The Son Of A Preacher Man
Didn't realise until it cropped up on the Mark Ratcliffe show last night that Jerry Dammers' late father was a fairly high-ranking clergyman, the Dean of Bristol (and previously Provost of Coventry cathedral). He was of the politically radical wing of the C of E and if you read his obituary (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/30/db3001.x...) you can see how he was quite influential on Jerry Dammers' outlook and crusading zeal.
Neil Hannon, the Divine Comedy, is the son of the Bishop of Clogher. Other pop folk I can think of off the top of my head whose dads were men of the cloth are Jimmy Webb and Marvin Gaye.
Not sure what this has got to do with anything, but I always think that what pop stars' parents (and siblings) do/did for a living is quite interesting.
- More from Richard Lowe.
- Login or register to post comments








Not really a pop star..
...but DJ Tim Westwood's father was the Bishop of Peterborough. Pretty sure this outranks the Dean of Bristol but could be a close call up against the Bishop of Clogher (and Clogher sounds like a much more interesting place than Peterborough).
Woah....
You beat me to it. Eerily similar posts.
Not a popstar but...
Tim 'Fo' real' Westwood's dad was at one point the Bishop of Peterborough.
Let's not forget...
...this man's daughters
In 1967
When Aretha Franklin came to record at Muscle Shoals, Rick Hall had never heard of her. He'd heard of her father, though.
Lemmy
was a vicar's son, though apparently they didn't speak.
And my own dad, who, when first ordained, was the youngest vicar in the country.
Oh, and Aretha Franklin
and Tori Amos
The Kings of Leon, Felix Buxton 'out of' Basement Jaxx...
Pink underpants
The comedian Hugh Dennis's dad was the Bishop of Ipswich and Hugh once pointed out that bishops tend to have traditional tastes when it comes to underwear - white vests and Y fronts - and wear purplish vestments that run in the wash. So, if you ever meet a bishop, it's worth bearing in mind that underneath his dignified robes of office, the chances are he's wearing pink underpants.
Vincent Furnier
Alice Cooper's father was a minister. And I believe Alice himself is a fairly ardent Christian (and right-winger) these days now.
The Rock'n'Roll Yellow Pages
Well the church has clearly done it's bit when it comes to breeding pop stars, as I'm sure lots of other professions have too. In fact you could probably put together a pretty comprehensive business directory of the goods and services offered by the parents and siblings of pop stars; and indeed former pop stars who have now got a proper job. The Rock'n'Roll Yellow Pages.
Jerry Dammers!
What is it with leftie, radical punk types from the 70s that so many had such a conservative upbringing? See also Joe 'shhhtreet' Strummer, Shane 'Cathedral choir' MacGowan. What next? That Paul Weller's kids go to private school?!
Blimey, someone's going to tell me now that the Prince of Multiculturism Billy 'Barking-till-I-die' Bragg lives in a country pile in the most conservative county in England! What? Oh...
Horace Dammers
was no conservative. Read the obituary (link on the original post). Oh, and all of Paul Weller's kids go to, or have been to, private school. The royalties from The Eton Rifles haven't all been frittered on paisley scarves and weed.
Hello, hooray, there's a price to pay
Bruce Foxton's son, Iago, went to Eton.
be fair ..
.. it's the only school in Britain where he wouldn't get bullied for being called Iago. Iago Foxton sounds like a management consultancy.
Blimey!
25 grand a year school fees - you wouldn't have thought royalties from 'Smithers Jones' and a few gigs with SLF would have brought that much in would you?
Can I just say...
...that I don't think this is true?
I'm the son of a preacher
I'm the son of a preacher man and so are my brothers . Is it just protestants preachers that produce pop stars? Have we got a calvinist heaven and hell thing going on?
Jerry lee Lewis's family are all pastors, preachers and evangelists and he's obviously torn between the "light" and "the dark"
Catholic priests are celibate
In theory anyway. If they do happen to sire offspring they tend to keep quiet about it.
doh!
I knew it was crap theory but that clearly is the main stumbling block doh! and indeed Doh!
James Douglas Morrison
Jimbo's dad was of course, Admiral George Stephen Morrison of the US Navy.
Wasn't Neil Youngs Dad.....
....high up in the forces as well?
I went to a posh school and the only famous kids were Nicholas Parsons' dter and the son of Ronald Binge, who wrote Elizabethan Serenade.
However Michael Fish, Michael Praed, Eddie Izzard and McFly all went there too. Only Michael Praed, then Prince, later in Dynasty, was there at the same time as me. We were in a version of "Anything Goes" (Cole Porter) together.
Gil Scott Heron
His dad played for Glasgow Celtic in the 50s.
