Manchester, England, singer/songwriter Badly Drawn Boy (nee Damon Gough) was awarded the coveted Mercury Music Prize late Tuesday night at the Grosvenor House in London for his acclaimed debut LP, The Hour Of Bewilderbeast. The Mercury Music Prize is Britainís most prestigious album award given out each year to one outstanding album released in Britain. Talvin Singhís OKand Gomezís Bring It Onhave won the award the past two years.

The Hour Of Bewilderbeast was released in the UK in June, and despite lacking a radio single, it entered the album chart at #13. “I don’t mind if it takes 20 years for people to realize how good an album this is,” Gough said in his U.K. bio. “I totally didn’t write it to fit in with what’s going on, or is accepted, right now. I just wanted it to be considered as a
classic piece of work.” His album is scheduled for release in the US on October 3 through Beggarís Banquet.

Some notables he bested for the coveted award are Coldplay, Death In Vegas, The Doves,
Richard Ashcroft and Leftfield.

Source: Sonicnet

1. Badly Drawn Boy erased and told to “do-over”
2. Badly Drawn Boy Completes Yet Another Record
3. Badly Drawn Boy Releases Xmas Single, Scores About A Boy
4. Badly Drawn Boy Gets The Boot For New Years
5. Badly Drawn Boy Reveals Details Of New Film Soundtrack