Badly Drawn Boy is an independent singer-songwriter, born Damon Gough October 2, 1969 in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, although the family returned to Bolton, Lancashire before Gough reached the age of one. Gough chose his stage name from a character that appeared in the cartoon show "Sam And His Magic Ball" which he saw on TV at a party in Trafford, Manchester in 1995. Before he thought of using this name he made some 'business cards', each one unique, with a printed picture of a drawing by his nephew, and a small collage by Gough. This was then laminated and given out to friends and people at clubs in Blackburn and Manchester.

His 2000 album The Hour of Bewilderbeast won a prestigious Mercury Prize. He also composed the soundtrack to the movie "About A Boy" (starring Hugh Grant), based on the Nick Hornby book of the same name. His third album, Have You Fed The Fish?, was released in 2002. One Plus One Is One, his fourth album, was released in 2004.

"Born in the UK", his fifth album, was released on October 16, 2006. It is a nod to one of his major influences, Bruce Springsteen.