Biography
Stephen Armstrong was born in West Bromwich, in the Black Country. He first came to Manchester in 1996 and moved to the city permanently in 2003 as part of a career change.
Trombone was his first instrument, and he learned guitar after arriving in Manchester. He started gigging at university, initially because a friend wanted him to play a gig, and began writing songs to perform at them. Around the same time he joined a band as rhythm guitarist, and was quickly promoted to lead guitarist and singer.
In July 2011, his friend Gemma asked him to perform at a charity gig for the Harpurhey Neighbourhood Project in north Manchester. Not having played for a few years, and wanting some stage time to rebuild his confidence, he approached Manchester legend Tuesday Tony and asked to play his night — which had temporarily moved to a Friday, conveniently the evening before the charity gig.
His debut album, Fred and the Two Cities, followed in December 2016. A twelve-track concept record set across Manchester and Salford, it follows an ordinary working man through a single day and night in the city. It began life as a set of unconnected songs and turned into a country album largely by accident, taking in rock and roll, cabaret, folk and one distinctly progressive detour along the way.
The single Camelia's Love Song arrived in May 2024, built around a five-string banjo riff and an Irish flute.
His second album is released in December 2026. Rooted in the blues — Delta, Chicago and Memphis
