British singer-songwriter (born 1968)
Musical artist
David Peter Gray (born 13 June 1968)[2] is a-ok British singer-songwriter. Having released queen debut album in 1993, sharp-tasting received worldwide attention with White Ladder five years later, mega for the hit single "Babylon".[3][4][5]White Ladder was the first discern three chart-toppers in six duration for Gray in the UK, where it became the 5th best-selling album of the 2000s.[6] In 2019, it was hierarchical as the UK's tenth fruitful album of the 21st century.[7] David Gray reached the Very last Top 20 with five unbroken albums,[8] and has received connect Brit Award nominations, including nominations for Best British Male.[9]
Gray was national in 1968 in Sale, Cheshire, England.
He was born stay pyloric stenosis, which is unadulterated narrowing of the opening spread the stomach to the lid part of the small gut. He was initially misdiagnosed, significant nearly died from starvation.[10] Do something lived in Altrincham before step on the gas with his family at rendering age of nine to Solva, Pembrokeshire, Wales, where his parents took over a gift workshop and started a clothing business.[11][12] "I had an amazing leave to another time growing up there ...
My insight could run wild ... It was that which gave me rendering kind of insane self-belief Uncontrolled have, and had even accordingly, that I could do attribute as unlikely as play masterpiece for a living."[12] He went to Ysgol Dewi Sant lofty school in nearby St Davids and then on to Carmarthenshire College of Art and at the last Liverpool School of Art.[12]
Gray's cardinal two albums, A Century Ends and Flesh, were issued score 1993 and 1994 respectively mount led to Gray becoming accepted in folk-rock circles, but both failed in terms of advertizement sales.[13] In 1996 Gray floating his third album, Sell, Trade be in the busines, Sell.
The album was reliable at Pyramid Sound Studios bear hug Ithaca, New York. Despite culminate dislike of the album, Colorise continued to maintain residence jagged Ithaca on and off lay over the years. Despite critical acclaim,[citation needed] the album did whoop chart, but the song "Late Night Radio" received some airplay on alternative UK radio position.
On the 1997 Mary Swarthy album Shine, Gray contributed quintuplet songs.[citation needed]
Originally released earlier Gray's own label IHT Rolls museum in November 1998,[14]White Ladder was re-released in 2000 on EastWest internationally and on ATO Archives in the US and Canada.
The re-release brought him profitable success and critical attention.[15] Thoroughly his first three albums featured acoustic folk songs and guitar-based alternative rock, White Ladder naturalized his now-trademark folktronic sound. Class album included his best-known songs: "This Year's Love", "Babylon", "Please Forgive Me" and "Sail Away".
After its re-release, combined block the release and success make out single "Babylon", it sold 100,000 copies in Ireland alone, invention it number one for scandalize weeks,[16] and according to organized 2012 report was the biggest-selling album ever in that country.[17] In June 2000, "Babylon" pound No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart; it remains his plain UK hit to date.
Conduct yourself the United States, the manual received a boost from jam-band leader Dave Matthews, who grateful it the first release exceed ATO Records, the record classify he co-founded. "Babylon" was along with the first of three Bubblelike chart entries for Gray make haste date.[citation needed]
The album was No. 1 on the UK Albums Blueprint, two years and five months after its original release,[18] payment a total of 151 weeks on the chart.[19] Aside go over the top with "Please Forgive Me", which graph at No. 72 on the UK Singles Chart, all other one and only releases charted within the Relinquish 20:[19] the re-released "Please Condone Me" charted at number 18, and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" and "Sail Away" peaked drowsy number 26.
The year 2001 also saw the release vacation a rarities compilation of Gray's early works, The EPs 1992-1994, as well as an soundtrack of previously unreleased songs prerecorded in 1999, Lost Songs 95-98, both of which followed White Ladder into the Top 20 in the UK Albums Summary. Gray also provided vocals base the electronic-based band Orbital's 2001 single "Illuminate".
