Gerry Cinnamon

Gerard Crosbie (born 1 October 1984), professionally known as Gerry Cinnamon, is a Scottish singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist. He sings in his local accent[4] with "brutally honest" lyrics.[5][6]

Gerry Cinnamon
Background information
Birth nameGerard Crosbie[1][2]
Born (1984-10-01) 1 October 1984[3]
Glasgow, Scotland
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • harmonica
Years active2005–present
Labels
  • Little Runaway Music
  • GC Music
Associated actsThe LaFontaines
Websitegerrycinnamonmusic.com

Career

Early life and bands

Crosbie was raised in 'The Valley',[5] a residential area of the Castlemilk district of Glasgow.[4] He has stated that as a child he listened to his mother's music cassettes including albums by The Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkel and The Beatles.[7][8] He has also stated that he was a fan of Oasis,[7][6] and has a particular admiration for the work of Bob Dylan.[7][6]

Having experienced problems in the local area and in school as a young teenager, he spent some time living in London with the father of a friend; finding himself with little to do "apart from watch cricket or play guitar",[3][6] he became proficient in the instrument (as well as the harmonica).[9] On returning to Scotland he began writing songs, with his growing interest in creating and performing music proving a distraction in his attempts to hold down jobs in various industries over several years.[3][9]

While performing a solo gig at a college he met aspiring producer Chris Marshall,[10] a neighbour from Castlemilk.[1] They began collaborating on a casual basis with Marshall arranging the songs and Crosbie the lyricist, and eventually formed a lo-fi band, The Cinnamons, along with Lori Duncan, Dave Bass and Gav Hunter;[1] with Gerry as frontman, they released a five-song EP in 2010.[11] Crosbie subsequently adopted the Cinnamon name as a solo performer and his later catalogue contains some compositions from the era, such as Sometimes.[12]

An open mic night in a bar on Sauchiehall Street in central Glasgow gave him an opportunity to perform his songs, and the event became increasingly popular.[9]

Rise in popularity and live shows

In 2014, having sold-out gigs at small venues purely through word of mouth and social media,[13] he was invited to write and perform a song at a rally event in George Square ahead of the referendum on Scottish independence.[13][3] The song, Hope Over Fear, which was released as a single, introduced him to a wider audience – however he has stated that he had no desire to become a figurehead for the Yes campaign.[3][6]

In summer 2015, Cinnamon supported John Power on tour,[13] released another single, Kampfire Vampire,[14] and performed to a large crowd on the T-Break Stage at T in the Park,[5][3][15] fulfilling a long-held ambition to play at the festival.[9]

In July 2016 he again performed at T in the Park, this time at the 'King Tut's Wah Wah Tent' stage[16] as he had hoped to do a year earlier.[3] Despite having one of the traditionally least popular time slots across the weekend (2pm on Friday), his performance was again well-attended.[16][7][8] In October he was announced as 'Best Live Act' at the 2016 Scottish Alternative Music Awards.[17]

In November, without being signed to a record label, he headlined a sold-out show at Glasgow's O2 ABC Glasgow, the promotion of which had consisted of a single message on his Facebook profile;[16][15][7] he later admitted he was so disorganised that he had not even prepared a set list for the performance.[7] In December, he supported Ocean Colour Scene in their show at the SSE Hydro.[7]

2017: Debut album

In July 2017, Cinnamon appeared on the King Tut's stage at the TRNSMT festival (a non-camping replacement for T in the Park) on Glasgow Green,[6] again playing to a sizeable and enthusiastic crowd.[18] In September, he released his first album Erratic Cinematic, funded via the PledgeMusic platform[15] and produced by Chris Marshall,[19] which quickly rose to the number 1 spot in the UK iTunes chart for singer-songwriters (briefly outselling the likes of Ed Sheeran),[20][21][22] and 6th overall.[23]

On the back of the album release, he announced a show at the Barrowland Ballroom to take place in December, with all tickets sold within hours of being released,[22] followed a few days later by a second date which sold out even more swiftly.[12][9] This achievement – a first for an unsigned artist – later earned him a place in the 'Barrowland Hall of Fame' alongside the likes of Glasgow son Frankie Miller, Noel Gallagher, David Bowie and Ocean Colour Scene.[24]

