Nigel Grainge Dies At 70

London-born Nigel Grainge, like his brother Lucian an industry veteran, died June 11 of complications following surgery. He was 70.


Nigel Grainge
LinkedIn – Nigel Grainge

Nigel Grainge died in Santa Monica, Calif., where he’d moved from London in 2002. He founded Ensign Records in 1976 after moving through the ranks at Phonogram (which later became Mercury Records), eventually becoming head of A&R and signing acts including Thin Lizzy, the Steve Miller Band, Eddy Grant and others.

At Ensign, Grainge signed artists including Sinéad O’Connor, Bob Geldof’s Boomtown Rats, and The Waterboys, before selling the label to Chrysalis Records in 1984. He’s also the founder of publishing company Dizzy Heights, which he sold to EMI in 2000. 

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