Born in England, Deighton gained recognition across the British music landscape through his contributions to acid jazz stalwarts Mother Earth as well as his connections to Paul Weller and Oasis. He has also pursued a modest solo path, issuing understated yet appealing folk rock records over the years.
His first break came in the mid-80s when he played in the London indie rock outfit the Wolfhounds; by the early 90s he had moved to Mother Earth, serving as the group’s main songwriter and crafting several of its standout tracks, among them the graceful ballad ‘Jesse’. In 1995, just before Mother Earth disbanded, he issued his debut solo effort Villager, a folk rock set that drew favorable comparisons to Richard Thompson’s style. Two years later he became a member of Paul Weller’s touring band for the Heavy Soul dates and stayed on as lead guitarist through the end of 1999.
The next year saw the release of his follow-up album You Are The Healer on the Yeaah! label. Although the recordings had been completed in 1996, contractual issues held up the project until Deighton could revise the material; the finished version featured notable keyboard contributions from veteran UK musician Brian Auger. In 2001 he stepped in for Noel Gallagher during Oasis’s world tour. After that engagement he finished The Common Good, a record that took a more electric direction than his earlier work, and the same year the four founding members of Mother Earth reconvened for several live performances.
