Sound Salvation

Helmed by cynical British singer/songwriter Jerry Lee Abbott (b. John Steed), pub rockers Sound Salvation combined sophisticated lyrical content with catchy melodies and a punk aesthetic.  A string of critically acclaimed albums in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s led some to call Abbott the “New Dylan,” although understandably he scoffed at that comparison (as he did about virtually everything; his band nickname was “Scoffer”).  Intraband tensions in the mid-‘80s led to a string of breakups and reformations, and the restless Abbott recorded solo projects with an eclectic mix of artists, including California pianist Laurie Partridge and Hungarian-born mezzo soprano Lisa Douglas.

Abbott has released 33 solo or collaborative albums (only a handful shy of Dylan, although by contrast most are listenable) and still performs.  In 2003, he married jazz clavinetist and vocalist Catherine Gale; to date, they smartly never have attempted an album together.