Birth name Patrick Cusack Genres Punk rock Role Record Producer | Name Pete Briquette | |
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Albums Mondo Bongo, The Fine Art of Surfacing, A Tonic for the Troops, In the Long Grass, V Deep Similar People Simon Crowe, Garry Roberts, Johnnie Fingers, Gerry Cott, Bob Geldof | ||
Instruments Bass guitar, keyboard | ||
Pete Briquette
Patrick Martin Cusack (born 2 July 1954), known by the stage name Pete Briquette, is an Irish bassist, record producer and composer. He was a member of the Boomtown Rats and currently plays in Bob Geldof's band.
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Boomtown Rats
He was born in Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan, Ireland. His stage name refers to his upbringing in Ireland where peat briquettes were burned for heat instead of coal.
He was the bass guitarist, backing vocalist, occasional songwriter, and sometime keyboardist for The Boomtown Rats, a band that reached worldwide popularity in the late 1970s. His bass lines are evident on such Boomtown Rats songs as "Rat Trap", "Banana Republic" and "Like Clockwork", the last two of which he co-wrote with Bob Geldof. Briquette is the only Rats member who still frequently collaborates with Geldof, playing on some of his biggest hits such as "Great Song of Indifference" and "Love or Something".
Record producer
Briquette now works as a record producer and produced the French singer Renaud's 2009 album of Irish ballads Molly Malone - Balade Irlandaise which includes contributions from Terry Woods (The Pogues), Barney McKenna (The Dubliners) and Glen Hanson. Though criticised for the quality of Renaud's voice, the album was commercially successful and reached number one on the French charts.
Personal life
Briquette is a first cousin of Johnny Fingers, the main keyboardist in the Boomtown Rats, as their mothers, Margaret "Peggy" (Bowles) Cusack and Cecilia "Sheila" (Bowles) Moylett, were sisters. They are nephews of Irish conductor and composer Michael Bowles. He currently lives in Acton, London, England.