b. George Hege Hamilton V, 11 November 1960, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Hamilton is the son of country star, George Hamilton IV, but his energetic fusion of country, folk and roots rock bears little resemblance to his father’s anodyne output. He began performing professionally with his father in the 80s and developed a following in the UK: a hotel in Brighton, Sussex is named after him. He made House Of Tears, produced by R.E.M. associate, Mitch Easter, under the name of Hege V to assert his own individuality and it yielded a minor country hit in ‘She Says’. He then made two albums with his father and had success with the Australian release, Roll With The Punches, retitled Ghost Town for Europe. Hamilton is critical of ‘hat acts’ saying, ‘with a hat, most of the male singers look the same.’ This prompted his spoof anthem, ‘Viva NashVegas’, which includes the line ‘I’m just another clone but I don’t care, I’ll be a one hit wonder by the end of the year, And I’ll have my own booth at Fan Fair, So Viva NashVegas’. Hamilton is fêted by the alt country and Americana scenes, and remains particularly popular in Europe and the UK, where he regularly tours with his band the NashVegas Nomads. He and his wife, Lillian, had a son on 25 February 2000 and yes, his name is George Christopher Hamilton VI.