Scottish brothers Pat Kane (vocals) and Greg Kane (music and production) formed Hue and Cry in Coatbridge, Scotland in 1983. They released their first single ‘Here Comes Everybody’ in 1986 on the independent label Stampede. This attracted the attention of Virgin Records’ subsidiary label Circa Records. They released their first single ‘I Refuse’, then followed it up with the very successful song ‘Labour Of Love’, which became a hit in Europe and the UK. Their debut album ‘Seduced and Abandoned’ (1987) reached number 22 in the UK albums chart.
The next album ‘Remote’ (1988) was even more successful, as it reached number 10 in the albums chart. The single ‘Violently’, taken from the album, featured a cover version of The Man With The Child In His Eyes on the B-side. A live rendition of that song appeared on the live album ‘Bitter Suite’, released in 1989.
In the 1990s, the brothers embarked upon a period of musical experimentation. Their 1991 album ‘Stars Crash Down’ embraced folk, country, Latin and quartet jazz. ‘Truth and Love’ (1992) was released on the brothers’ own short-lived label, Fidelity. 1994 saw a collaboration with jazz arranger and composer, Richard Niles. This produced the album ‘Showtime!’ and the single ‘Just Say You Love Me’. Pat Kane continued to work with Niles sporadically on live concerts for BBC Radio 2 with the BBC Big Band. In 1996 Hue and Cry signed to the Scottish record label, Linn Records, for an intended trilogy of albums. The first two, ‘JazzNotJazz’ (1996) and ‘Next Move’ (1999) were released, but the brothers decided to split up before the third album was completed. The brothers concentrated on their solo projects – Pat with his writing and solo performing, and Greg with his music production.
Hue and Cry reformed in 2005 and continued to play live and release albums. ‘Open Soul’ (2008) reached number 42 in the Scottish albums chart, but subsequent albums didn’t achieve commercial success, although they are repeatedly critically acclaimed.