Stuart Adamson: a musician dubbed the “new Jimi Hendrix”
Every so often, a musician slips through the net and, for various reasons, does not receive the plaudits they deserve from the mainstream. Whilst there are many notable instances of this taking place, from Nick Drake to punk pioneers Death, I was recently reminded of one of contemporary culture’s most criminally neglected geniuses. This is the story of Stuart Adamson – a man once hailed as a successor to Jimi Hendrix.
Since the European Football Champions in the summer of 2021, an image has been circulating online of The Cure frontman Robert Smith taken during the 1980s. Smith is sporting his trademark back-combed hair and donning a long England football jersey, with some questionably short shorts. In the photograph, Smith shakes hands with a taller, spikey-haired gentleman who is wearing a Scotland kit. It amazed me how extensively the picture has done the rounds, but hardly anyone seems to know who the Scottish gentleman actually was. That man is Stuart Adamson, and he is perhaps the most influential musician you’ve never heard of.
Adamson’s story is not as well-known as it should be, owing to his suicide, aged 43 in Hawaii, in December 2001. However, for his peers and fans, Adamson’s work speaks for itself. Born in Manchester in 1958, the budding musician’s family moved to the Dunfermline area of Scotland when he was just four years old. During his youth, Adamson threw himself into music, always keeping a keen eye on the folk genre. However, it was during the mid-1970s when Adamson truly found his rhythm. Like many of his generation, he was galvanised by the punk movement, and after witnessing The Damned perform in Edinburgh in 1976, he formed Tattoo, a group which featured his friend William Simpson on the bass. Then, the following year, when he was 18, Adamson founded The Skids, an outfit that would become one of the era’s most influential bands.
Bringing Simpson along with him, Tattoo recruited drummer Thomas Kellichan, and they performed as a trio until they met the 16-year-old Richard Jobson. Recruiting Jobson on the spot, the young teen became the band’s frontman, with him and Adamson striking up a formidable songwriting partnership. Their most memorable hit came in the form of 1979’s ‘Into the Valley’, but that was just one of four tracks that charted in the UK that year.
However, one of their greatest cuts from this period was ‘The Saints are Coming’, one of the most visceral pieces of punk released at the time. In fact, the track was so influential that it established the band as a staple of the genre, so much so that in 2006, Green Day and U2 recorded a charity cover of the song. U2 guitarist Edge has long been a vocal admirer of Adamson and once labelled him a “great inspiration” to U2 in their early days.
Finding their feet, Adamson played on The Skids’ first three albums before leaving in 1981 following a period of lineup changes and disagreements with Jobson, who it is said became increasingly dominant. Interestingly, band called time on their first chapter the following year, with Jobson and bassist Russell Webb going on to form the short-lived act titled The Armoury Show. As appears to be the trend, this band also falls into the criminally overlooked category, with the single ‘Castles in Spain’ offering an absolute masterclass in post-punk guitar playing.
Adamson would then enjoy his most fruitful period, a time when he was now the master of his creative destiny. Giving fans an account of what he was like, Jobson, who would later reflect on his old bandmate, said: “This was a guy who had a mortgage, a wife, and a family when we were all trying to live some mythic punk lifestyle,” he said. “He seemed level-headed, grounded.”
Big Country became pioneers of a loose collection of acts that came under the genre of ‘Big Music’, alongside The Waterboys, U2, Simple Minds, The Alarm, and more tenuously, Echo and the Bunnymen. Their music was more rousing than anything else, augmented by expansive production and a penchant for a booming chorus. The band released their debut album, The Crossing, in 1983, which boasted singles such as ‘Harvest Home, ‘Fields of Fire’ and the unforgettable ‘In a Big Country’. They became one of the era’s most prominent acts, with Adamson almost universally renowned for his songwriting and guitar playing. Famously, the latter was characterised by being a proponent of the E-bow and MXR pitch transposer.
By 1991, they had released five albums, including 1984’s Steeltown and 1986’s The Seer. Reflecting just how eminent Adamson’s standing now was, it was the most celebrated purveyor of new music, John Peel, who went as far as to label him as “a new Jimi Hendrix”. Compounding just how respected Adamson was is an anecdote published in the News of the World in 2006. It told the story of Big Country bassist Tony Butler and drummer Mark Brzezicki bumping into a starstruck Noel Gallagher at the 1998 Sky Sports Awards in London. “I know who you are,” Gallagher told the pair after pushing through the crowd, eager to meet them. “I’ve got all your records.” He then revealed that Oasis played Big Country’s music at full volume on their tour bus, with Butler saying: “We’d a lot of fun with Noel. He was so knowledgeable about the band… It was very flattering to get such respect from him.”
Recalling the potent partnership between Adamson and the band’s guitarist Bruce Watson, Brzezicki recalled: “Bruce’s guitar style was unique, the way he and Stuart worked together was amazing… and, of course, as a singer Stuart was a one-off with a great voice.”
Big Country split up in 2000. At the time, Adamson was living in Nashville, Tennessee, after moving there when his first marriage ended. In 1999, he formed the alternative country act, The Raphaels, alongside Marcus Hummon. However, things quickly came to a halt.
Adamson’s death was a surprise to everyone, with him found hanging in his Honolulu hotel, using an electrical cord from a pole in the wardrobe. A report by the coroner later discovered that he had consumed a “very strong” quantity of alcohol before his death. Reflecting the impact he had in his lifetime, his funeral on 27th December was attended by hundreds, including Jobson, his former Big Country bandmates and U2. After Adamson’s death, The Edge said: “Stuart made some great music during his career, and his character came through everything he did.”
He continued: “He had a heart as big as a mountain, and he was a real romantic soul… He will be missed by all who loved his music and even more by those lucky enough to know him personally.”
Stuart Adamson was one of a kind, and with it coming up to 21 years since his death, there is no better time to jump into his oeuvre and explore the broad scope of his talent.
