Fish Biography

Derek William Dick (stage name Fish), born 25 April 1958, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyric writer and occasional actor. After a patchy career as a gardener and forestry worker, he came to public attention in 1981 with the group Marillion, which he left in 1988. It is widely believed that the name Fish arose from his drinking habits, however, according to Fish himself, the name originates from the amount of time he spent reading in the bath.

He is sometimes compared to Peter Gabriel. He has a similar voice (not outstanding in terms of technical competence, but interesting, with a sinister edge). Both singers spent six or seven years with a prominent British progressive rock group, wearing full make-up and costume on stage, then left the group to pursue a solo career. In both cases, many fans of the groups consider the period in which the singer was present to represent a golden age in the group's history. One difference is that Gabriel has achieved greater critical and commercial success as a solo performer.

Perhaps Fish's greatest talent lies in his lyric writing. His introspective lyrics, often dealing with his own personal problems and addictions, can in some cases stand as poetry, without the music. Many of his later works contain lengthy spoken word passages with the music simply acting as background. Shorter examples of such passages can be found in his Marillion works.

Following a legal dispute with EMI and an unsuccessful contract with Polydor, Fish established the Dick Bros Record Company in 1993. He released a number of 'official bootleg' albums to finance the company. After selling the company to Roadrunner Records, another unsuccessful period followed before he re-established his own Chocolate Frog record label in 2001. (edit)

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