Alan Hull was a prominent English rock musician, best known as a key member of the folk-rock band Lindisfarne. Alan Hull, British folk singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Lindisfarne - "Lady Eleanor"), dies of a heart attack at 50
Born in 1945, Hull was a significant figure in the British music scene, contributing to the development of folk-rock in the 1970s. He was not just a musician but also a songwriter and performer who helped define the sound of Newcastle's music landscape.
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James Alan Hull was born on Tuesday, 20 February 1945 at 68 Sutton's Dwellings, Adelaide Terrace, Benwell, Newcastle upon Tyne. He began piano lessons at the age of nine, and guitar lessons two years later.
He attended Rutherford Grammar School, Newcastle after sitting the eleven-plus in 1956 and was given a guitar at the age of twelve. Hull wrote his first song soon afterwards.
He became a member of the band The Chosen Few alongside keyboard player Mick Gallagher. He supported himself by working as a window cleaner, one year by working as a nurse at a mental hospital and as a driver for Newcastle Co-op TV Department while appearing as a folk singer and guitarist in local clubs before helping to form Brethren and Downtown Faction, which evolved into Lindisfarne in 1970.
He also released a one-off solo single, "We Can Swing Together", which was re-recorded with the group on their first album, Nicely Out of Tune, and became a regular favourite in their stage performances.
On the night of Friday, 17 November 1995, Alan Hull suddenly collapsed at his home in North Shields and was pronounced dead on arrival at North Tyneside General Hospital at 11.30pm. A post-mortem held on 20 November revealed his death to be the result of a coronary thrombosis
As the group's most prolific songwriter and joint lead vocalist, Hull came to be regarded as its leader. In 1972, dissatisfied with the sound and critical reception of their third album Dingly Dell, he considered leaving the group but instead he and joint lead vocalist Ray "Jacka" Jackson formed a new six-piece Lindisfarne the following year, leaving the three other original members to form Jack The Lad.
He also released his first solo album, Pipedream, the same year and published a book of poems, Mocking Horse. Alan Hull appeared in "Squire", an episode of the BBC's Second City Firsts drama series.