# Ian Donaldson > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ian_Donaldson > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ian_Donaldson.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Donaldson > Source revision: 1351207195 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Scottish singer}} {{other people}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}} {{Use British English|date=July 2017}} {{Infobox musical artist | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = | origin = [Govan](/source/Govan), [Glasgow](/source/Glasgow), Scotland | genre = {{hlist|[Pop](/source/Pop_music)|[new wave](/source/New_wave_music)|[electronic](/source/electronic_music)|[synth-pop](/source/synth-pop)|[punk rock](/source/punk_rock)}} | occupation = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|composer|record producer|writer}} | instrument = Vocals | years_active = 1978–present | label = {{hlist|Spock|[RCA](/source/RCA_Records)|Legend|World@Love|Toy Town}} | associated_acts = {{hlist|Skroo|[H2O](/source/H2O_(Scottish_band))|[Kajagoogoo](/source/Kajagoogoo)|FourGoodMen}} }} '''Ian Donaldson''' is a Scottish singer and writer. Donaldson's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as co-founder and lead singer of [new wave](/source/New_wave_music) band [H2O](/source/H2O_(Scottish_band)), which released two UK Top 40 hits in 1983 with the singles "[I Dream to Sleep](/source/I_Dream_to_Sleep)" and "[Just Outside of Heaven](/source/Just_Outside_of_Heaven)". After the band's break-up, he pursued a solo career and played in a band called FourGoodMen. Donaldson released his debut novel, ''A Rainbow in the Basement'', in 2016. In 2018, he released his debut solo studio album, ''From Stars We Came'' on Toy Town Records. Two sold-out concerts in [Glasgow](/source/Glasgow) commemorated his official return to the [music industry](/source/music_industry). ==Early life== Donaldson grew up in Govan, Glasgow, and showed early interest in music. He studied Art & Design in Glasgow,{{cite web|url=https://mybooksource.com/ian-donaldson.html|title=Ian Donaldson|accessdate=16 July 2017}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and by age 16 he was singing in the band 8 Miles Out. ==Career== Trying to stand out from other bands in the area, Donaldson formed the punk band Skroo with [Alan McGee](/source/Alan_McGee), where he also performed as lead singer. The band performed its first gig from the back of a lorry at the [Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament](/source/Campaign_for_Nuclear_Disarmament) (CND) Rally in [Elder Park](/source/Elder_Park%2C_Govan), and went on to be a local success, playing gigs at the Mars Bar in Glasgow. The band signed a [recording contract](/source/recording_contract) and played on the TV music show ''[Top of the Pops](/source/Top_of_the_Pops)''.{{cite web|url=http://www.patchchordnews.com/ian-donaldson-singer-writer-producer-formerly-band-h20-takes-time-chat|author=Bone, Martin|date=1 July 2017|title=Ian Donaldson singer, writer, producer, formerly of band H2O, takes time out for a chat|accessdate=16 July 2017|archive-date=5 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805173905/http://www.patchchordnews.com/ian-donaldson-singer-writer-producer-formerly-band-h20-takes-time-chat/|url-status=dead}} After Donaldson left Skroo, he founded [H2O](/source/H2O_(Scottish_band)) with Davie Wells (guitar), Colin Ferguson (bass), Ross Alcock (keyboards), Kenny Dorman (drums) and Colin Gavison (saxophone). In 1981, the band released its first single "Hollywood Dream". H2O signed with RCA in 1983, and made the Top 20 UK charts with their single "[I Dream to Sleep](/source/I_Dream_to_Sleep)". The band released their sole studio album ''[Faith](/source/Faith_(H2O_album))'' in 1984.{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/h2o-mn0001018162/biography|author=Sutton, Michael|publisher=AllMusic|title=Biography|accessdate=16 July 2017}} H2O broke up in 1988 over creative differences, but reunited periodically for one-off gigs. After H2O disbanded, Donaldson went on to pursue a solo career. He also played in a band called FourGoodMen with [Big Country](/source/Big_Country)'s guitarist [Bruce Watson](/source/Bruce_Watson_(Scottish_guitarist)), former [Simple Minds](/source/Simple_Minds) bassist [Derek Forbes](/source/Derek_Forbes) and keyboardist [Mick MacNeil](/source/Mick_MacNeil). The group released an album in 2006 titled ''Heart of Winter: 2006 Tour Sampler''.{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/heart-of-winter-2006-tour-sampler-mw0001490825|publisher=AllMusic|title=FourGoodMen, Heart Of Winter: 2006 Tour Sampler|accessdate=16 July 2017}} In September 2016, Donaldson released a debut novel titled ''A Rainbow in the Basement''. In February 2018, Donaldson released his debut solo studio album, ''From Stars We Came''. The album got an official launch at [Websters Theatre](/source/Websters_Theatre%2C_Glasgow) in Glasgow, which saw two nights of concerts with a full band. ==Discography== ===With H2O=== {| class="wikitable" |- !Year !Album |- ||1984 | ''[Faith](/source/Faith_(H2O_album))'' |} ===Solo=== '''Studio album''' {| class="wikitable" |+ !Year !Album |- |2018 |''From Stars We Came'' |} '''Singles''' {| class="wikitable sortable" |- !Year !Title ! ! ! ![B-side](/source/A-side_and_B-side) |- | style="text-align:left;"|1987 | style="text-align:left;"|"[The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore](/source/The_Sun_Ain't_Gonna_Shine_(Anymore))" | | | | style="text-align:left;"|"USA Son" |- | style="text-align:left;"|2016 | style="text-align:left;"|"Angel Pale" | | | | style="text-align:left;" | -- |- |2017 |"Ticker Tape Parade" | | | | -- |} ==Bibliography== *''A Rainbow in the Basement'' (I Dream Books, 2016) {{ISBN|0995614709}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=mn0001389961}} *{{discogs artist|artist=Ian Donaldson (2)|name=Ian Donaldson}} *{{Twitter | Ianjdonaldson_ | Ian Donaldson }} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Donaldson, Ian}} Category:20th-century Scottish male singers Category:21st-century Scottish male singers Category:British male new wave singers Category:Living people Category:Scottish new wave musicians Category:Scottish tenors Category:Year of birth missing (living people) {{UK-singer-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ian Donaldson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Donaldson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Donaldson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.