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Midge Ure
Background information
Birth name	James Ure
Born	10 October 1953 (1953-10-10) (age 54)
Origin	Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Genre(s)	Punk, New Romantic
Occupation(s)	singer, guitarist, producer, keyboard player
Instrument(s)	Singing, guitar
Years active	1972 - present

Midge Ure OBE (born James Ure, 10 October 1953, Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland) is a rock and roll guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter. He had particular success in the 1970s and 1980s. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of his real name, Jim.

Contents 1 Career 2 Personal life 3 Solo discography 3.1 Albums 3.2 Other Albums 3.3 Singles 4 References 5 External links

Ure began his career with Slik. Before Slik became famous they were known as Salvation and were the house band playing mostly covers in Glasgow disco Clouds (above Green’s Playhouse), where all major bands played when they came to the city. Midge played guitar. He turned down an offer to be the lead singer of the Sex Pistols^[1]. He would go on to play in The Rich Kids (with then-former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock) and temporarily for Thin Lizzy before replacing John Foxx as singer of electronic New Wave band Ultravox in 1979. Shortly afterwards, they had a huge UK hit with "Vienna", and became one of Britain's top bands for several years. Also later that year, Ure also formed the band Visage with Steve Strange and fellow former Rich Kid Rusty Egan. The following year, Ure and Thin Lizzy leader Phil Lynott co-wrote Lynott's biggest solo hit, "Yellow Pearl". A re-recording of the song done in 1981 was used as the theme for Top of the Pops.

Midge also worked as a producer for other artists. Steve Harley and New Wave group STRASSE

In 1984, Ure co-wrote with Bob Geldof and produced the Band Aid hit, "Do They Know It's Christmas?". He and Geldof jointly set up the Band Aid Trust and he remains active as a Band Aid Trustee to this day. He was also the co-organiser of Live Aid. The following year Ure scored his one and only solo UK number one single with "If I Was". This was followed by the album The Gift. Ultravox as a band did not last more than a year or so after Live Aid.

After members of Ultravox went their separate ways, Ure pursued a solo career which included the international hit, 'Breathe,' also used in a Swatch TV ad campaign.

Ure recently organized Live 8 concerts with Bob Geldof with the aim of pressing G8 leaders into taking action to end world poverty. In 2005 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to music and charity.

Ure received three honorary degrees in recent years. He was made an Honorary Doctor of Arts in 2005 by the University of Abertay Dundee for his artistic and charity work over the past 30 years. He was made a Doctor of Music by University of Edinburgh in 2006. In 2007 Ure received his third honorary doctorate from the University of Paisley for his contribution to Scottish culture and charity work.

He is an Ambassador for Save the Children and in recent years has gone back to Ethiopia and visited Sierra Leone in that capacity.

Ure continues to perform his own songs, along with popular Ultravox songs, in concerts both solo, acoustic and with a band. In 2007 the single "Personal Heaven", credited to Midge Ure & X-perience was released in Germany.

Ure resides in the village of Box near the city of Bath.

Ure has been married twice: to actress and writer Annabel Giles (with whom he has one daughter, Molly) and to Sheridan Forbes (with whom he has three daughters, Kitty, Ruby and Flossie).

His daughter Molly has followed her father into the music industry, as the guitarist and vocalist of pop punk band The Faders, who split in July 2006. She is now pursuing a solo career.

Ure's two main passions are music and cooking. He was able to indulge the second of these in the 2007 Celebrity Masterchef series, easily winning his heat and progressing to the final on 15 June, alongside Nadia Sawalha and Craig Revel Horwood. Although all three competitors greatly impressed the judges, the trophy was won by Sawalha.

Ure made a speech and gave prizes at Prior Park College's annual speech day, on 7 July 2007.^{[citation needed]}

• 1985 The Gift (#2 UK Albums Chart)
• 1988 Answers to Nothing (#30 UK Albums Chart, #88 Billboard 200)
• 1991 Pure (#36 UK Albums Chart)
• 1996 Breathe
• 2000 Went to Coney Island (soundtrack)
• 2001 Move Me
• 2001 Little Orphans
• 2006 Duet - Midge Ure and Troy Donockley

• 1991 Live In Concert (live album)
• 1993 If I Was: The Very Best of Midge Ure & Ultravox (compilation album) (#10 UK Albums Chart)
• 2000 No Regrets: The Best of Midge Ure (compilation)
• 2001 A Glorious Noise - Breathe Live (live album)
• 2002 One Night in Scotland (live album)
• 2002 Intimate Moments April 12th - 22nd 2002 (a collection of songs and musings recorded on tour in 2002)
• 2003 Once Upon a Time in America (CD & DVD)
• 2004 Septemberfest (live album)
• 2005 Re-Live (live album)
• 2006 Move Me (expanded) (double CD)

Year	Single	UK Singles Chart	US Hot 100	US Modern Rock	US Mainstream Rock	Album
1982	No Regrets	9	-	-	-
1983	After A Fashion (with Mick Karn)	39	-	-	-
1985	If I Was	1	-	-	-	The Gift
1985	That Certain Smile	28	-	-	-	The Gift
1986	Wastelands	46	-	-	-
1986	Call Of The Wild	27	-	-	-
1989	Answers to Nothing	49	-	26	-	Answers to Nothing
1989	Dear God	55	95	4	6	Answers to Nothing
1991	Cold, Cold Heart	17	-	12	-	Pure
1991	I See Hope (In The Morning Light)	-	-	-	-	Pure
1996	Breathe	70	-	-	-	Breathe
1996	Guns And Arrows	-	-	-	-	Breathe
2001	You Move Me	-	-	-	-	Move Me
2001	Beneath A Spielberg Sky	-	-	-	-	Move Me

• Midge Ure given honorary degree, 12 October 2005

• Midge Ure in line for great big honour from university, 1 March 2006

• Third degree for Scots singer Midge Ure, 26 June 2007

• Official website
• Comprehensive Midge Ure discography @ Discogs.com