Born
September 11, 1971 - Billinge, Lancashire, England
Quote from Richard Ashcroft
From an interview with VH1: "The kid in class who's making his own music in his bedroom and is being laughed at because he hates these shows (American Idol): He's the next Kurt Cobain.
Growing Up
Richard Ashcroft went to school with Simon Jones, Simon Tong, and Peter Salisbury, all future partners in the group the Verve. At the age of 11, Ashcroft lost his father and soon became close to his stepfather, a member of the ancient order of Rosicrucians. His stepfather regularly performed experiments in mind expansion and healing arts. Richard Ashcroft attend Winstanley College and there, in 1989, he formed the Verve with Jones, Salisbury and guitarist Nick McCabe.
The Verve
The Verve quickly became acclaimed as one of the U.K.'s top bands of the 1990's. The band's existence was volatile and often fueled by drugs. Bizarre circumstances seemed to haunt the band.
After touring in 1993's Lollapalooza, Richard Ashcroft was hospitalized with severe dehydration. The band was forced to legally change their name to The Verve due to copyright issues with Verve Records in the U.S. A legal battle over the Rolling Stones sample that fueled the band's most successful worldwide hit "Bittersweet Symphony" <Listen> awarded all of the publishing royalties for the song to ABKCO Music. Finally, in 1999, the group broke up.
Key Richard Ashcroft Singles
- A Song for the Lovers <Listen>
- Break the Night With Colour
- Check the Meaning <Listen>
- Money to Burn <Listen>
Trivia Fact About Richard Ashcroft
Coldplay's Chris Martin introduced Richard Ashcroft as the "best singer in the world" and "Bittersweet Symphony" as the "best song in the world" at Live 8.
Solo Artist
Richard Ashcroft's first solo album Alone With Everybody appeared in 2000. It included the hit single "A Song for the Lovers" and was well-received by critics. His second album, 2002's Human Conditions included a guest appearance from the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. While Richard Ashcroft's solo work has not been hailed as loudly by critics as the music of The Verve, he is still considered to be one of the U.K.'s top recording artists.
The Future
After a 3 year absence from the public spotlight, Richard Ashcroft made an appearance at Live 8 in the summer of 2005. A third solo album Keys to the World was released January 23, 2006 and debuted at #2 on the UK pop albums chart. "Break the Night With Colour," the first single from the album, debuted at #3 on the U.K. pop singles chart.
