Ian Dury
Ian Robins Dury (12 May 1942 – 27 March 2000) was an English singer, songwriter and actor best remembered as the frontman of Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Described by The Guardian as "one of few true originals of the English music scene", Dury drew from music hall and punk traditions, often incorporating observational humour and word play in his lyrics.
Dury initially performed with the pub rock band Kilburn and the High Roads before signing to the new wave-oriented independent record label Stiff in 1977. With the Blockheads, he scored several UK singles chart hits in the late 1970s, among them "What a Waste", "Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3" and the chart-topper "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick". In the 1980s, Dury initiated an acting career in film and television. His best-known later recordings include "Profoundly in Love with Pandora", written for the 1985 ITV series The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾, and the 1981 single "Spasticus Autisticus". The latter, a protest song reflecting Dury's life with polio and his opposition to contemporary attitudes about disability, was performed during the opening of the London 2012 Paralympics.
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