Plumber gets record deal after client hears him singing in his bathroom

published 22 September 2021

Plumber Kev Crane's rendition of the Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House" actually brought down the house — and landed him a record deal.

In July, Crane, 49, was singing along to the radio while working on a job in Leicestershire, England. The homeowner, Paul Conneally, launched the independent label New Reality Records last year, and was "impressed" by Crane's voice, he told The Washington Post. Crane set up a makeshift studio in his basement and has been recording original songs throughout the pandemic, and sent some of his demos over to Conneally.

Conneally was "struck by the songwriting and lyrics," he said, and asked Crane if he would be interested in releasing an album on New Reality Records. "I was gobsmacked," Crane told the Post. "It's something you read about that happens to somebody else. You don't expect it to happen to you." His album, Why Can't I Be You?, was released in August, and features songs he started writing 25 years ago but never completed.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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