Clare Grogan

• Name — Clare Grogan • Birth Name — Claire Patricia Grogan • Born — 17 March 1962 • Birthplace — Glasgow, Scotland • Died — YYYY MM DD • Years Active — 1979–present • Genre — * Pop • rock • new wave • Occupation — * Singer • actress • Instrument — Vocals • Current Member Of — Altered Images

Born in Glasgow, Grogan and her two sisters all attended the Notre Dame Convent School. Her mother was Irish and born in Dublin. Aged 17, while she was dancing at the Glasgow College of Technology, a fight broke out nearby between patrons. Grogan attempted to head away from the violence but was injured by thrown broken glass, causing a deep facial wound and a prominent scar on the left side of her face. Grogan states her parents still find it hard to read about the incident. She began filming Gregory's Girl just three months after the incident. In 1998, while she was working in a theatre at Watford, it was discovered that part of the glass was still in the facial tissue and had to be surgically removed.

As a member of Scottish Youth Theatre, she was originally obliged to appear as "C. P. Grogan" because there was already a member of Equity named Claire Grogan. (The other Claire Grogan went on to become a photographer.) She would later drop the i from her first name. Grogan played the part of Rita in Educating Rita at Dundee Repertory Theatre in 1987. In 1996, she played a fitness instructor on the Edinburgh Fringe in the play Lady Macbeth Firmed My Buttocks.

Grogan developed her singing career as the lead singer of Altered Images, originally a five-piece band that included Johnny McElhone (later of the Scottish rock band Texas), whom she met while studying for her Highers exams. It became a four-person band with the departure of two members and the addition of Stephen Lironi, who played both guitar and drums. The band had several hits in the early 1980s, including "Happy Birthday", "Don't Talk to Me About Love", "I Could Be Happy" and "See Those Eyes". The group split up after the release of their third album, Bite (1983). In 1984, Grogan appeared in the music video to "Young at Heart" by The Bluebells. Grogan later attempted a solo career, but after her single "Love Bomb" failed to gain chart success in 1987, her album Trash Mad was never released. Grogan formed Universal Love School in 1989 with Lironi, performing a series of gigs around the UK. However, it was short-lived and produced no hit singles. In 2000, she contributed vocals to the song "Night Falls Like a Grand Piano" on The 6ths' album Hyacinths and Thistles. She recorded a version of "Angels with Dirty Faces" for the Frankie Miller tribute album. The track "Her Hooped Dream" appears on The Ultimate Celtic Album. In 2002, Grogan performed as Altered Images on the Here and Now Tour which featured other well known artists from the 1980s. She performed on similar tours in 2005, 2008 and 2009. She appeared with Chesney Hawkes, Toyah Willcox and Limahl as The 80s Supergroup in the 2011 series of Let's Dance for Comic Relief. Grogan sometimes covers for radio presenters on BBC 6 Music. Grogan appeared in Series 2, Episode 2 of John Shuttleworth's Lounge Music on BBC Radio 4 on 27 November 2016. Grogan began presenting shows on Absolute Radio 80s from 11 September 2017, presenting Monday to Thursday 8-9pm and Sundays 7-9pm. In 2021, Grogan duetted with Sharleen Spiteri on the track "Look What You've Done", from Hi, the tenth album released by Johnny McElhone's band Texas.

Grogan's first book was published in October 2008, a children's novel (aimed at age 7 and up) titled Tallulah and the Teenstars, about a girl, Tallulah Gosh, who forms a pop band. In 2015, it was followed by Tallulah On Tour. Tallulah Gosh was an alias Grogan thought of using at the start of her career because Equity had already registered a Claire Grogan and a more showbiz name might help her career, but Bill Forsyth persuaded her that she would come to regret it.

Clare Grogan is the inspiration for the 1983 song "True" by Spandau Ballet. Grogan married bandmate Stephen Lironi in Glasgow in 1994. They live in Haringey in north London, and adopted a daughter in 2005.

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The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count.