Daily Mail, Tuesday, September 22, 2009 S1 Page 15 WE’RE ROCK AND (ROLL )SOLID ORRAINE McIntosh has been married for nearly 20 years. And despite the They met in Deacon general rule that mixing business with pleasure is a recipe for disaster, she Blue 24 years ago, fell hasL worked with her husband for even longer, since she joined his band, Deacon Blue, in 1985. in love, married and So as she breezes in out of the rain for lunch at a cafe in Glasgow, wives everywhere could forgive her for having a wee moan about her other are set to release their half for something or other – at the very least for getting on her nerves, considering they spend the majority of their time together. first album as a duo But McIntosh and Ricky Ross are so In perfect harmony: Husband and wife team Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh in tune that, 15 years after Deacon Blue officially split, they have joined forces to House and me just staying in release a new album, The my room for a wee rest. It was Great Lakes, as a duo, called tiring.’ McIntosh Ross. by Maureen Culley Touring became even more ‘I think it’s just luck,’ she gruelling in 1992 when she says of their relationship. ‘If gave birth to Emer. you meet the right person, you ‘We had a nanny, but I can be happy. I think we are worked too hard to try and taking on a grown-up role all wanted to do as much as just right for each other. convince people nothing had too quickly. possible. I loved being a ‘Working together without changed. ‘Before my mother died, I mum,’ she says. the band doesn’t feel that ‘When The World Knows had a nice childhood – then it different, really. Ricky and I Your Name went straight to took a dramatic turn,’ she are always together – we’ve No 1 and someone asked if we says. ‘I suppose it made me been married for 19 years, we were going to have a party and, more aware that childhood is NE incident en route live together, obviously, and even though I was brought up a precious time.’ to the Far East is still although Ricky goes off quite Catholic, I had that sort of At 21, she began a teaching fresh in her mind. ‘I often to do his songwriting, we Scottish Presbyterian thing degree in Glasgow, but was remember we went to always come back together.’ going on where I was just like, always drawn to music. She Japan when Emer was While Ross was the main “No. No parties. No celebra- used to busk in Buchanan Oten months and the nanny songwriter for Deacon Blue, tion”. Street, she says, but admits said she’d take Emer to the on this project the husband ‘It’s not like that now, this revelation will ‘mortify’ back of the plane, so I could and wife have written though. Anything along the her daughters. rest for a gig when we got together and both their voices way, we celebrate.’ ‘My brother and I were there. But I didn’t want that. are heard in equal measure, We are in Cafe Gandolfi, a busking one night and Ricky ‘I only wanted to hand Emer not just with McIntosh favourite haunt in the had been rehearsing with an over if I absolutely had to – if I singing backing vocals as she Merchant City. McIntosh – early incarnation of Deacon was about to go on stage. So I did in the band – think of the with black curls in place and Blue in a basement room in kept her with me. I was famous ‘woo-wooing’ chorus dressed in jeans and a Buchanan Street. knackered when I got there, of Real Gone Kid. cardigan – is sipping on a soda ‘The funny thing is, we were but that’s what I wanted. and lime as the rain batters on singing one of his songs we’d ‘It’s still not easy, even now. the windows. She has to get heard off an early album of his. We’ll be doing shows soon home soon to the couple’s We knew him through friends with this album and that’ll be five-bedroom Victorian villa and liked his music. But it was hard. The kids are all at HE new album, recorded on the city’s South Side for a a bit embarrassing when we different stages, but they still in Los Angeles and with celebratory dinner, to bid saw him as we were doing need you at every age.’ a folk-country feel, was a farewell to their eldest, who is really well and I felt like we As well as Deacon Blue chance for the pair to going abroad to study. should maybe give him some getting together intermit- ‘reflect’T on the years spent Recalling her days in the of our money.’ tently in recent years to tour, together, both at home – band, she says jet-setting Ross loved her voice and felt while Ross, 51, writes songs where McIntosh is step- around the globe with five her presence lit up the line-up, and works as a radio presenter, mother to Ross’s eldest guys was not always easy. so McIntosh’s fate was sealed. his wife has turned to acting. daughter, Caitlin, 21, and ‘Before the band split up,’ She appeared in the Ken mother to their three children, she says, ‘I think I had really Loach movie My Name is Joe Emer, 17, Georgia, 15, and just had enough of being on in 1998 and joined River City eight-year-old Seamus – and the road.’ HE says: ‘I’ve always in 2002, finishing up on the also at work. It was particularly hard for loved singing. My dad Scots soap in 2006. Most With songs such as Queen of the others when Ross and was a great singer and recently, she appeared in the the New Year, Wages Day and McIntosh got together. when we used to go on BBC1 drama Hope Springs. their anthem Dignity, Deacon ‘Bands are very intense holiday to Ireland, Although she still wants to Blue sold six million albums. environments,’ she says. whereS my mum was from, we act, her focus for now is on At their peak, they even ‘You’ve got all these people would sing in the pubs. The Great Lakes, which toppled Madonna’s Like A wanting their input, their say ‘I think that’s why I’m a evolved from time spent Prayer off the No 1 spot with and their place. harmony singer, as I always ‘knocking about’ in their their second album in 1989, ‘I had just been a backing sang harmony with my dad recording studio at home. When The World Knows Your singer and even though I and my brother and just loved ‘I’d say, “Why don’t you write Name – the follow-up to debut became quite an important it. I knew it was for me. a song about this?”. And Raintown. member of the band, to be a ‘I sing all the time. I sing Ricky would say, “Why don’t But there was never much partner with the band’s more than Ricky. He couldn’t you?”. Then he said, “Why opportunity to reflect when creator obviously put me in a survive if he could never write don’t we make a record they were travelling the world, different position. another song but I simply together, of songs that come promoting their music and ‘For a good few years, that couldn’t live without the up organically between us performing. They were heady changed my relationship with singing.’ both, whether you write them days, but McIntosh says she the guys in the band. But, Things really took off in 1988 or I write them?”. did not take the time to over time, that resolved itself.’ when Real Gone Kid became ‘It was a chance for us to acknowledge the success. McIntosh, 45, was brought a huge radio hit, peaking at reflect on our life together. ‘I didn’t absorb it at all really up in Cumnock, Ayrshire, and No 8 in the UK charts, helping We’re happy where we are and and I think it was partly a lost her mother to leukaemia their second album to No 1 the fact we’re together.’ defence mechanism. I was when she was 11. With her and seeing them travel the ●The Great Lakes is released really worried that people I father working long hours at world. on September 28. McIntosh Ross knew in Glasgow would think the colliery, she would come She says: ‘I remember being tour dates are available at I’d changed because our life home from school each day in Washington DC and every- www.mcintoshross.com had changed dramatically. I and cook the evening meal, one going off to see the White [email protected]