In October he was presented with a 'Great Scot Award' for entertainment, following previous winners of the category such as Paolo Nutini and Kevin Bridges.[25][26] In December it was confirmed he would be returning to TRNSMT in 2018, this time on the main stage.[27][8][9]

A few days before playing his Barrowland gigs, Cinnamon spoke out against operators of ticket scalping websites, after discovering they had purchased gig tickets at face value and then offered them for sale on their sites to desperate fans at hugely inflated prices.[28]

Following his main stage performance at TRNSMT 2018, his debut album entered the Scottish Albums Chart, peaking at no. 7 in July 2018.[29]

2018: Touring

The early months of 2018 were dominated by a sold-out Scottish tour,[30] followed by several dates across Britain and Ireland, with the vast majority of the tickets once more sold out well in advance and some gigs moved to higher capacity venues due to the demand.[31] During one performance in Inverness, he briefly stopped playing to confront a member of the audience who had thrown a drink onto the stage.[32]

On 28 June 2018, two days before the event, the organisers of TRNSMT announced that Cinnamon's performance at the festival had been moved to a later, higher profile time slot (benefitting from J Hus's cancellation).[33][34] He was also booked to play at the RiZE Festival (the replacement of the long-running V Festival) and the Tartan Heart Festival (Belladrum) during August 2018.[35]

A further four gigs were announced for the coming December in Glasgow, including on Christmas Eve;[36] those also sold out almost instantly, leaving unlucky fans frustrated. Some complained to Cinnamon via social media about the prices of tickets available on resale sites, leading him to respond publicly "If you think I want some corporate goon reselling my ticks for 10x the asking price you've lost it. If you think I'm somehow involved or can stop it when the biggest bands in the world can't do anything about it then you're misinformed at best".[37] Further December 2018 shows in Dundee, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock were later announced which again sold out in seconds.

Following a run of arena shows supporting The Courteeners, Gerry announced his own England and Ireland tour. Tickets for the tour again sold out within seconds leading to the addition of extra dates and upgraded venues.

2019

Cinnamon headlined a stage at Edinburgh's Hogmanay 2018/19 street party.[38] In January 2019 he played two gigs in Amsterdam. In February, he was announced as one of the Friday main stage performers at the forthcoming TRNSMT event in July,[39][4] and was also added to the bill for several other festivals in the summer season including Benicàssim, Isle of Wight, Kendal Calling, Y Not and Glastonbury Festival.

On 7 May 2019, it was announced that Cinnamon would support Liam Gallagher at his gig at Irish Independent Park in Cork on 23 June 2019.[40][41]

On 12 July, it was announced that he would be performing at the new P&J Live venue in Aberdeen on Saturday 23 November, which subsequently broke the record for highest attendance at a Scottish indoor event at 15,000 attendees, and two shows at the SSE Hydro in his hometown of Glasgow on Friday 20 December.[42] The arena tour was further extended throughout venues in England and Ireland with all 125,000 tickets selling out in advance.

2020

In November 2019 Cinnamon announced via a Twitter post that his second album named The Bonny will be released on 17 April 2020 on his own label Little Runaway. Alongside the album announcement, Cinnamon revealed that he will play the biggest show of his career at the 50,000+ capacity Hampden Park, becoming the first Scottish act to headline the national stadium. Tickets went on sale on 15 November 2019 and were sold out within hours.

On 11 February 2020, it was announced that Gerry Cinnamon will be performing the penultimate slot at Reading and Leeds festival in August 2020.

Gerry Cinnamon's second studio album, The Bonny, released on 17 April 2020 debuted at Number 1 in the UK and Irish Albums Chart. The number 1 album is also the fastest-selling vinyl of the year.[43][44]

Gerry Cinnamon is scheduled to tour the United States for the first time as special guest of the Dropkick Murphys and Rancid in May 2020, pending the status of the COVID-19 outbreak there.

