Portal:London/Showcase biography/09 2009



Kate Bush (born Catherine Bush on 30 July 1958) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. She was born in Bexleyheath, now in the London Borough of Bexley. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of England's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years. Bush was signed by EMI at the age of 16 after being recommended by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. In 1978, at age 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut song "Wuthering Heights", becoming the first woman to have a UK number-one with a self-written song.

After her 1979 tour—the only concert tour of her career—Bush released the 1980 album Never for Ever, which made her the first British solo female artist to top the UK album charts, and the first female artist ever to enter the album chart at no. 1. In 1987, she won a BRIT Award for Best British Female Solo Artist. She has released nine albums, three of which topped the UK Albums Chart, and has had UK top ten hit singles with "Wuthering Heights", "Running Up that Hill", "King of the Mountain", "Babooshka", "The Man with the Child in His Eyes", and "Don't Give Up".

In 2002, her songwriting ability was recognised with an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. In 2005, Bush released Aerial, her first album in 12 years. The album earned her a BRIT Award nomination for Best Album and another for Best Solo Female Artist. During the course of her career she has also been nominated for three Grammy Awards.
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