Richard Ashcroft

Richard Ashcroft
Richard Ashcroft in 2005
Background information
Birth name	Richard Paul Ashcroft
Born	11 September 1971 (1971-09-11) (age 38) Billinge, Wigan, England
Origin	Wigan, Greater Manchester, England
Genres	Alternative rock, Britpop, Shoegazing, Space rock, Neo-psychedelia
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, Musician
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Piano, Keyboards, Wurlitzer, Organ, Melodica, Mellotron
Years active	1989 - present
Labels	Virgin Records Parlophone
Associated acts	The Verve UNKLE DJ Shadow The Chemical Brothers Pino Palladino Coldplay[1]
Website	richardashcroft.com

Richard Paul Ashcroft (born 11 September 1971 in Billinge, Wigan, England)^[2] is an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead singer and occasional guitarist of rock band The Verve from their formation in 1990 until their split in 1999. After this, he became a solo artist in his own right before reforming The Verve in 2007.

Early life

Ashcroft was the only son of office worker Frank and hairdresser Margaret; he also has two younger sisters.^[3] When Ashcroft was 11, his father died suddenly of a brain haemorrhage.^[4] Ashcroft soon "fell under the influence of his stepfather", who belonged to the Rosicrucians.^[5]

Ashcroft attended Up Holland High School, along with future bandmates Simon Jones, Peter Salisbury and Simon Tong,^[5] and then attended Winstanley College, where he met Nick McCabe.^[6] His teachers referred to him as "the cancer of the class",^[7] though one member of staff recalled him being "incredibly intelligent".^[8] Ashcroft was an avid football player, playing for Wigan Athletic.^[9] For some time Ashcroft wanted to be a professional football player, idolising George Best, but as he grew older he lost interest in this, turning to music instead.^[10]

The Verve

Ashcroft formed The Verve (originally just Verve) in 1990 with McCabe, Jones and Salisbury. The band signed to Hut Records and became well-known for their appetite for both psychedelic music and drugs. They also became a part of the Britpop movement. The band split in 1995, and around this time Ashcroft wrote a collection of songs he intended to release as his first solo album.^[11] However, by 1997 he had changed his mind and asked McCabe to return (alongside new member Tong), reforming The Verve and releasing the very successful album Urban Hymns. Ashcroft was at the forefront of the band's popularity, receiving an Ivor Novello Award for his songwriting^[12] and being referred to by the press as "the unmistakable face of the Number One rock band in England".^[13] However, the pressures of touring and the tensions within the band led to McCabe's departure in mid-1998 and the announcement of the band's break-up in April 1999.

In early 2007, Ashcroft made peace with McCabe and Jones and The Verve's reunion was announced in June. The band played gigs later that year and continued touring in 2008, headlining at several festivals around the world. A new album, Forth, was released in August.

In August 2009 it was announced by The Guardian that The Verve had broken up for the third time.

Solo career

Alone with Everybody: 2000-2001

Ashcroft's first solo single, "A Song for the Lovers", peaked at #3 in the UK charts in April.^[14] It was followed by the single "Money To Burn" which reached the UK Top 20 at #17.^[14] The album, Alone with Everybody, was released in June, reaching number 1 and receiving platinum status in the UK. Album reviews were generally positive.^[15] In September, a third single was released – "C'mon People (We're Making It Now)" – entering the charts at #21.^[14] Richard does not publish the lyrics to his songs in the inlay cards of his albums or singles as he feels they are personal to him.

Human Conditions: 2002-2004

Ashcroft began work on his second album Human Conditions in 2002. The lead single, "Check the Meaning", was released in early October, and peaked at #11 on the UK Singles Chart.^[14] The album was released later that month and reached #3 in the UK Album Chart.^[14] Reception to the album was largely negative.^[16][17] Despite the general panning, Coldplay's Chris Martin—a fan of both Ashcroft and The Verve—defended the album's merits which "made an impression" on Ashcroft.^[18] The appreciation shown would later result in a support slot for Ashcroft, serving as the opening act for Coldplay during a European tour.^[18] The album's second single, "Science of Silence", was released the following January and charted at #14 in the UK.^[14] On March 26, Ashcroft made his first live appearance of 2003 at London's Royal Albert Hall as part of the third annual Teenage Cancer Trust charity fundraising event,^[19] before "Buy It in Bottles", the third and final single to be taken from the album, was released on April 7, charting at #26.^[14]

Besides a limited number of appearances in 2003, Ashcroft was absent from the music business for about two years. He later explained this in 2006, stating that "[e]veryone got it into their heads over the last few years that I was in my ivory tower like Lennon, baking bread all day. The fact of the matter was that I was bringing up kids".^[20]

Live 8 and Keys To The World: 2005-2007

Ashcroft began playing gigs again in mid-2005, and, on July 2 at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, Coldplay invited him to perform with them during their set. They performed The Verve's hit "Bitter Sweet Symphony", after having previously rehearsed the song in Crystal Palace. Ashcroft's performance of the song was introduced by Chris Martin as "the best song ever written, sung by the best singer in the world",^[18][9] helping to create renewed interest in Ashcroft. At Christmas 2005, a documentary entitled Live 8: A Bitter Sweet Symphony was aired on the BBC reliving moments of the day featuring a portion of Ashcroft's performance as the show's opening soundtrack.

