Finley Quaye emerged on the U.K. music scene in the mid-'90s, delivering a unique amalgam of pop, trip-hop, soul, and jazz with his critically acclaimed 1997 debut, Maverick a Strike. His first appearance on record came in 1995, providing vocals for "Finleys Rainbow," a track from A Guy Called Gerald's seminal breakbeat album Black Secret Technology. He recorded and co-produced Maverick a Strike, working in Sheffield with Kevin Bacon from the Comsat Angels. The album earned critical and commercial success worldwide, and also gained him a BRIT Award for Best Male Solo Artist.