Paul Da Vinci

A British pop vocalist who boasts a three-and-a-half octave vocal range with a striking falsetto and has a special knack for retro-style tunes, Paul Da Vinci is best known for his lead vocal on the international hit single "Sugar Baby Love" by the Rubettes, as well as his own worldwide success "Your Baby Ain't Your Baby Anymore." Born Paul Prewer, Da Vinci enjoyed his first success in music as singer with the Essex-based group 1984, who cut a pair of singles for Big T Records in 1969. But Da Vinci had better luck as a session vocalist after 1984 broke up in 1971; he cut songwriters demos, lent his voice to major advertising campaigns, and sang backup on recording sessions for Ringo Starr, David Essex, and Gary Moore, among others.

In 1974, Da Vinci sang on sessions for a '60s-influenced group being assembled by songwriters Wayne Bickerton and Tony Waddington; the group became known as the Rubettes, and the song "Sugar Baby Love," which showed off Da Vinci's impressive vocal talent, became a major international hit that spent four weeks at the top of the U.K. charts. Da Vinci opted at the time not to become a permanent member of the Rubettes, but enjoyed another major hit in 1974 with a tune he wrote and produced himself, "Your Baby Ain't Your Baby Anymore." Da Vinci continued to work as a studio singer, and appeared several times on the iconic British music series Top of the Pops, accompanying Elton John and Justin Hayward. In 1981, Da Vinci scored another major U.K. hit, singing lead on "Back to the Sixties, Pt. 2," a dance-friendly medley of '60s pop hits credited to the group Tight Fit. In 1986, Da Vinci and his band opened a two-night stand by Fats Domino at London's Royal Albert Hall, and in 1997, when the stage musical adaptation of the the Who's Tommy opened in London's West End, Da Vinci was cast as the narrator, and earned enthusiastic reviews for his work.

In 2000, Da Vinci joined the Rubettes featuring Bill Hurd, appearing with this edition of the group throughout the U.K. and Europe until 2006, when Da Vinci left to focus on his own music. Da Vinci assembled a band, Paul Da Vinci & the Justice Department, who released their debut album in 2009. Since then, Da Vinci has maintained a busy schedule of live appearances, and continues to record, releasing a digital single, "This Is Your Life," in 2014. Da Vinci also composes classical pieces, primarily for cello and piano, and several of his works have been performed by the Innovation Chamber Ensemble, a string ensemble affiliated with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.