David Lewis Gedge (born 23 April 1960, in

Bramley, Leeds Bramley is a district in west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the City of Leeds electoral ward of Bramley and Stanningley, which had a population of 21,334 at the 2011 census. The area is an old industrial area with much 19th ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

, England) is an English musician and songwriter. Gedge's lyrics explore themes such as

romantic love Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a Interpersonal attraction, strong attraction towards another person, and the Courtship, courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant ...

and heartbreak. According to Michael Sutton of ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

'', his lyrics are "often written from a seemingly autobiographical perspective and sung in a dejected, conversational manner."

Early life

Gedge grew up in

Middleton, Greater Manchester Middleton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, on the River Irk. It is southwest of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. Middleton had a population of 42,972 at the 2011 Census. It lies on the nort ...

, in the area known as Top of Hebers. He attended Hollin High School, which became the Queen Elizabeth School and was eventually rebuilt as St Anne's Academy. He studied at the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in Mathematics in 1981.

Musical career

Gedge, together with

Peter Solowka Peter Solowka or Solovka (, , born late 1959 in Oldham) is a musician of Ukrainians, Ukrainian and Yugoslavian descent. He has been involved in music since 1985, most notably as guitarist with The Wedding Present from their inception until 1991, a ...

, fellow founder member of

The Wedding Present The Wedding Present are an English indie rock group formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, by members of The Lost Pandas. The band has been led by vocalist and guitarist David Gedge, the band's only constant member. Closely linked to the C86 scene ...

, met Keith Gregory, an English student, by placing an advert for a bass player in the Leeds University Union. He is the main songwriter and vocalist in the bands The Wedding Present and Cinerama. He sang a duet with Marine Research on their 1999

Peel Session John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

Quotes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gedge, David 1960 births Living people English male singers English male songwriters English rock guitarists The Wedding Present members Alumni of the University of Leeds People from Middleton, Greater Manchester People educated at St Anne's Academy English male guitarists Musicians from Leeds