On this day 23 Dec 1943, Harry Shearer (aka Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap) was born in Los Angeles, California. Shearer is also known for voicing a number of characters on The Simpsons, including Principal Skinner and Ned Flanders.
Shearer was a cast member on Saturday Night Live between 1979 and 1980, and 1984 and 1985. Shearer co-created, co-wrote and co-starred in the film This Is Spinal Tap (1984), a satirical rockumentary, which became a massive hit. In 1989
Shearer does have a strong Welsh connection due to his marriage to singer Judith Owen, who he married in 1993. In 2005, The couple launched their own record label called Courgette Records and performed together regularly.
Owen has recorded and toured with Richard Thompson in recent years, notably on the 1000 Years of Popular Music recording and tour. She has also appeared on his albums The Old Kit Bag and Sweet Warrior.
Owen appeared as herself on The Simpsons in the thirteenth-season episode "The Blunder Years" and sang the song "600" for the show's 600th episode, Treehouse of Horror XXVII.
