Edwyn Collins

Edwyn Collins is a Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer born in Edinburgh in 1959 and raised in Glasgow, where he became a leading figure of the city's early-1980s post-punk scene. As frontman and songwriter of Orange Juice, he helped invent the jangly, literate strain of indie pop that fused Buzzcocks-style energy with Chic-influenced funk guitar, paving the way for countless British indie bands that followed.

After Orange Juice split, Collins pursued a solo career marked by wit, soul influences and a distinctive baritone croon. His biggest triumph came in 1994 with «A Girl Like You», a retro-soul single built on a stomping glam-rock beat that became a global hit and a fixture of films and adverts for decades afterward. Albums such as «Gorgeous George» showcased his knack for melody and dry humour.

In 2005 Collins suffered a severe cerebral haemorrhage that left him partially paralysed and with aphasia, yet he relearned to speak, sing and play guitar, continuing to record and produce other artists from his own West Heath Yard studio in London. His resilience and craftsmanship have made him a respected elder statesman of British indie music.