Birth name Andrew John Connell Role Musician Name Andy Connell | Years active 1978–present Genres Rock, pop, new wave Partner Corinne Drewery | |
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Born 26 July 1961 (age 62)
Manchester, England ( 1961-07-26 ) Occupation(s) Keyboardist, composer, arranger Instruments Keyboards
Piano
Clavinova Associated acts Swing Out Sister, A Certain Ratio, The Immediates, Kalima Music groups Swing Out Sister (Since 1985), A Certain Ratio, Kalima Albums It's Better to Travel, Best of Swing Out Sister, Get in Touch with Yourself, Kaleidoscope World, Shapes and Patterns | ||
Andy Connell
Andrew John "Andy" Connell (born 26 July 1961) is an English musician and composer. Along with Corinne Drewery, he is part of the duo that makes up Swing Out Sister.
Born in Manchester, England, Connell played in the Manchester post-punk band The Immediates, before joining new wave funk pioneers, A Certain Ratio. He was also a member of the Manchester-based jazz/pop band Kalima who were signed to Factory Records, whilst he was also a member of A Certain Ratio. A few years later he teamed up with former Magazine drummer Martin Jackson and Greg Wilson (DJ), and they released an inventive electronic album called UK Electro in 1984.
Swing Out Sister began in earnest in 1985, when Connell and Jackson teamed up with Corinne Drewery. Since the band's establishment, he has been the main composer and arranger for Swing Out Sister's music, including the UK and US top ten hit, "Breakout".
Apart from his work with Swing Out Sister, Connell has produced and arranged music for other artists, and recently he wrote the musical score for a short film called The Knickerman, directed by Sonja Phillips. He also contributed to Quando Quango's album, Pigs & Battleships..
Most recently, Connell and Drewery have been promoting their latest album, Beautiful Mess.
An avid Manchester City fan, Connell is an occasional contributor to 'The Man City Show' Podcast alongside Nigel Rothband and Rob Behrens.