Though better known as a producer, Paul Fox entered the music industry as the guitarist in the noted U.K. punk outfit the Ruts, who scored a British Top Ten hit in 1979 with "Babylon's Burning." Their debut LP The Crack appeared later that year, but the group's rise was cut short in the wake of frontman Malcolm Owen's drug-related death in mid-1980. They continued on under the name Ruts DC before disbanding in 1981 after the release of the album Animal Now, at which time Fox became a sought-after session player, appearing on recordings from the Pointer Sisters, Rod Stewart and Natalie Cole. His production career began with XTC's 1989 album Oranges and Lemons, followed in 1991 by Robyn Hitchcock's Perspex Island. In 1992, Fox enjoyed his most successful year to date, helming not only 10,000 Maniacs' smash Our Time in Eden but also the Sugarcubes' swan song Stick Around for Joy. Texas' Ricks Road and the Straitjacket Fits' Blow followed in 1993, and a year later he returned with They Might Be Giants' John Henry and Phish's Hoist. Albums from Edwin McCain, Semisonic and Grant Lee Buffalo appeared in the years which followed. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide