Alan Rankine, keyboardist and guitarist for The Associates in Scotland, has died aged 64. On Tuesday, January 3, his sons, Callum and Hamish, acknowledged their father’s death on The band’s official Facebook page. They stated:
“It is with great sadness that my brother, Hamish, and I announce the death of our father, Alan Rankine. He passed away quietly at his home, just days after spending Christmas with his family. He was a nice, kind and lovely guy who will be missed by many. Rankine, Callum and Hamish.”
Callum and Hamish also contributed:
“Because our father appreciated the Facebook community, we wanted to keep this account active and encourage you to honor his life on this page.”
Alan Rankine is the guitarist and keyboardist for The Associates.
Alan Rankine and singer Billy McKenzie co-founded The Associates in the late 1970s. In 1979, the pair rose to fame in Scotland after releasing an unofficial copy of David Bowie’s Boys Keeping Swinging. According to reports, the performance earned them a deal with Fiction Records. According to The Scotsman, the song was also made public by Radio One DJ John Peel. Emotional Punch, the band’s first album, was released in 1980. The Associates, who have become synonymous with the new British Pop style, recorded three albums as duets. In addition to Affectionate Punch in 1980, they published a singles collection called The Fourth Drawer in 1981 and Sulk in 1982.
They gained recognition after releasing the successful single, The Party Fears Two, off their album Sulk. The song reached the top 20 in the UK. Club Country and 18 Carat Love Affair were both major singles from the album. The Associates Fourth Drawer peaked at number five on the UK Independent Albums Chart while Sulk peaked at number 23 on the Official UK Albums Chart, according to Billboard. Mackenzie continued to release tracks under the same moniker and his own name until Alan Rankine left The Associates in 1982. However, he died in 1997 at the age of 39.
On the other hand, Rankine has become a successful producer, working with many musicians such as the Cocteau Twins, Paul Haig and The Pale Fountains. Rankine debuted as a solo artist in 1986, producing albums such as 1986’s The World Begins to Look Her Age, 1987’s She Loves Me Not, and 1989’s The Big Picture Sucks.
According to NME, Rankine also teaches at Glasgow’s Stow College. He helped his students found the Electric Honey record label, which helped launch the careers of Biffy Clyro, Belle & Sebastian and Snow Patrol. Rankine and Mackenzie’s family approved a live rendition of The Associates’ first album, which was played at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections event two years ago.
Categories: Biography
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
