The Bible

by Jason AnkenyThe Bible was formed in 1986 in a Cambridge, England record shop; there struggling singer/songwriter Boo Hewerdine, a Cambridge native just returned from an unsuccessful foray in London, performed a couple of his compositions for store clerk Tony Shepherd, who agreed to play keyboards and drums on a planned demo. The resulting tapes soon appeared as the Bible's debut LP, Walking the Ghost Back Home; the record won considerable press acclaim for such tracks as "Graceland" and "Mahalia," and quickly the group was signed to Chrysalis.
After swelling to a four-piece with the inclusion of drummer Dave Larcombe and guitarist Neill MacColl (brother of singer Kirsty), the Bible began working on their major-label debut; unsatisfied with their first attempts, they recruited Steve Earle to produce the record, a more subtle and sophisticated effort titled Eureka. Released in early 1988, the LP failed to find an audience, and a pair of strong singles, "Crystal Palace" and "Honey Be Good," quickly dropped from sight. With new bassist Leroy Lender, the Bible toured and began work on a third album; however, the finished songs were rejected by label chiefs, who instead insisted upon re-issuing older material (resulting in belated Top 40 status for "Honey Be Good"), and the band dissolved.
In the years that followed, Hewerdine cut a 1989 effort, Evidence, with Texas performer Darden Smith, and also made a proper 1992 solo debut with Ignorance. In December 1993 the Bible reformed for a series of live performances which proved so successful that the group soon reunited to begin working on new material. An EP followed in 1994, but the band again fell apart before a full-length release could be completed; the few finished tracks were later issued as part of the 1996 Hewerdine solo record Baptism Hospital.