I suggest though the excitement caused by the story that Meatloaf was searching for a house in Hartlepool .

Linda and Cecil Womack - a.k.a. Womack and Womack - live in Southend-on-Sea. These days they operate under the names Zek and Zeriiya Zekkariyas. True.

Many African musicians seem to end up in unlikely places in the UK. Kanda Bongo Man for example, originally from Zaire, apparently now lives in Manchester.

For another example, an article on Zimbabwean band The Bhundu Boys from The Observer Music Monthly in 2006 is well worth a read, though it is just about the most dispiriting story you will ever hear:
http://music.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1927386,00.html

To summarise, the Bhundu Boys sprung from beautiful sun-soaked Zimbabwe in the early 80s, full of hope that the new Prime Minister Robert Mugabe would, as promised, lead their country to a bright new era of independence and prosperity.
Their music evoked this hope and joy perfectly and they became very popular with an international audience. They were loved by Peel and Kershaw, won a record contract with Warner Bros and played a support slot for Madonna.

Fast forward through twenty bitter years of grubby interaction with the music industry and, at the time of the article, this is how they had ended up:

Rise Kagona - living "hand to mouth" in a farm cottage in Scotland.
Washington Kavhai - in jail in Preston on an assault charge.
Kenny Chitsvatsva - driving a minicab in London.
Kuda Matimba - living in London.
David Mankaba - died from an Aids-related disease.
Shakespeare Kangwena - died from an Aids-related disease.
Shepherd Munyama - died from an Aids-related disease.
Biggie Tembo - hanged himself "in a Harare asylum after years of rootlessness and increasingly unhinged behaviour".

This tragic tale hits even harder when accompanied by the band's rapturous music, pre-sell-out: http://tinyurl.com/4brd2v

...played a free festival here last year actually. He was indeed a regular in Van Morrison's band in the 80s and 90s, not sure if he plays with Van now.

I'm not 100% but I remember hearing Jimmy Ruffin lived in the UK.

...live over a Spar in Croydon?

Re the Podcast - good one. I too remember Woolworth's wooden floors. Very slippery they were, something I discovered while scarpering after my one & only shoplifting spree. Good to hear Producer Matt loud & proud in the mix; like him, I went to the Hay Festival on Monday, bravely displaying my Word t-shirt in the deluge. Unfortunately, when the weather's that inclement only the hardcore Guardianistas turn up & it all feels a little too up itself. Still, the organic lamb burger was nice.

Not sure that he lived here, but circa 1968 Muddy Waters came to the UK and performed at Snape Maltings in Suffolk. My Granny served him food. Anyway, I thought of him when I got to visit Clarksdale, Mississippi a couple of months ago. The place is the spitting image of East Anglia: Muddy must have felt right at home in Suffolk.

There's nothing really obscure about Frome, it's a happening place that just happens to not be on the tube map, or within walking distance of Brighton station. Hugh Masekela used to live round yer too, I'll 'ave you know.

Isn't as good as it sounds - quite literally. A cymbal squishing 96kbps is the quoted bit rate for the MP3's available through Myspace. If a band is serious about free downloads then hosting MP3s on their own website at a higher bit rate is the way forward.

Does Desmond Dekker living in Thornton Heath Count?
or that Kid Creole (without his coconuts)used to live in " Dinnington area of South Yorkshire" Also what's with Sweden/Denmark and american musicians?

Lastly I am always touched by some peoples faith in technology; all these stories of people ripping their cd's onto hard disk and then selling the originals.

Presumably these people have never had even a light bulb go on them let alone had a hard drive (pc) nicked or break down. Also aren't many of these ripping types in the music bizz and so haven't had to buy many of their cd's in the first place. I'm not sure but those of us who have to buy our own tunes tend to hold onto them a bit longer?

Obviously not a black American, but Mississippian bluesman Seasick Steve - in his post-train-hopping hobo days - lived in both Henley-on-Thames and Skelmersdale.

And (going even further off-script), a good one in the other direction is folk matriarch Norma Waterson who in 1968 left the delights of Hull to become a radio DJ in Montserrat.

The great Edwin Starr spent his last years living in a village near Tamworth called Polesworth - renamed Soulsworth by BRMB legend Les Ross.
Edwin was once doing his shopping in Tamworth, when he came across a BRMB radio roadshow. He took little persuading to put down his carrier bags, and climb on the stage to join in.

Erstwhile Northern Soul Legend Major Lance once lived in Benfleet in Essex. He was on an extensive UK tour at the time and lived in the same street as a class mate of mine. His son Damien went to my junior school. He was a bit of a hit as Afro-American kids were far and few between in South East Essex.

you have to grab it. Priceless.

Kid Creole (of 'and the Coconuts' fame)now lives in Urmston, Manchester. If you're not from Manchester just imagine Stella Street and you might be close, maybe a red-bricked version.

I'm one podcast behind but I'd have to disagree with Rob, I think it was, talking about the FA Cup. He seemed to imply that with Portsmouth winning it the competition had lost its spark by teams other than Liverpool/Man Utd contesting it. The reality is that prior to this year the last team from outside the so-called big 4 (Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool) to have won it were Everton back in 1995.

The FA Cup is typically contested by the same 4 teams who finish in the top 4 in the league every year. I do agree that the FA Cup isn't the event it used to be when I was a kid(when it seemed the build up lasted all day) but it has become predictable and it wasn't always so. I mean Coventry and Wimbledon won it in the 80s.

I will forgive Rob, though, as he said he wasn't a football fan!