The Proclaimers

There's something about identical twins that is both unsettling and endearing, particularly when they are gangly, bespectacled Scots singing honeyed harmonies on ultra-catchy folk-pop. The Proclaimers--Charlie and Craig Reid--started recording and performing in 1983, releasing a pair of well-received albums, the second of which contained the sleeper hit "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". The song got a second life on the BENNY & JOON soundtrack in 1993, and became huge in the US. It was revived yet again in 2001 on the SHREK soundtrack, and has since become part of the pop canon, in an inspiring example of great songwriting trumping image or celebrity. The duo releases an album about once every two years, and have a worldwide following that doesn't seem to abate with the years.

• rock
• pop
• pop rock
• 1990s
• 1980s
• 2000s