On 21 May 2020, Cinnamon announced that due to the coronavirus pandemic, he had moved the dates for his UK and Ireland tour to May and June 2021.[45]

Views on the music industry

He has encouraged aspiring artists to believe in themselves despite a lack of expensive backing,[4][9] and expressed a scathing distaste for the nature of music industry marketing and excessive hyping of inferior quality artists,[3][16][6] stating in 2016:

"The only reason I'm in this game is because it's full of imposters ruining music and my very existence annoys them and it pleases me. If you're a working class musician hearing this or reading it and you respect the art of song writing more than the art of pretending then you have a responsibility to get involved. There's a war on for real music and if you're sound and can write decent tunes then you're on the front line whether you like it or not."[7][8]

Discography

Studio albums
Title Details Peak chart positions Sales Certifications
SCO
[46]		 AUS
[47]		 IRE
[48]		 SWI
[49]		 UK
[50]		 UK
Indie
[51]
Erratic Cinematic
  • Released: 28 September 2017
  • Label: LR Records (MD2020), (001) LP
  • Formats: CD, DL, LP
 3—8—173
The Bonny
  • Scheduled: 17 April 2020
  • Label: LR Records
  • Formats: CD, DL, LP, Cassette
 17016211
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
SCO
[54]		 IRE
[48]		 UK
[50]		 UK
Indie
[55]
"Hope Over Fear" 2014 ———— Non-album singles
"Kampfire Vampire" 2015 42———
"Belter" 2017 12208814 Erratic Cinematic
"Sometimes" 2018 33579812
"Canter" 2019 119505 The Bonny
"Sun Queen" 252647
"Dark Days"[56] 11——14
"The Bonny" 676—13
"Where We're Going" 2020 443392
"Head in the Clouds" 3060657
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
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References
  1. Barber, Ross (17 November 2009). "Exposure: The Cinnamons". The List. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  2. Personal Appointments: Gerard Crosbie, Companies House, accessed 12 August 2019
  3. McCool, Mary (23 July 2015). "Video: Gerry Cinnamon makes T in the Park debut – and the response is epic". STV Glasgow. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  4. A superstar? An enigma? Gerry Cinnamon is our next folk hero ready to leap, Big Issue, 20 February 2019
  5. Geddes, Jonathan (20 July 2015). "Castlemilk singer Gerry Cinnamon is a hit at T in the Park". Daily Record / Rutherglen Reformer. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  6. Lennon, Holly (30 June 2017). "Gerry Cinnamon comes out of hiding for TRNSMT performance". Evening Times. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  7. McQuade, Christopher (25 November 2016). "Gerry Cinnamon – meet the Castlemilk singer with the biggest cult following in Scotland". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  8. Dalziel, Magdalene (14 December 2017). "Who is Gerry Cinnamon? TRNSMT announce Glasgow's rising star will be joining 2018 lineup". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  9. Boyle, Robbie (20 December 2017). "No label? No problem as Gerry Cinnamon sells-out Barrowlands". BBC Scotland. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  10. "Chris Marshall profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  11. "The Cinnamons – 5 Songs". Bandcamp. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  12. Mullen, Stacey (1 October 2017). "Castlemilk star Gerry Cinnamon announces second Barrowlands date after first sells out". Evening Times. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  13. "Castlemilk star Gerry Cinnamon who shot to fame with pro-independence song Hope Over Fear is looking forward to new single release". Daily Record. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  14. "Gerry Cinnamon unveils the official video for 'Kampfire Vampire'". Notting Hill Music. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  15. Smith, Kirstyn (15 June 2017). "Gerry Cinnamon – 'You could feel the energy in the tent. It was electric. Best buzz I've ever felt'". The List. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  16. Geddes, Jonathan (9 August 2016). "Castlemilk singer Gerry Cinnamon on headlining the O2 ABC, playing T in the Park and getting ahead without a record label". Daily Record / Rutherglen Reformer. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  17. "Scottish Alternative Music Awards 2016 winners". Record of the Day. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  18. Dalziel, Magdalene (8 July 2017). "Glasgow's own Gerry Cinnamon goes down a treat at TRNSMT". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  19. "Gerry Cinnamon: Erratic Cinematic". Bandcamp. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  20. Lennon, Holly (28 September 2017). "Castlemilk star Gerry Cinnamon tops the charts with debut album". Evening Times. