Jimmy Somerville
- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Jimmy Somerville achieved fame in the summer of 1984 as the voice of
Bronski Beat, whose single "Smalltown Boy"
reached number three in the UK singles chart. The song was unusual at
the time as its lyrics and music video directly addressed the issue of
gay life and homophobic violence. Somerville quickly became famous for
his openness about his sexuality and his willingness to discuss issues
such as AIDS at a time when other gay pop stars such as
Elton John,
Freddie Mercury and
George Michael were being
either ambiguous or secretive about their personal lives.
Bronski Beat had three more top ten singles
in the UK and their 1984 album "The Age of Consent" (the title of which
highlighted discrimination against gay people) spent 53 weeks on the
album chart. In 1986, Somerville scored his first number one single,
this time as a member of The Communards,
with a cover of "Don't Leave Me This Way". In 1988,
The Communards had a top-thirty hit with
"For a Friend", written about a friend of Somerville's who had died of
AIDS.
