by John BushVocalist Jimmy Nail first came to prominence in England as an actor during the early '80s, in the highly successful BBC-TV series Auf Wiedersehen Pet. His next TV work, Spender, was a labor of love; he wrote and produced the series, starring as undercover detective Freddie Spender as well. He won several awards for the show, which also launched a best-selling novel. More awards were forthcoming for his series Crocodile Shoes, in which he played a third-rate country singer. Nail began recording in the mid-'80s, and first gained an American contract with the 1992 album Growing Up in Public. His 1995 LP Crocodile Shoes -- based on the TV series -- went triple-platinum in Great Britain (and spawned a best-selling follow-up one year later). In 1996, Jimmy Nail earned his most popular role, that of tango singer Agustín Magaldi in Madonna's feature-film version of Evita.