• Genre: Rock
• Active: '90s, 2000s
• Instrument: String Arrangements

Biography

Scottish producer Craig Armstrong scored countless soundtracks to much acclaim during the '90s and into the 2000s. His soundtrack work was in fact so successful that many big-name artists, such as U2 and Madonna, began courting him, while he simultaneously pursued a solo career as a down-tempo electronica producer beginning with The Space Between Us in 1998. Though his collaborations are too numerous to list, Armstrong's most successfully paired with film director Baz Luhrman, producing big-selling soundtracks for Romeo + Juliet (1998) and Moulin Rouge (2001).

Born in Scotland, Armstrong began his production career in the early '90s. He composed music for several BBC and STV productions during this time, but his big break came with the Scottish pop trio Big Dish. Armstrong co-wrote three songs on the trio's Satellites album, released in 1991, and also provided string arrangements for the album. Three years later, in 1994, Armstrong worked with renowned trip-hop group Massive Attack on its genre-defining Protection album. This association with Massive Attack would pay dividends a few years later when the group released Armstrong's debut full-length album on its Melankolic label. By the end of the '90s, Armstrong had collaborated with such big-name artists as U2, Madonna, Hole, the Spice Girls, the London Suede, and Tina Turner, in addition to many other lesser-known artists.

As mentioned, Massive Attack released Armstrong's solo debut, The Space Between Us, in 1998. The album didn't prove to be as popular as expected, but it nonetheless increased Armstrong's reputation as a noteworthy producer. During this same late-'90s era, Armstrong continued working on soundtrack projects, which remained his most acclaimed work. His work for Jake Scott's debut film, Plunkett & Macleane, was perhaps his most visible work, being released by Astralwerks in the States (as had The Space Between Us a year earlier). However, he worked on soundtracks for much more successful films such as Mission: Impossible (1996), Romeo + Juliet (1998), Cruel Intentions (1999), and -- perhaps his most celebrated soundtrack work -- Moulin Rouge (2001). Following the success of Moulin Rouge, and its second volume, Armstrong returned in 2002 with his second non-soundtrack full-length effort, As if to Nothing, which boasted a new version of U2's "Stay (Faraway, So Close)." In 2004, he provided the score for the Ray Charles biopic Ray, and in 2005, an anthology of his film work was released. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

World Trade Center [Original Score] Buy this CD	Film Works: 1995-2005 Buy this CD	Piano Works Buy this CD	Ray [Original Score] Buy this CD	As If to Nothing Buy this CD
The Quiet American [Original Score] Buy this CD	Plunkett & Macleane [Original Score] Buy this CD	The Space Between Us Buy this CD

• Active: '90s-2000s
• Major Genres: Drama, Romance
• Career Highlights: Moulin Rouge, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, One Day in September
• First Major Screen Credit: William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Biography

Composer Craig Armstrong is equally comfortable bringing his talents to the contemporary classical or pop music arenas, which may explain why he's become a trusted collaborator of filmmaker Baz Luhrmann; he composed and constructed the scores for Luhrmann's acclaimed genre-spanning romances Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge. Born in Scotland, Armstrong studied composition and piano at the Royal Academy of Music. In 1981, his efforts as a student composer earned him both the Harvey Lohr Scholarship and the Charles Lucas Award; the following year, his skills as a pianist earned him the GLAA Award as Young Jazz Musician of the Year. Armstrong became a student composer in residence at London Contemporary Dance School, and after graduating, he received commissions to compose new works for a variety of classical ensembles in the U.K., as well as scoring several plays for Scotland's Tron Theater. In the late '80s, Armstrong began studying electronic music, and his interests in this area led him into a second career in pop music; while Armstrong continued to write contemporary art pieces and theater scores, there was an increasing demand for his work as a producer and arranger, and he contributed to sessions for such artists as U2, Tina Turner, Madonna, and Massive Attack. The latter proved particularly fortuitous, as it brought Armstrong in contact with noted music producer Nellee Hooper; Hooper had been hired by director Baz Luhrmann to score his modern-dress adaptation Romeo + Juliet, and Armstrong was brought aboard to write additional music for the film. Armstrong had already cut his teeth in film work orchestrating scores for several films (including Golden Eye and Batman Forever) and writing music for television; his acclaimed work on Romeo + Juliet led to several solo film-composing assignments, including Orphans, Plunkett and Macleane, and Kiss of the Dragon. Armstrong found himself working with Baz Luhrmann again when he was invited to score the film Moulin Rouge; the film's ambitious blend of pop songs from various eras and lush original music from Armstrong won him the Best Original Score Award at the 2001 Golden Globes, and 2001's Composer of the Year prize at the American Film Institute Awards. In addition to his busy schedule of film projects, commissions for new art pieces, and producing and arranging for pop musicians, Armstrong has released two albums of his own, which blend his love of classical music and his ear for modern pop, 1998's The Space Between Us and 2002's As If to Nothing. ~ All Movie Guide

The Clearing Buy this Movie	Ray Buy this Movie	Love Actually Buy this Movie	The Magdalene Sisters Buy this Movie
The Quiet American Buy this Movie	Moulin Rouge Buy this Movie	Kiss of the Dragon Buy this Movie	Plunkett & Macleane Buy this Movie

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