[4] The duo's biggest album, Sunshine on Leith (1988) has been certified multi-Platinum in Australia and Canada, selling over 2 million copies worldwide, including around 700,000 in the United States.

Alluding to the early careers of Craig and Charles Reid in 1989, Bill Wyman of Chicago Reader commented that the pair "got into music through punk".

[14] After Craig received a beaten-up drum kit and Charlie a guitar,[15] the pair played in punk rock bands named Black Flag,[14] Hippy Hasslers and Reasons for Emotion.

[1] Craig Reid, in a 2016 interview with Esquire Middle East, relayed that he loved punk acts such as The Clash, The Jam, the Sex Pistols, as well as "all the mid-60s stuff… The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Kinks".

[8][17] First opening at the Hummingbird in Birmingham,[17] the tour afforded the duo the opportunity to perform on Channel 4 pop programme The Tube in January 1987,[18] and Chrysalis Records quickly signed the pair.

[8] In 1987, the duo's John Williams-produced debut record This Is the Story was released through Chrysalis,[8][17] and displayed a minimalist sound lauded by Timothy Monger as "sparse but spirited".

[8][22] Ranging in lyrical-themes from familial joy to Scottish nationalism,[23][24] the record featured the singles "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", which went to number one in Australia[3] and New Zealand,[4] and "I'm on My Way".

[30] "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" belatedly peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1993,[31] after appearing in the movie Benny & Joon, becoming their only chart single in the United States.

[28] This popularity saw the Proclaimers supporting American glam metal band Bon Jovi, alongside 10,000 Maniacs, at the Madison Square Garden concert on their I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Tour.

as a "remarkable comeback",[38] Persevere was to-date the only album of theirs to be recorded in the United States, and saw the duo tour North America in support of Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies.

[19] The revival of the hit featured guest vocals from sitcom characters Andy Pipkin (portrayed by Matt Lucas) and Brian Potter (Peter Kay),[8] of Little Britain and Phoenix Nights, respectively.

[45] Life with You's US release was promoted by an American tour, including performances in Buffalo, Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles and Solana Beach in April and May 2008.

[21] In 2014, the Sunshine on Leith track "Cap in Hand", noted for its nationalist stance,[14] came to prominence in the wake of the Scottish Independence Referendum that September.

As stated by member Charlie Reid, the decision to have Eringa produce Let's Hear It for the Dogs was brought about by an admiration for his work with Manic Street Preachers, and on the Johnson and Daltrey album Going Back Home.

[62] In late May 2022, it was revealed on The Proclaimers' official website that the duo would announce a new studio album on 16 June that year, a date that was later put back until the 30th of that month.

The news came alongside the release of the album's lead single "The World that Was" and the announcement of Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield's collaboration on the record.

[64] The Reids are passionate fans of Hibernian and the song "Sunshine on Leith" has been adopted as an anthem by the club which plays in that part of Edinburgh.

[69] In 2006, the twins participated in a campaign to free a fellow Scot, Kenny Richey, from his death row sentence in Ohio, United States, including an appearance at a charity concert.

[71] Also, in March 2010 they participated with Billy Bragg in a show at the Electric Palace, Bridport, supporting Reprieve, a charity that seeks to end the use of the death penalty.

[72] Craig Reid has acknowledged 1970s punk rock as a major influence,[10] citing Buzzcocks, The Clash, The Jam, the Damned and the Sex Pistols as inspirational.

[9] Other notable influences were 1960s music, such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Kinks, Van Morrison, Rolling Stones,[10][74] and 1950s American acts such as Chet Atkins,[75] Ray Charles,[76] Fats Domino,[76] The Everly Brothers, the duo themselves being described as a "post-punk Everly Brothers", George Jones,[75] Frankie Laine,[77] and Jerry Lee Lewis.

[8] When exploring lyrical influences in a 2012 interview with The Scotsman, the Proclaimers cited Dexys' Kevin Rowland, The Blockheads' Ian Dury, Joe Strummer of the Clash, the Smiths vocalist Morrissey and Merle Haggard as their "favourite lyricists".

[56] Many bands and artists have cited the Proclaimers as an influence or inspiration, including the Balconies,[83] Barenaked Ladies,[84] Belle and Sebastian,[8] Camera Obscura,[8] the Concretes,[8] Jens Lekman,[8] Sondre Lerche,[8] Lonely Dear,[8] Oppenheimer, Peter Bjorn and John[8] and the Weepies.

[8] Recalling feeling an immediate kinship with the Proclaimers after discovering This Is the Story, Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies commented that "[the album] was perfect for us because it was exactly what we were; two guys with acoustic guitars, singing in harmony.

[85] Sunshine on Leith, a stage musical spotlighting the songs of The Proclaimers, was named in renown of the group's second studio album and its title track.