Ian Dury

Ian Dury Artistfacts

  • May 12, 1942 - March 27, 2000
  • Dury was one of the original members of the UK punk record label Stiff Records.
  • Before turning to music, Dury taught painting at the Canterbury Art College in Britain. This was after studying at the Royal College of Art.
  • At age 7, he was stricken with polio.
  • Dury first made a name for himself in Kilburn and the High Roads, playing Fifties rock n' roll.
  • Dury's album New Boots and Panties!! was released in 1977 and stayed on the British charts for two years.
  • He died March 27, 2000 from liver cancer.
  • Dury composed the theme song to the British TV show The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4.
  • He also acted in many movies including The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover and The Crow: City of Angels.
  • On August 26, 1998, Bob Geldof announced on a radio show that Dury had died of cancer. Dury, who would live another two years, was amused by the report.
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber asked Ian Dury to write the lyrics for Cats, but he turned him down because "I can't stand the music."

Comments: 1

  • Bill from San Gabriel, CaI saw Ian & The Blockheads at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood in the 1978-79 period. A great show! It was one of the best I have seen! He was quite the entertainer. We miss you Ian!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.