Andy McCluskey
George Andrew McCluskey (born 24 June 1959) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer and bass guitarist of the electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), which he founded alongside keyboard player Paul Humphreys in 1978: McCluskey has been the group's sole constant member. He has sold over 40 million records with OMD, and is regarded as a pioneer of electronic music in the UK. McCluskey is noted for his on-stage frenetic 'trainee teacher' dance.
Andy McCluskey
George Andrew McCluskey
Meols, Wirral, England
- Musician
- singer-songwriter
- record producer
- Vocals
- bass
- guitar
- keyboards
1976–present
McCluskey also founded pop girl group Atomic Kitten, for whom he served as a principal songwriter and producer, and has collaborated with various acts. His work has received nominations at the Ivor Novello, Grammy and Brit Awards, and has topped charts in the UK and internationally.
Atomic Kitten and the Genie Queen[edit]
In 1998, McCluskey founded the UK pop group Atomic Kitten, serving as songwriter and producer.[45] Their song "Whole Again", co-written by McCluskey, was his first no. 1 song on the UK Singles Chart,[46] and he and his fellow songwriters were nominated for the Ivor Novello Award for "International hit of the year".[47] The song also received a Brit Award nomination for "Best British Single".[48] McCluskey was also a writer of the Atomic Kitten hits "Right Now", "See Ya", "I Want Your Love" and "Cradle". He parted ways with the group during the recording of their second album, Feels So Good (2002).[49]
McCluskey subsequently formed the White Noise records and publishing label where he worked with Liverpool girl group, the Genie Queen.[50]
Other work[edit]
McCluskey has written with, and provided session musicianship for, various artists. Some of his collaborators include: Gary Barlow, with whom McCluskey wrote the song "Thrill Me" for the soundtrack of the film Eddie the Eagle (2016);[51] The Lightning Seeds, for whom he played keyboards on their debut album Cloudcuckooland (1990);[52] and Karl Bartos, whose record Esperanto (1993) – released under the Elektric Music moniker – features McCluskey as co-writer on "Show Business" and "Kissing the Machine" (and as lead vocalist on the latter track).[53] Bartos also co-wrote the song "The Moon & the Sun", which featured on OMD's Universal (1996). "Kissing the Machine" would later appear in a reworked form on the OMD album English Electric (2013).[54] McCluskey recorded the song "A Million Stars" with members of Fun, for the soundtrack of 2015 film The D Train.[55]
McCluskey owns the Motor Museum, a recording studio in Liverpool.[56]
Personal life[edit]
McCluskey's girlfriend in the late 1970s was the Id bandmate Julia Kneale.[57] She wrote the lyrics to "Julia's Song",[58] which appeared on OMD's eponymous debut album (1980).
McCluskey later married Toni,[59] with whom he had two children.[60][61] A prominent reason for OMD's reformation was that his children had never seen him on stage; in 2007 he said: "I was happy to stop working to be with the kids, but strangely enough they have been the most vocal in encouraging me back."[60] The couple divorced in 2011 and Toni returned to her native San Diego, California, with the children.[61] Their son, James McCluskey, is a founding member, bass player and backing vocalist of the group MiG 15, named after the fighter jet of the same name.[62]
He lived in Dublin in the 1990s.[63][64]
McCluskey is a supporter of Liverpool F.C.[65] He also acquired a fandom of Celtic F.C. through his Glaswegian father.[3]
McCluskey is a longtime atheist.[66]