Cara Tivey is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

pianist/keyboardist and vocalist who has mainly worked as a side musician. She is best known for her collaborations with

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music is ...

. Tivey is also the cousin of

Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

and

Nick Duffy Nicholas John Duffy (born on 24 June 1956) is an English musician, artist, illustrator, and filmmaker. Nick is the elder brother of singer/songwriter Stephen Duffy. They are both co-founders of the folk-pop group The Lilac Time. Nick is a mu ...

The Lilac Time The Lilac Time is a British alternative folk-rock band, originally formed in Herefordshire, England by Stephen Duffy, his brother Nick Duffy and their friend Michael Weston in 1986. The band's name was taken from a line in the Nick Drake s ...

Biography

Cara Tivey joined Birmingham band

Au Pairs The Au Pairs were a British post-punk band that formed in Birmingham in 1978 and continued until 1983. They produced two studio albums and three singles. Their songs were said to have "contempt for the cliches of contemporary sexual politic ...

as keyboard player in 1983, followed shortly after by the

Fine Young Cannibals Fine Young Cannibals (FYC) was a British pop rock band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1984, by bassist David Steele (musician), David Steele, guitarist Andy Cox (both formerly of The Beat (British band), The Beat), and singer Roland Gift (fo ...

. In 1985 Tivey got her first recording break with

Everything But the Girl Everything but the Girl (occasionally referred to as EBTG) are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, producer and singer Ben Wa ...

on '' Baby the Stars Shine Bright''. In 1988, she started working with

on the '' Workers Playtime'' album, singing vocals on 'Must I Paint You A Picture'. She shared the bill with Bragg on the song "

She's Leaving Home "She's Leaving Home" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and released on their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Paul McCartney wrote and sang the verse and John Lennon ...

", which they recorded for the Beatles tribute ''

Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father ''Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father'' is a 1988 multi-artist compilation LP/cassette of 1980s artists recording new versions of the songs on The Beatles album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. The album was produced by the ''New Musical Expr ...

'' compilation. The song eventually reached number one in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

as part of the double A side single along with

Wet Wet Wet Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish soft rock band formed in 1982. They scored a number of hits in the UK charts and around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. They are best known for their 1994 cover of The Troggs' 1960s hit " Love Is All Around", which ...

's "

With a Little Help from My Friends "With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and sung by drummer Ringo Starr (as Sgt. Pep ...

". During her time with Billy Bragg, Cara also had the opportunity to accompany Michael Stipe (R.E.M) and Natalie Merchant (10,000 Maniacs) during their 1990 European tour. Tivey performed on Bragg's 1990 album ''

The Internationale "The Internationale" (french: "L'Internationale", italic=no, ) is an international anthem used by various communist and socialist groups; currently, it serves as the official anthem of the Communist Party of China. It has been a standard of ...

'' and on 1991's '' Don't Try This at Home'', before he took a five-year break in recording. Also in 1990 and 1991, Tivey contributed to The Lilac Time's '' & Love for All'' and ''Astronauts'' albums. During Bragg's hiatus, Tivey contributed to the ''Music In Colors'' album by

Stephen Duffy Stephen Anthony James Duffy (born 30 May 1960 in Alum Rock, Birmingham, England) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was a founding member, vocalist, bassist and then drummer of Duran Duran. He went on to record as a solo perform ...

in 1993. She also became Blur's live keyboardist during their ''

Modern Life Is Rubbish ''Modern Life Is Rubbish'' is the second album by English alternative rock band Blur, released in May 1993. Although their debut album ''Leisure'' (1991) had been commercially successful, Blur faced a severe media backlash soon after its releas ...

'' and ''

Parklife ''Parklife'' is the third studio album by the English rock band Blur, released on 25 April 1994 on Food Records. After disappointing sales for their previous album '' Modern Life Is Rubbish'' (1993), ''Parklife'' returned Blur to prominence ...

'' era. Tivey reunited with Bragg for the final time on his 1996 album, ''

William Bloke ''William Bloke'' is the seventh album by alternative folk artist Billy Bragg, released in September 1996, five years after his last studio album. It peaked at number 16 on the UK Albums Chart. The album's only single, "Upfield", reached number ...

''.

Personal life

Tivey is married to fellow musician, bassist Micky Harris, and they have two sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tivey, Cara Blur (band) members Living people English women singers English keyboardists People associated with the Royal National College for the Blind Year of birth missing (living people)