Heath Common and The Thin Man

Heath Common and The Thin Man are a songwriting and performance team from northern England.



Heath Common is a songwriter and performer living in Scarborough, UK. He began his musical career playing in New York City with Robert Lockwood and Johnny Shines – the stepson and close friend, respectively, of the legendary blues musician, Robert Johnson. Following this, Heath Common worked with – and was greatly influenced by – many major figures in the New York ‘Art Rock’ scene of the 1980s and early 1990s.

Subsequently, Heath Common formed a duo with the Thin Man before both men went on to work with a diverse number of musicians ranging from the guitarist John Fahey to the British indie act, The Rhythm Sisters. Heath Common continues to work closely with many of the surviving figures from the Beat Movement and he is a published poet.

The Thin Man is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, performer, artist and writer currently living in Sheffield, UK. He formed a long-standing songwriting and performing partnership with Heath Common some years ago when both men were writing under auspices of the legendary music publisher, Charlie Gillett (mentor to Dire Straits, Elvis Costello & Ian Drury amongst many others). Subsequently, The Thin Man performed and recorded with many different people ranging from Fat Boy Slim to the Yorkshire guitar-genius, Bill Nelson.

Heath Common and The Thin Man are currently overseen by the Platform 54 organisation which is based in Manchester, UK. Any interested parties should contact Ella Byford at Platform 54.