Born in Glasgow, Scotland on February 28, 1960, Angela McCluskey was a singer-songwriter and musician best known for fronting Wild Colonials as well as her solo recordings. She is also known for her work with French electronic trio Télépopmusik. Her musical career began in the group The Garden of Eden, who released three singles in 1988. After the band split, she began working as a publicist in London, England, where she met and married songwriter / pianist Paul Cantelon, whom she had met while he was playing piano in a restaurant. The duo moved to Los Angeles, California in 1992 where they hooked up with Canadian-born singer-songwriter Shark (formerly of pop duo Big Bam Boo) and formed alternative rock / folk band Wild Colonials. The group released two albums – Fruit of Life (1994) and This Can’t Be Life (1996) – which were critically successful but didn’t achieve the huge commercial success that they were hoping for. Angela McCluskey’s voice did capture the attention of many of her contemporaries and she worked with several artists including Cyndi Lauper, The The, Joe Henry, Dr. John. She became very active during the millennium, providing vocals for two of Télépopmusik’s albums – Genetic World (2001) and Angel Milk (2005) – as well as singing on recordings by Deep Forest, Kendrick Lamar, Robbie Robertson, Paul Oakenfold, Morgan Page, Delerium, and many others. Angela McCluskey released her first solo album, The Things We Do, in 2004. The album was another critical success and was followed that year by a self-titled EP. Her second album, You Could Start a Fight in an Empty House (2009), was followed by the Handle with Grace EP (2010), Here Comes the Sun (2011), the Lambeth Palace EP (2012), and The Roxy Sessions (2016). A beloved vocalist in the music community, her work continued to be adored by critics and fellow musicians, but like her work with Wild Colonials, her solo releases never achieved significant commercial success. Angela McCluskey died of an arterial tear on March 14, 2024, at the age of 64.
