Nick Heyward - Solo Career

Solo Career

Heyward's solo career took off in March 1983 with the single 'Whistle Down The Wind', and the album North of a Miracle, produced by Geoff Emerick. The album reached No. 10 in the UK and three further singles from it were Top 20 hits. In 1984, he released two new singles, "Love All Day" and "Warning Sign", which were both minor Top 40 hits.

The 1984 singles featured on his second solo album, 1986's Postcards From Home. By 1988, he had moved to Warner Bros. Records and released his third album, I Love You Avenue. For the next four years, Heyward concentrated on his second career as a graphic artist, until returning to music in 1993 with a new album for Epic Records and tour dates alongside Squeeze and Paul Weller. Over the next two years, he toured regularly, particularly in the US, where he supported Belly, The Lemonheads, Mazzy Star and Therapy?.

Heyward released From Monday to Sunday in 1993, which featured a more classic rock style. The album yielded a US hit with "Kite", which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.

In 1995, Heyward released the album Tangled on the Epic label, which provided him with his first UK Top 40 single in twelve years when "Rollerblade" reached No. 37 on the UK Singles Chart. After being 'discovered' by Alan McGee performing at an Ed Ball gig, The Apple Bed was released in 1998 on Creation Records. However, his 1990s albums received little attention outside of his loyal fanbase, and he was dropped by Creation the same year.

Heyward has released new music less frequently in recent years. Open Sesame Seed (2001), a collaboration with British actor/singer Greg Ellis, featured Ellis reading Heyward's poetry to the accompaniment of Heyward's musical backing. An album of songs recorded with singer/actress India Dupre, The Mermaid and the Lighthouse Keeper, was released in 2006.

Heyward has been active out of the public view writing and recording for various future projects. He plays solo gigs from time to time, and with a reformed Haircut One Hundred.

Heyward has been involved with a planned re-issue program of his solo catalogue through Cherry Red Records. Starting with two releases in October 2010, the first being a double album deluxe edition of his debut album, North of A Miracle. This new edition included all the b-sides and mixes from the original singles, and a previously unreleased concert, recorded for Capital Radio on 7 November 1983, at London's Dominion Theatre. The second reissue is an expanded edition of his 1993 album From Monday To Sunday. This features a selection of tracks from a previous unreleased album produced by Bob Sargent, along with b-sides from the singles. Both these editions were overseen by Heyward and included notes from him and Gary Crowley, along with rare photographs and lyrics.

The third and fourth releases in the reissue series are expanded versions of Tangled (1995) and The Apple Bed (1998). Both feature all the b-sides from the single releases and, in the case of The Apple Bed, a previously unreleased song called 'The End'. These were overseen by Heyward and feature notes, previously unseen photos, and lyrics for both the album and b-sides.