SIMPLE MINDS rocker Jim Kerr told of his love for his secret brother after speaking about him for the first time.

The singer and childhood pal Joe Donnelly were raised as siblings after Kerr’s parents took the lad in aged three when his parents split.

They have been as close as blood relatives ever since and Donnelly’s acclaimed band The Silencers even toured with Simple Minds in the 1980s.

Kerr, 58, said it has been a delight to know Joe as a brother since his family took him under their wing.

He added: "Mum and dad being there for Joe is somewhat typical of the attitude of the community we were privileged to grow up in 1960s Glasgow.

"We all gained from Joe coming to live with the Kerrs. In an instant my best friend became a brother and to this day I look on Joe as exactly that."

Donnelly, 59, said they knew each other aged one as they shared a tenement in Govanhill in the city.

But he said: "Then my mum and dad split up when I was three and my mum left home.

"Because my dad was working, Jim's mum would get me dressed for school and then I would go downstairs and we would have breakfast together.

"Jim and I would go to school and then come back for lunch and dinner."

When the council decided to demolish the tenement, the Kerrs took Donnelly with them when they moved to Toryglen.

Donnelly added: "They unofficially adopted me. From then on Jim and I lived as brothers."

Bass player Donnelly went on to form The Silencers, who played to millions around the world and supported U2 on their mammoth 1987 Joshua Tree tour.

The following year the brothers' bands went on the road together on a European tour and played to 80,000 fans at London’s Wembley Stadium.

The Scottish Sun
24th June 2018