The Parachute Men - The Innocents (1986)

Formed in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, in 1985 by Fiona Gregg (b. 26 July 1963, Norwich, Norfolk, England; vocals), Stephen H. Gregg (b. 29 November 1960, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham, England; guitar), Andrew Howes (bass) and Mark Boyce (drums), the Parachute Men proved to have a bat’s ear for a tune, yet were persistently undersold by circumstance. Signing to Fire Records in 1987 was a promising move, particularly when ‘The Innocents’ was released to warm approval, but shortly afterwards, Howes and Boyce departed acrimoniously, leaving Fiona and Stephen H. Gregg to tour as an acoustic set-up until Matthew Parkin (bass) and Paul Walker (b. 7 July 1966, West Yorkshire, England; drums) filled the vacancies. The second album was released well over a year after it was recorded, costing the band valuable momentum and causing Parkin to be replaced by Colleen Browne (b. 25 August 1966, Kelowna, Canada), but the Parachute Men continued to create lovingly textured guitar sounds. However, the lack of media focus, undoubtedly exacerbated by their northern location, ensured that their talents remained the knowledge of a privileged few, and they disbanded soon after the release of Earth, Dogs And Eggshells.