Famous for their singer Clare Grogan"s voice on such hits as "Happy Birthday" (no 2, United Kingdom hit), "I Could Be Happy", "See Those Eyes" and latterly a smash United States top ten with "Don"t Talk to Maine about Love" finished a successful tour by splitting up.
He also lectures at the University of the West of Scotland. Known as a Hammond/piano player, his talents have been sought after by John Martyn, Johnny Hallyday, Philosophy Cunningham, Eddi Reader and Little Richard. Born in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Jim"s career began properly as a session musician on an tour of the United States of America in 1980.
A disillusioned Grogan wanted to continue her acting success on Gregory"s Girl by pursuing a role on the next Bill Forsyth film named Comfort and Joy.
Prime considered joining but made way for his erstwhile competitor Craig Armstrong. Deacon Blue was formed in Glasgow in 1985 by Ricky Ross and comprised Prime, Graeme Kelling on guitar, vocalist Lorraine McIntosh, bass guitarist Ewen Vernal and Dougie Vipond on drums.
Their debut album Raintown (1987) was well received and followed by others such as When The World Knows Your Name (1989) and Whatever You Say, Say Nothing (1993), with a succession of chart-topping hits including Dignity and Real Gone Kid, which made the top-ten in the United Kingdom. The band grew to be one of Scotland"s best-known acts of the 1980s, but split in 1994. They reformed to produce further albums.
Namely Walking Back Home (1999) and Homesick (2001).
Prime went on to join a theatrical production of the experiences of a band of Govan boys in World War I entitled The Big Picnic (staged in the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Glasgow). During that time Prime was also enlisted as Hammond organ player for Johnny Hallyday and departed to France for a two-year stint with Hallyday"s band. The band, accompanied by various guests (including Bryan Adams, Mick Jones) played a continuous sold-out 19 nights at the capacity Bercy Arena in Paris.
He then worked with Hallyday on Lorada (1995) in the Guillaume Tell studios in Paris.
On his return, a call from Benny Gallagher led to Prime developing an idea to create a School of Music and Recording Technology (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology). The University of Paisley (now the University of the West of Scotland) picked up on the idea, and now in its eleventh year, the Commercial Music course hosts 250 students.
Lecturers include David Scott of The Pearlfishers, Paul McGeechan (Love and Money) Alan McCusker Thompson (The Painted Word), Allan Dumbreck (The Big Dish) Jo Collinson-Scott (Jo Mango).
