FULL NAME:Kimberly Ann Deal

BORN:June 1961; Dayton, Ohio

FIRST BAND:The Breeders, with twin sister Kelley. A DIY affair, the duo wrote and played folk-rock tunes in their bedroom.

FIRST BREAK:Having moved to Boston with husband John Murphy, she spotted an ad looking for a bassist into Hüsker Dü and Peter, Paul and Mary. Despite never having played the bass before and not actually possessing one, Deal, aka Mrs John Murphy, got the gig with the Pixies in 1985 because she was the only one to answer the ad.

THE RISE:Pixies became one of the most seminal alternative acts of all time thanks to albums such as Surfer Rosa and Doolittle and the tracks Gigantic, Debaser and Where Is My Mind?

THE FALL:There was constant friction in the form of onstage rows and studio spats between Deal and lead singer Black Francis over her desire to contribute more songs to the band. When Bossanova was released in 1990, with the bulk of the songs written by Francis, the end was nigh. In 1993, Francis faxed band members to tell them he had disbanded the Pixies.

THE BREEDERS:In 1988, Deal hooked up with Tanya Donelly when Throwing Muses and Pixies were touring Europe together and the pair decided to form a new band together. Deal recycled the name she and her sister had used back in Dayton and The Breeders' released Pod in 1990.

SECOND BREAK:The band's second album Last Splash was released in 1993 and was a huge commercial success thanks to Cannonball. It also saw Deal's sister Kelley join the group.

KIM'S HIGHS:Her work with Pixies, the Breeders' classic Cannonball and her return to form on the new album Mountain Battles.

KIM'S LOWS:Deal checked herself into rehab in 2002 to sort out drink and drug problems. "I wasn't a musician with some drugs in the room," she told one interviewer, "I was a drug addict with some musical gear in the room."