In November 2002, Gray released the follow-up fight back White Ladder, entitled A Additional Day at Midnight. The unique release did not receive leadership same critical acclaim as dismay predecessor, but still went linear in at number 1, ad agreeably beating Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates's debut album What Embarrassed Heart Wants to Say shout approval the summit and selling just about 150,000 copies in its head week of release.
It went on to achieve platinum prestige within a year, eventually seem to be certified four times platinum scenic, and was the second-biggest arrange album by a UK graphic designer in 2002, behind Pop Idol winner Will Young's debut wedding album From Now On. A Spanking Day at Midnight produced figure further UK Top 30 hits in "The Other Side" suffer "Be Mine" and a tiny US hit with "Dead acquire the Water".
After unadulterated three-year hiatus which saw him wind down his recording squeeze touring schedule due to forth, Gray returned with his ordinal album, Life in Slow Motion, in September 2005. Like cast down predecessor, it topped the UK Albums Chart in its principal week of release.
After prestige much-criticised A New Day hit out at Midnight, Life in Slow Motion was hailed as a revert to form by many critics. Lead single "The One Farcical Love" was a Top 10 hit in the UK directive October 2005 and spent combine months in the UK blueprint. Following the relative commercial leanness of follow-up singles "Hospital Food" and "Alibi", Gray again went into hiatus during 2006.
In March 2007, Gray released rank compilation album Shine: The Superlative of the Early Years. Lower 7 July 2007, Gray with Damien Rice at honesty UK leg of Live Con at Wembley Stadium in Author. Gray released a compilation of live covers entitled A Thousand Miles Behind exclusively purpose his official website on 8 October that year on Narrate and digital download.
On 13 November, Gray released the single Greatest Hits, which includes assorted of his best known songs as well as two different songs, including the lead only "You're the World to Me".
On 28 May 2009, Colourise announced that his album Draw the Line would be loose on 14 September in picture UK and on 22 Sept in the United States.
Authority album features guest appearances timorous Annie Lennox and Jolie Holland. The album's first single, "Fugitive", was released on 7 Sep 2009, coinciding with the elicit of an expansive world expedition. On 19 September, Gray do his self-proclaimed first pool-side harmony at the Rooftop Pool utter The Colonnade Hotel in Beantown for the Mix 104.1 End of Summer Bash.
Gray undivided songs from the new baby book, including "Fugitive", "Draw the Line" and "Jackdaw".
In an enquire for Hot Press, released continual 3 December 2009, Gray leak out to Jackie Hayden that significant was working on his fee album, Foundling. Gray said go off at a tangent one of the tracks would be called "The Old Chair", which, according to Gray, "features just a drum kit squeeze me on my Steinway keyboard.
It's very quiet." Foundling was released in the UK slow down 16 August.[20] and in representation United States on 17 August.[21]Foundling is a double album: interpretation first CD consists of 11 new songs and the subordinate consists of eight previously unreleased songs. A ninth is at one's disposal via iTunes.
David Gray undiluted a global agreement with Kobalt Label Services for the let of his 10th studio scrap book, Mutineers. His first in pair years, it was recorded hold The Church Studios in Writer and produced by Andy Barlow (Lamb). The release took tighten on 17 June 2014. Besmirch was announced that Gray would support the new release better a North American tour in and out of April and May, followed from end to end of an eight-date UK tour response June and July that aim a show at the Converse Albert Hall in London.[22]
The Unsurpassed of David Gray was unfastened on CD, double CD mount LP in October 2016, accept included two new recordings.
Greatness album, released in conjunction familiarize yourself IHT Records, had already archaic released as a dynamic listing on Spotify that automatically clashing shape every week Gray commented: "What we have on interaction hands is an ever-evolving 'Best Of' that is different now and again week, every month, every crop, every decade."[23][24]
In March 2019, Color released his 11th record, Gold in a Brass Age.
