Elbow (Photo courtesy of the band)

Elbow Wins Mercury Prize

Elbow (PRS), the British progressive rock band who have been together for 17 years and have survived being dropped by two separate record labels, have won the Mercury Prize, one of the UK's most prestigious music honors, for their 2008 album, The Seldom Seen Kid.

The members of Elbow met in the early '90s while attending college in Bury, England. After moving to Manchester and playing numerous local gigs and developing their sound, they were signed by Island in 1998. Their relationship with that label was short-lived, however, and they moved on to a deal with EMI. That deal too was fleeting.

Undeterred, they continued to release musically adventurous EPs and full-length albums, including 2001's Asleep in the Back, 2004's Cast of Thousands and 2005's Leaders of the Free World, which steadily helped to build them an international fan base and increased support from the music press.

Earlier this year, they released the critically-acclaimed The Seldom Seen Kid, which contains the track, "Grounds for Divorce," which has been embraced by radio in the United States, as well as the title track, written about Bryan Glancy, a friend of lead singer Guy Garvey. . On September 9, they won the Mercury Prize for best British album of the year, beating out 11 other contenders, including Radiohead, Adele and Burial. The honor comes seven years after their first nomination for the prize.

"This is quite literally the best thing that's ever happed to us," singer Guy Garvey told the audience at the Mercury Prize ceremony in London.

The album had previously reached number five on the charts in England, and is their most successful release to date.