British singer, songwriter, guitarist and co-founder of the 1970s British punk band, Buzzcocks. Although he recorded a solo album in 1974 it wasn’t released until 1979, three years after he joined the Buzzcocks. The group disbanded in 1981 and Shelley flew solo again. He rejoined the Buzzcocks in 1989 after a short stint with another group.
In 1981 Shelley released his first solo single, the song “Homosapien.” On this recording he returned to his original interests in electronic music and shifted emphasis from guitar to synthesiser. “Homosapien” was banned by the BBC for “explicit reference to gay sex”. In the US dance chart, “Homosapien” peaked at number fourteen. It was at this time that Shelley talked about his bisexuality, which had been implicit in many of the songs he had written, but now came to wider attention due to “Homosapien” and the BBC ban. The single was followed by an LP of the same title.
In 2005 Shelley re-recorded “Ever Fallen in Love” with an all-star group, including Roger Daltrey, David Gilmour, Peter Hook, Elton John, Robert Plant and several contemporary bands, as a tribute to John Peel; proceeds went to Amnesty International.
Shelley continued to identify as bisexual in later life. He was married twice and had children. He moved to Tallinn, Estonia, in 2012 with his wife Greta, an Estonian-born Canadian, preferring the less hectic pace there to London. He died there of a suspected heart attack on the morning of 6 December 2018.
Link to Wikipedia biography