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Ever since he crossed the Atlantic and took American television by storm, Hugh Laurie has hardly been able to put a foot wrong.
Once the darling of British comedy with his foppish and often intellectually challenged characters, Laurie has become a household name in the US, thanks to his award-winning role as the grumpy Dr Gregory House in the medical sitcom House.
But Laurie has found new fame as the singer-cum-keyboardist in a celebrity-packed band that has taken Los Angeles, and iTunes, by storm.
The group, which goes by the self-explanatory name of Band From TV, specialises in blues and soul covers and is fronted by some of the biggest names in US network television drama.
Laurie's fellow band mates include Desperate Housewives star James Denton on guitar and Greg Grunberg, known for his role as a mind-reading policeman in Heroes, on drums.
The idea for the group started as a one-off gig for charity. But the band's recording of Cab Calloway's jazz classic Minnie the Moocher has taken iTunes by storm, outselling not only original recordings of the song, but also all subsequent covers.
They recently recorded tracks for the House soundtrack, which included a cover of the Rolling Stones song You Can't Always Get What You Want. But it is Minnie The Moocher, which Laurie also played during an episode of the British cult comedy Jeeves and Wooster, that appears to have clinched their cult following.
Laurie said that theirs was "a funky version" of the track, adding: "There are about 50 versions on iTunes and I'm afraid to say ours is the most popular."
Laurie, who began his acting career in Cambridge University's Footlights club and achieved UK success through British cult comedies such as Jeeves and Wooster and Blackadder, said that music success "was a real thrill".
The band has become an internet phenomenon, with more than 100,000 visitors to their MySpace site and thousands of enthusiasts viewing footage on YouTube.
- Independent
