Alison Wheeler

Alison Wheeler (born 4 March 1972) is a British singer, best known as the female vocalist for The Beautiful South from 2003 until they disbanded in 2007. Wheeler's career in music began at university in a cover band called Melt City, alongside Hal Ritson, now of The Young Punx, Kev Dowd, now of Lowbrow, James Woods, now of Jam Sandwich and Dom Wilhelm, (of 1990s UK pop punk act Satellite Beach). Upon arriving in London, she joined indie band Junk, subsequently renamed Treehouse. In 2002, her work with London gospel band Citizen K led to an introduction to Dave Hemingway of the Beautiful South. After working on Hemingway's yet unreleased solo album, Hemingway promised a recommendation to the Beautiful South's Paul Heaton, since a new album was in the making, despite the unexpected departure of the former band member Jacqui Abbott. By 2003, with the release of Gaze, Wheeler was a member of the band. Gaze was followed by albums Goldiggas Headnodders and Pholk Songs and Superbi. She was nicknamed Alison 'Lady' Wheeler jokingly by her bandmates in The Beautiful South who felt that her demeanour and her education at Trinity College, Cambridge, were in contrast to the band's trademark working-class northern image. The band split in January 2007 due to "musical similarities". She spent some time enjoying motherhood and recorded a solo project.