After the disintegration of Hut Records in 2004, Ashcroft signed to Parlophone^[9] where he released his third solo album, Keys to the World, on January 23, 2006. The first single from the album, "Break the Night with Colour", was released on 9 January 2006, and entered the UK Singles Chart at number 3.^[14] Following his performance at Live 8, Ashcroft was booked as a support act for Coldplay's Twisted Logic Tour throughout North America and the UK, which started on March 14 in Ottawa, Canada. Ashcroft saw the support slot as "a good chance to play to a significant amount of people and say, ‘I’m back. And this is what I do’".^[18]

The album's second single, "Music Is Power", charted at number 20.^[14] On April 18 2006, he recorded the Live from London EP, the ninth in a series of EPs released exclusively as digital downloads from Apple's iTunes Store. The EP was released just 6 days later on April 24. He announced his largest UK tour for years for May 2006, culminating in three nights at London's Brixton Academy. He played at Lancashire County Cricket Club in Manchester, in what was to be his biggest solo show to date. He was supported at the gig by acts such as Razorlight and The Feeling, whilst DJ Shadow joined Richard on stage during his set to perform "Lonely Soul", their UNKLE collaboration from 1998's Psyence Fiction LP.^[21]

Richard who had cancelled his short European tour in June 2006 played a series of gigs in Europe (for the first time on this album) in October 2006 before a final UK tour followed in November & December in where he played in arenas though the one at Wembley Arena was moved to the Hammersmith Apollo as he could not fill the arena. During the UK tour Ashcroft played a brand new song 'She's So Hot' in his set. Richard Ashcroft did not tour his album Keys To The World outside of Europe. ^[16]

His next release was "Words Just Get in the Way", which charted lower than his previous single, peaking at #40 in the UK Singles Chart.^[14] On December 4, the double a-side "Why Not Nothing" / "Sweet Brother Malcolm" was released on limited edition 7" vinyl.^[22]

On December 11 2006, Ashcroft recorded a live performance for Live From Abbey Road^{[citation needed]}. The programme was broadcast in the UK on Channel 4 in March 2007, and in the USA on the Sundance Channel in June 2007.

Future directions: 2008-present

Despite the reformation, Ashcroft is contractually obligated to record another album for Parlophone.^[23] In an interview with Zane Lowe he stated that his solo career and the band can be done together^{[citation needed]}. Ashcroft played a solo gig on August 25 as part of the Last Days of Summer Festival in Buckingham, co-headlining the event with Supergrass and Athlete.^[24] In December 2008, Ashcroft's solo website was re-launched. Using Google Maps technique the site includes music, videos, images and other features.

Personal life

Ashcroft is married to Kate Radley, the former keyboard player for British shoegaze band Spiritualized. They married in 1995 and it was years before it was publicly revealed that the pair had married. Together, they have two sons: Sonny, born in 2000, and Cassius, born in 2004. Cassius suffered from minor breathing difficulties after his birth. The family live in Gloucester near Radley's parents. Ashcroft is a proclaimed Manchester United fan.

He is good friends with Oasis' Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher and Coldplay's Chris Martin (whom Ashcroft once thanked for "letting me be myself again"). The Gallagher brothers for a long time have expressed the greatest of respect to Ashcroft, with Noel fondly nicknaming Ashcroft as 'Captain Rock'. The Oasis track "Cast No Shadow", included in the successful album 1995 (What's the Story) Morning Glory? is dedicated to him, and it is believed that Ashcroft dedicated the title track of A Northern Soul to Gallagher as a response. Ashcroft also provided backing vocals on the Oasis song "All Around the World" in 1997, for Oasis' Be Here Now.

In a 2006 interview, Ashcroft mentioned taking Prozac to help him with clinical depression, but said that they didn't help, referring to the pills as "very, very synthetic." Ashcroft has said that he's always been "a depressive, someone who suffers from depression", and that music and creativity help him cope with his illness.^[25]

Controversy

Controversy exists over The Verve's biggest hit, "Bitter Sweet Symphony", on which Ashcroft is the sole band member to share a co-writing credit.^[26] The song uses a sample of Andrew Oldham Orchestra's recording of The Rolling Stones' 1965 song "The Last Time". The Verve handed The Rolling Stones' record company 100 percent of the royalties^[5] from "Bitter Sweet Symphony", and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were given songwriting credits along with Ashcroft.^[26]

In 2006, he was arrested in Wiltshire after coming into a youth centre and asking to work with the teenagers present at the club. He refused to leave and employees called the police, resulting in Ashcroft being arrested and fined £80 for disorderly conduct.^[27]

Discography

Studio albums

• Alone with Everybody (26 June 2000) (Hut Records) (#1 (UK) (Platinum)
• Human Conditions (21 October 2002) (Hut Records) (#3 (UK) (Gold)
• Keys to the World (23 January 2006) (Parlophone) (#2 (UK) (Platinum)

Singles

• "A Song for the Lovers" (3 April 2000) (#3 UK)
• "Money to Burn" (12 June 2000) (#17 UK)
• "C'mon People (We're Making It Now)" (11 September 2000) (#21 UK)
• "Check the Meaning" (7 October 2002) (#11 UK, #25 Europe)
• "Science of Silence" (6 January 2003) (#14 UK)
• "Buy It in Bottles" (7 April 2003) (#26 UK)
• "Break the Night With Colour" (9 January 2006) (#3 UK, #3 ITA, #12 Europe)
• "Music Is Power" (17 April 2006) (#20 UK)
• "Words Just Get in the Way" (10 July 2006) (#40 UK)
• "Why Not Nothing?" / "Sweet Brother Malcolm" (4 December 2006) (limited)

EPs

• Live from London (24 April 2006) (digital download format only)

Cameos

• "Lonely Soul" ~ UNKLE, on the album Psyence Fiction.
• "The Test" ~ The Chemical Brothers, on the album Come With Us.

References

External links

• Official site
• Richard Ashcroft at the Internet Movie Database