Success did not come overnight. A commitment to live performance - never being afraid to have fun onstage - has been the key to the band’s success. The band have enjoyed five top five albums and 18 top 40 singles. 25 years on, Deacon Blue’s enduring success can be measured by six million album sales and an almost peerless live reputation.

That was the original idea. When he first sat down at a piano, it belonged to the youth project where he worked in his home city of Dundee. His ambitions were not for fame, but to create great songs for other artists.

Following his move to Glasgow, Ricky continued to write and play keyboards in bands. Having no outlet for his songs was frustrating, however, and he cites one night in 1984, when his band were supporting The Waterboys, as the point of no return. He needed to concentrate on his own material.

Following the release of a solo album on an independent label, his London publishers advised him to put a band together. The rest is ingrained in Scottish music history. A string of top 5 albums, including two numbers 1s, and 18 top 40 singles later, Deacon Blue decided to go their own ways.

Ricky has never stopped writing, releasing critically acclaimed solo albums and becoming the writer of choice for artists looking for songs which offer more substance than a fleeting hit. He has also written music for theatre.

Whether in a theatre or on a festival stage, his solo live shows are intimate affairs, allowing the audience to experience an increasingly skilled raconteur with a dry sense of humour.

His solo work complements his work with Deacon Blue and provides a backdrop for his reputation as a writer for others.

So Ricky has come full circle, but with the added bonus of seeing how an audience reacts to many of those songs first hand.