A band formed by Stuart Adamson after his departure from The Skids, Big Country were a uniquely Scottish-sounding Rock group. After sacking most of the original folky line-up, Adamson recruited session msicians, bassist Tony Butler and drummer Mark Brzezicki to complete the group. Theey had a majestic post-Punk sound like The Alarm and vintage U2. Their definitive hit In A Big Country cam from The Crossing (1983) and featured Watson's distinctive bagpipe-like guitar.

Their bleaker Steeltown (1984) and formulaic The Seer (1986) continued their run of success, followed by Peace In Our Time (1988), but by Brzezicki's departure in 1989, Big Country were a spent force- despite releasing Through A Big Country- Greatest Hits (1990) and No Place Like Home (1991). Brzezicki's return for 1993's The Buffalo Skinners did little to reverse their fortunes and Why The Long Face (1995) continued the group's commercial decline. However thy are still popular as a live act, and backed The Kinks' Ray Davies at 1997's Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England.

Sources: All Of Us
www.intercenter.net/~jnu/bc