Compared to the likes of
Blondie and
the Pretenders by the U.K. press, Scottish pop/rock four-piece
Speedway never quite managed to translate critical acclaim into chart success. Glaswegians
Jill Jackson and drummer
Jim Duguid formed the band -- named after an
Elvis Presley film -- after discovering a mutual love of
U2. After recruiting bassist Tom Swann and guitarist Dan Sells, who would later be replaced by Chris Leonard, the band played its first gig at the opening of Scottish Parliament in 1999. Earning a reputation as one of Scotland's best unsigned bands,
Speedway attracted the attention of label boss
Hugh Goldsmith after a live show at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow. In 2002, they signed with Innocent Records, a label normally associated with manufactured pop acts, and embarked on a tour of universities across the U.K. A year later, they released their debut single, a mashup of
Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle" and
the Strokes' "Hard to Explain," which reached number ten. After supporting labelmates
Blue on their U.K. tour, the band released second single "Can't Turn Back" (number 12) and debut album Save Yourself (number 42). Following a support slot with Bryan Adams, the band split up when third single "In and Out" could only reach number 31.
Jackson formed a duo with Irish singer/songwriter Gianna Cassidy, released her own solo acoustic album, and began writing new material in Nashville.
Duguid co-wrote several tracks on former
Speedway roadie
Paolo Nutini's debut album,
These Streets, while Sells went on to front the hugely successful
the Feeling. ~ Jon O'Brien