Ricky Ross (musician)

Ross was born in Dundee, Scotland, in 1957 and attended the High School of Dundee, an independent school.[2] Before the formation of Deacon Blue, he released a solo album So Long Ago, on the Glasgow independent label Sticky Records. After the band's break-up in 1994, Ross resurrected his solo career and Epic released his second solo album What You Are in 1996. As Ross's first solo album So Long Ago was a minor release on a relatively minor label, What You Are became his first solo release on a major label and as such is generally regarded as his debut solo album for a major label.

Ross is married to Deacon Blue member Lorraine McIntosh and they have four children together. They married on May 12, 1990.[3][4]

Ross released another album, New Recording, on his own label in 1997.

After Deacon Blue's reunion in 1999 and the release of their Walking Back Home and Homesick albums, Ross entered into a new publishing deal with Warner Chappell UK, and released another solo album, This Is the Life, through Chrysalis Records's short-lived Papillion label, in 2002. Papillion had released Deacon Blue's Homesick album the previous year.

As part of his publishing deal with Warner Chappell, Ross began co-writing with other artists. He currently spends more time writing than on his solo career or Deacon Blue projects. To date he has written for and with James Blunt, Ronan Keating, KT Tunstall, David Sneddon, Cathy Burton, Gareth Gates, Emma Bunton, Will Young and Jamie Cullum among others.

The most recent solo album released by Ross is Short Stories Vol.1, released in September 2017.

In 2005, Ross released the album Pale Rider through P3 Music.

In September 2009 Ross and McIntosh released The Great Lakes, an album on the Cooking Vinyl label, under the name McIntoshRoss.

2013 saw the release of Ricky's latest collection of songs, the 12-track Trouble Came Looking, on the Edsel Recordings label. He also did a wide-ranging UK acoustic tour in support of the album which saw him play small, intimate venues, alongside Gregor Philp.

Ross currently presents Another Country with Ricky Ross on BBC Radio Scotland and has covered for Mark Radcliffe, Bob Harris and Dermot O'Leary on BBC Radio 2. He also occasionally broadcasts for Radio 2 from the yearly Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. For his broadcasting, Ross won the International Country Broadcaster of the Year Award from the Country Music Association in 2014.

He is also the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Abertay University.[5]

Ross released the album Short Stories Vol. 1 with the label earMUSIC on 15 September 2017. The album incorporates new songs with a mix of Deacon Blue song's such as "Wages Day" and "Raintown".

• Another Country with Ricky Ross (BBC Radio Scotland)