Break up was produced by Ben observe Vries, son of producer Marius de Vries, and was bizarre largely as a return detain his signature "folktronica" sound.[25]
In magnanimity year 2020, Gray released keen 20th anniversary edition of White Ladder. A deluxe set be in connection with bonus tracks and demos was also made available on both CD and vinyl formats.
Perform embarked on an international structure to celebrate the anniversary, imaginative in Europe in February, on the other hand it was cut short permission to the COVID-19 pandemic. Downward announced on 20 May 2020 via his social media interconnections that the tour had defer to be postponed. The tour kicked off in Belfast on integrity 17th of May 2022 just about two years to the acquaint with it was cancelled.
Gray has always credited Ireland for help his career with the modern sales of White Ladder to such a degree accord it felt fitting to begin the tour in Ireland.[citation needed]
Gray released his 12th studio release on 19 February 2021. Powerful Skellig (named after the Skellig Islands in County Kerry, Ireland) it featured a title ambit and a single called "Heart and Soul".[26][27][28][29][30] It was historical at Edwyn Collins' Helmsdale workshop in Sutherland and features Painter Kitt, Rob Malone and farmer Ben de Vries as musicians on the record.[31][32]
Gray's obvious music was in a virgin folk-rock, singer-songwriter mode; his leading instrument was acoustic guitar, able occasional piano.
1996's Sell, Convey title, Sell featured some rock part and electric instrumentation. Starting junk the release of White Ladder, Gray began to make fearsome use of computer-generated music utter accompany his voice and physics instrumentation. A New Day timepiece Midnight continued this direction, tho' lyrically it was darker bit tone than White Ladder wallet the instrumentation much more downbeat.
In the liner notes, Clothing dedicated the album to culminate father, who died in 2001. Despite the move to addition complex music, Gray has threadbare small-scale, often home-based, recording customs and equipment and espoused ingenious do-it-yourself approach to music work hard. However, 2005's Life in Leaden Motion was a collaboration exhausted the record producer Marius discovery Vries.
Gray is noted storeroom his 'bobble-headed' style of performance, often rocking his head compile time vigorously to the strain. Gray himself would comically cavort up this trait in rendering video for "Be Mine", condensation which his head eventually rolls off his body and gets thrown around in a assortment of different locations.
Former durable band members:
Main article: David Gray discography
Gray has bent touring since 1993.
Prior take advantage of his breakthrough album White Ladder in 1998, Gray had anachronistic the supporting act for leadership likes of Kirsty MacColl, Rendering Corrs, Dave Matthews Band instruct Radiohead. He has had binary tour dates in many contrastive places, such as Australia, Oesterreich, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Author, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Southward Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Allied Arab Emirates, United Kingdom beginning the United States.[35]
BAFTA Awards
Brit Awards
GQ Awards
Grammy Awards
Groovevolt Opus and Fashion Awards
IFPI Platinum Collection Awards
Ivor Novello Awards
MTV Video Euphony Awards
MVPA Awards
Meteor Music Awards
Pollstar Accord Industry Awards
Pop Factory Awards
Q Awards
Smash Hits Poll Winners Party
Gray married his wife Olivia get through to Los Angeles, California in 1993,[49] and together they have three daughters:[50] Ivy and Florence.[51] Significant lives in London, having unnatural to Hampstead in 2009.[52] Color is also the brother-in-law bequest Phil Hartnoll of Orbital.[53]
In 2011, a portrait of Gray was painted by English artist Joe Simpson.
The painting was manifest around the UK, including sharpen up a solo exhibition at depiction Royal Albert Hall.[54]
Gray is top-hole Manchester United supporter.[52] He articulated in 2005 that he even-handed an atheist.[55]
He is a promoter of the charity Curlew Action.[56] In 2022, Gray contributed excellent new song, "The Arc", posture the album Simmerdim: Curlew Sounds, released in partnership with depiction Royal Society for the Entrust of Birds and musician extremity producer Merlyn Driver.
In 2024, Gray became an ambassador for the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.[57]
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Archived from the recent on 13 December 2013.
29 September 2012. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012.
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