Ricky Ross is the instantly recognisable frontman of Deacon Blue, one of Scotland's most successful bands. However, he still regards himself as first and foremost, a songwriter.

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.

1983 to 1985

As keyboard player with a band called Woza, Ricky has something of an epiphany on a night when the band is supporting The Waterboys at The Heathery Bar in Wishaw. He decides that he needs an outlet for his own material. In 1984, he releases an album, So Long Ago, on the independent Sticky Records in Glasgow, but on the advice of a publisher recruits a band in 1985, naming it Deacon Blue for a song on Steely Dan's seminal Aja album.

1986 to 1994

Frontman and main songwriter of Deacon Blue, the band goes on to worldwide success, with five top 5 albums (When The World Knows Your Name, Ooh Las Vegas, Fellow Hoodlums, Whatever You Say, Say Nothing and Our Town: The Greatest Hits. Bizarrely, Raintown reached number 14 but spent 77 weeks on the chart) and 18 top 40 singles. In 1989, the band achieves the record for the fastest-selling show in history at the SECC and in the same year the band's second album When The World Knows Your Know topples Madonna's Like A Prayer from No 1 in the album chart's. Despite Ricky's initial ambition to only write for other people, he proves to be a charismatic and energetic frontman, with the perfect foil in Lorraine McIntosh who becomes his wife in 1990.

1995 to 2001

Ricky signs a solo deal following Deacon Blue's decision to disband in 1994. He begins work on What You Are, which is released on the Epic Label in 1996. With a band he calls The Sinners, he plays small venues and festivals. A prolific writer, the following year sees another album, New Recording.

Throughout the next couple of years, Ricky tours, combining small, intimate shows with theatre venues and festival appearances. In 1999, Deacon Blue tours and an album, Walking Back Home, features new songs and established tracks. The promise of another Deacon Blue album of new material comes to fruition in 2001 when Homesick is released and the band tours extensively.

At the end of 2001, the band go their separate ways again.

2002 to 2007

With a new publishing deal in hand, Ricky starts work on This is the Life, an album which on release suffers from the same poor promotion and availability as Homesick. During 2002, he travels to Japan with Gary Clark (formerly Danny Wilson) and Boo Hewerdine (formerly The Bible) to play a string of solo dates. The district of Tokyo where they play, Kichijoji, inspires a song which appears a few year later.

His reputation as a songwriter is stronger than ever however, and he is in demand to write for, and with, other artists. His connection with James Blunt is perhaps the most high profile, but there are collaborations with performers as diverse as KT Tunstall, David Sneddon, Cathy Burton, Gareth Gates and Emma Bunton. Ronan Keating recorded She Gets Me Inside, which Ricky reclaims as the opening track for his 2005 album Pale Rider.

This is the solo album which, at last, establishes Ricky's position as a solo artist and receives universal acclaim. He embarks on perhaps the longest solo tour yet, an intimate acoustic show where he is accompanied by friend and Pale Rider producer Davie Scott (The Pearlfishers).

In 2006, twenty years of Deacon Blue is celebrated with a Singles collection featuring three new compositions and an extensive greatest hits tour, while 2007 is shaping up to be a year when Ricky can celebrate Deacon Blue and stretch his solo legs in equal measure.