Fish

Derek William Dick (born 25 April 1958), better known by his stage name Fish, is a Scottish singer, songwriter and occasional actor.

Derek William Dick was born on 25 April 1958 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and grew up in Dalkeith.

The son of Robert and Isabella, Fish was educated at King's Park primary school and then Dalkeith High School.

He was inspired by the music of many of the rock artists of the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Genesis, Pink Floyd, the Moody Blues, the Kinks, T. Rex, David Bowie, Argent, and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band,

Peter Hammill ( VDGG ) (Fish would later pay tribute to these early influences on his covers album Songs from the Mirror).

Fish has also cited Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell as "one of the biggest influences on me because of her approach to lyrics".

The first band he saw live was Yes at Usher Hall, Edinburgh, in 1974.

As well as his love for music, he was also a voracious reader, and his literary inspirations included Jack Kerouac, Truman Capote, Robert Burns and Dylan Thomas (all of whom would later be depicted on the sleeve of Marillion's Clutching at Straws).

Fish worked as a petrol pump attendant, gardener, and from 1977 until 1980 worked in forestry at the Bowhill Estate in Selkirk.

While living in Fochabers, Moray he adopted the nickname of Fish, which originated from a landlord who lamented the amount of time he spent in the bath.

Fish has been quoted: "With a real name of Derek William Dick, it became very necessary to find a nickname as quickly as possible."

He first performed as a singer in 1980: "The very first gig I ever did as a singer was in Gala [Galashiels] in the Golden Lion pub."

He moved to Church Laneham, Nottinghamshire, in mid-1980 following a successful audition for the Stone Dome Band, and then to Aylesbury at the start of 1981 in the process of joining Marillion.

The lines "stilettoes in the snow", and "moon-washed college halls" were inspired by Fish's girlfriend of the time, who was at the Scottish College of Textiles in Galashiels in the 1980s.

He was the lead singer and lyricist of the neo-prog band Marillion from 1981 until 1988.

He released 11 UK Top 40 singles with the band, including the Top Ten singles "Kayleigh", "Lavender" and "Incommunicado", and five Top Ten albums, including a number one with Misplaced Childhood.

In his solo career, Fish explored contemporary pop and traditional folk, and released a further five Top 40 singles and a Top 10 album.

Fish's voice has been described as both "distinct" and a "conflation of Roger Daltrey and Peter Gabriel", while his lyrics have been described as "poetic prose".

Fish joined Marillion in 1981.

The band gained popularity over the next couple of years, leading to the release of their top-ten debut album Script for a Jester's Tear in 1983.

They achieved further chart success in the UK, attaining top-ten hit singles in 1985 with "Kayleigh" and "Lavender", and again in 1987 with "Incommunicado".

In 1988, due to the stress of touring and the detrimental effect it was having on his health, as well as having a falling out with bandmate Steve Rothery,

Fish left Marillion to pursue a solo career.

Although the recordings for the album finished in June 1989, EMI Records decided to delay the release until 1990, to avoid collision with Marillion's album Seasons End, released in September 1989.

Keyboardist Mickey Simmonds who had played with Mike Oldfield, co-wrote the songs on the album, and would continue to play with Fish on the tour.

Also guitarist Janick Gers co-wrote the track "View From the Hill".

Several well known musicians contributed to the album, including former Dire Straits guitarist Hal Lindes, who played guitar on most tracks and also contributed to the writing of three of the album’s songs.

Frank Usher, a Fish companion from pre-Marillion times, also contributed.

Drums were played by Mark Brzezicki (Big Country) and John Keeble (Spandau Ballet), John Giblin contributed bass and Luís Jardim contributed additional percussion.

Backing vocals came from Tessa Niles, who had appeared on Clutching at Straws.

Many of Fish's later works contain lengthy spoken-word lyrics, shorter examples of which can be heard on earlier Marillion albums.

He has collaborated with Genesis founder Tony Banks on Banks's Still and Soundtracks albums, singing on the tracks "Shortcut to Somewhere", "Angel Face" and "Another Murder of a Day", co-writing the latter.

Fish’s debut solo album Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors was released in January 1990.

His solo career has never received the same recognition or attention, and to a lot of people he went missing soon after the Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors album, in February 1990, the album peaked at number 5 in the UK Albums Chart.

In 2004, Classic Rock ranked Fish at number 49 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Frontmen", describing his "theatrical delivery" as "a major factor in Marillion's spectacular rise, and he masterminded some uniquely ornate lyrical concepts."

In 2009, Fish was voted at number 37 in a poll of the greatest voices in rock music by Planet Rock listeners.

Lyrics from "Kayleigh" were etched into paving stones in Market Square in Galashiels in 2012.

In 2020, Fish released his final studio album Weltschmerz (German for "world-weariness"), to critical acclaim and commercial success.

Fish toured Weltschmerz and celebrated the 30th anniversary of A Vigil In A Wilderness of Mirrors as part of the Vigil's End tour in 2021.

Fish plans to retire following a farewell tour in 2024.