and remained with the band for about a decade. He also devoted two years to New Life with <a href="spotify:artist:2iptQ8hQmUa7kZocEBHt7u">Jon Anderson</a>, who formerly was with <a href="spotify:artist:7AC976RDJzL2asmZuz7qil">Yes</a>, and a similar amount of time to <a href="spotify:artist:3Uz6jx81OY2J5K8Z4wmy2P">Camel</a> and Andy Latimer.

From 1986 through 1998, Rainbow produced records in Scotland. He also performed session work during this time for such artists as <a href="spotify:artist:6HpZkC8GUktP9utE6OPWZG">Parsons</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7KckozT8XPOqtgJjpAcrnA">Elaine Paige</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6kz53iCdBSqhQCZ21CoLcc">Culture Club</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4xPusNsKy8p8h27jt89V90">Eric Woolfson</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6ZW4qaFplK1HRJ8VbgqV5n">Lenny Zakatek</a>, and Tomoyasu Hotei. In addition, Rainbow provided lead vocals on five numbers included on the <a href="spotify:artist:17a49nqhcCd0kvqHwxbVhP">Ton Scherpenzeel</a> album Heart of the Universe, released by CNR Records in 1984. He also spent almost two decades working as producer for <a href="spotify:artist:0ddfjKqJfbSiddqOvpZRWu">Runrig</a>, a group that performed Scottish-Gaelic rock. The River Detectives, another group from Scotland, also worked closely with Rainbow. His <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Vital+Spark+Music%22">Vital Spark Music</a> label issued the band's Elvis Has Left the Building album in 1993. Rainbow, whose birth name was <a href="spotify:artist:2aheWIyRWFmOIPlMNMkqzT">Chris Harley</a>, started recording again as a solo performer in 2000, with the album In a Perfect World planned to hit store shelves during the summer of 2001. However, the album was never released. Chris Rainbow died in February 2015 after battling Parkinson's disease; he was 68 years old. ~ Linda Seida, Rovi