Pim Jones and Grahame Skinner of Hipsway - San Francisco, California, USA

Hipsway were a Scottish pop/rock band whose style has been described as 'white soul/ funk'.

The band were formed in Glasgow in 1984 by ex-Altered Images guitarist Johnny McElhone on bass, and featuring Grahame Skinner (vocals), Pim Jones (guitar) and Harry Travers (drums). Their music was characterised by Skinner's deep vocals and Jones' tight guitar playing. They were quickly signed up by Mercury Records and by 1985 had released their first, eponymously-titled album. The album was a moderate success in the UK; while the single Honeythief made number 17 in the British charts, and also reached the Top 20 in the US. Another song from the album, Tinder, became well-known in Scotland as the soundtrack to a McEwan's Lager commercial.

However the band failed to build on its success; McElhone left to found Texas, and by the time the second album Scratch the Surface was recorded, Travers had also left (to be replaced by Stephen Ferrera). Released in 1989, the album was not as critically or commercially successful as its predecessor, and the band split up shortly afterwards.

Skinner and Jones subsequently went on to found the band Witness before Skinner joined former members of Glasgow peers Love and Money in the band Cowboymouth.

Discography

Albums

• 1986 Hipsway
• 1989 Scratch the Surface

Singles

• 1985 Broken Years (UK #72)
• 1985 Ask the Lord (UK #72)
• 1986 Honeythief (UK #17) (US #19)
• 1986 Ask the Lord (re-recording) (UK #50)
• 1986 Long White Car (UK #55)
• 1989 Your Love (UK #66)