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  21. Dalziel, Magdalene (28 September 2017). "Glasgow singing sensation Gerry Cinnamon tops UK album charts". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  22. Cassidy, Peter (28 September 2017). "Glasgow singer Gerry Cinnamon sells out Barrowlands gig". STV Glasgow. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  23. "Gerry Cinnamon – 'Erratic Cinematic' British iTunes Chart Performance". iTunesCharts. 1 January 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  24. Boyle, Jules (24 December 2017). "Gerry Cinnamon has been inducted into the Barrowlands Hall of Fame". glasgowlive. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  25. Speirs, Kathleen (29 October 2017). "'I just wanted to play tunes' – watch Gerry Cinnamon pick up prestigious award". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  26. "Great Scot Awards 2017". Great Scot Awards. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  27. Angus, Craig (14 December 2017). "Local hero Gerry Cinnamon added to the bill for TRNSMT 2018". The List. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  28. Ferguson, John (21 December 2017). "Glasgow singer Gerry Cinnamon outraged at ticket touts after seeing prices for his gig rocket". Daily Record. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  29. ., Official Charts (3 September 2018). "Scottish Albums Chart Position". Retrieved 3 September 2018.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. Dalziel, Magdalene (18 February 2018). "Gerry Cinnamon hints at UK tour after Scottish dates sell out in three minutes". glasgowlive. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  31. O'Neill, Christina (29 March 2018). "Gerry Cinnamon's UK and Ireland shows sold out in minutes". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  32. McArthur, Maxine (12 April 2018). "Glasgow singer Gerry Cinnamon's fury as fan throws pint". Evening Times. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  33. Glencross, Nina (28 June 2018). "Rapper J-Hus pulls out of TRNSMT over alleged knife crime". Daily Record. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  34. "TRNSMT: Glasgow hero Gerry Cinnamon fills in for J Hus tickets hoovered up". BBC News. 1 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  35. "Gerry Cinnamon to play Belladrum Festival". Skiddle. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  36. Ali, Aftab (29 June 2018). "Castlemilk singing sensation Gerry Cinnamon announces four Glasgow gig dates". Evening Times. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  37. "Gerry Cinnamon tells fans he can't stop touts after Glasgow gig tickets hoovered up". Daily Record. 7 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  38. "Gerry Cinnamon will perform at Edinburgh's Hogmanay, and everyone will get a free whisky". Edinburgh Live. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  39. "TRNSMT 2019: Backlash against Glasgow Green music festival lineup announcement continues". Evening Times. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  40. "Gerry Cinnamon is supporting Liam Gallagher this summer". Radio X.
  41. "Liam Gallagher praises "top man" Gerry Cinnamon for doing "supernatural" things". Radio X.
  42. Gerry Cinnamon announces new shows in Glasgow and Aberdeen, Daily Record, 12 July 2019
  43. "Gerry Cinnamon's The Bonny debuts at Number 1". Official Charts Company.
  44. "Gerry Cinnamon debuts at Irish Albums Number 1". Official Charts Company.
  45. "Gerry Cinnamon reschedules remainder of 2020 dates until 2021". Radiox.co.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  46. Peak chart position on the Scotland Albums Chart:
  47. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 27 April 2020". No. 1573. Australian Recording Industry Association. 27 April 2020. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  48. "Discography Gerry Cinnamon". irishcharts.com. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  49. "Discographie Gerry Cinnamon". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  50. "Gerry Cinnamon | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  51. Peak chart position on the UK Indie Albums Chart:
  52. Copsey, Rob (17 April 2020). "The rise and rise of Gerry Cinnamon in numbers". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  53. "BRIT Certified - bpi" (To access, enter the search parameter "Gerry Cinnamon" and select "Search by Keyword"). British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  54. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  55. Peak chart position on the UK Indie Singles Chart:
  56. "Dark Days by Gerry Cinnamon". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
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