Richard Paul Ashcroft (born 11 September 1971) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He formed the

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band

the Verve The Verve were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Wigan in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones (musician), Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Sim ...

in 1990 and served as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist throughout the band's lifetime. Ashcroft was the sole songwriter of the group. The band started as a jam-based band, however, McCabe has clarified that Ashcroft was the one who created the lyrics. In 1997, The Verve released the UK number one album '' Urban Hymns'', that in present day is the 18th most sold album in the UK. In 1998, Ashcroft was awarded the

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

award for Songwriter of the Year. Following The Verve's disbandment in 1999, Ashcroft embarked on a successful solo career, releasing six UK top-three solo albums, including '' Alone with Everybody'', '' Keys to the World'' and '' These People''. The Verve reformed in 2007 and released another UK number one album '' Forth'' and disbanded once again in summer 2009. Ashcroft then released a new album in 2010 under the pseudonym band RPA & The United Nations of Sound. His fourth solo album, ''These People'', was released in 2016. Followed by the album '' Natural Rebel'' in 2018. In May 2019, Ashcroft received a second

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...

for Outstanding Contribution to British Music from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. He released the compilation of acoustic versions of his best hits, '' Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1'', in 2021. Venerated by his peers,

Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Gallagher is the primary songwriter, lead guitarist and a co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel ...

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentChris Martin of

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

has described Ashcroft as "the best singer in the world".

Early life

Ashcroft is the eldest child of office worker Frank and hairdresser Louise Ashcroft (née Baxter); he has two younger sisters. In his childhood, Ashcroft was known to be very shy, getting to the point that he had to be replaced in a school nativity play because of on-stage fright; however, he was also known for wanting to make his classmates laugh. He was adamant about recording songs from the radio, an alternative to the five album music collection his mother could afford. The first record Ashcroft bought was "Just Like Starting Over", and following the event of

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

's death in 1980, he played the song "Imagine" on a loop. In 1982, when Ashcroft was 11, his father died suddenly of a brain haemorrhage. To deal with the tragedy, he used music as a refuge; he recalls "questioning" the nature of life while other children occupied themselves with age-appropriate activities, thinking at the time "You're not supposed to feel this bad as a kid". Ashcroft attended Up Holland High School in West Lancashire, along with future bandmates Simon Jones, Peter Salisbury and Simon Tong. He then enrolled in Theatre Studies, English Literature, and Philosophy and Religion at Winstanley College; his teacher remembers him as "incredibly intelligent" but being too dedicated to music to care about his grades. It is here that he also met future bandmate Nick McCabe. Ashcroft was an avid

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player; he is listed in the 1998 Playfair Football Who's Who as having been on the books of Rotherham United playing junior football for

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...

. For some time, Ashcroft wanted to be a professional football player, idolising

George Best George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United F.C., Manchester Un ...

, but as he grew older he lost interest in this, turning to music instead.

The Verve

Ashcroft formed the Verve in 1990 with Simon Jones and Pete Salisbury. When attending Winstanley College, he heard Nick McCabe playing guitar. Without knowing his physical appearance, he waited outside the cubicle to ask whoever was behind the sound to join his band. The band went through several name changes such as Raingarden until it finally settled on Verve. Their recording of the first album, '' A Storm in Heaven'', consisted mainly of jam sessions with improvised lyrics, upon which Ashcroft then took and edited the usable parts and structured them into songs. Ashcroft has said that the band was under the influence of LSD when they recorded the album. The band signed to Hut Records, during which time Ashcroft gained the sobriquet "Mad Richard". 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. 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

for his songwriting and being referred to by the press as "the unmistakable face of the Number One rock band in England". The band's single "Bitter Sweet Symphony" reached number 12 on the US charts in 1998. At the 1998 Brit Awards, The Verve won the awards for Best British Group and Best British Album (''Urban Hymns'').The Brit Awards: The Verve
Brit Awards. Retrieved 11 February 2012 The band appeared on the cover of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' in March 1998.1998 Rolling Stone Covers
Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 February 2012 At the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Group Video, and Best Alternative Video. In February 1999, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was nominated for the

Grammy Award for Best Rock Song The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre. Honors in several ...

.41st Grammy Awards – 1999
Rock on the Net. Retrieved 12 February 2012 In April 1999, it was announced that The Verve had again split up. 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, the Verve broke up for the third time, as McCabe's drinking problem generated tensions within the group.

Solo career

''Alone with Everybody'' and ''Human Conditions'': 2000–2004

Ashcroft's first solo single, " A Song for the Lovers", peaked at No. 3 in the UK chart in April 2000. It was followed by the single " Money to Burn" which reached the UK Top 20 at No. 17. The album, '' Alone with Everybody'', was released in June, reaching number 1 and receiving platinum status in the UK. Album reviews were generally positive. In September, a third single was released – " C'mon People (We're Making It Now)" – entering the charts at No. 21. 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. 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 No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart. The album was released later that month and reached No. 3 in the UK Album Chart. Reception to the album was generally positive. Review aggregating website

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

reports a normalised score of 61% based on 15 reviews. In response to negative reaction to the album,

's Chris Martin – a fan of both Ashcroft and the Verve – defended the album's merits which "made an impression" on Ashcroft. The appreciation shown would later result in a support slot for Ashcroft, serving as the opening act for Coldplay during a European tour. The album's second single, " Science of Silence", was released the following January and charted at No. 14 in the UK. On 26 March, Ashcroft made his first live appearance of 2003 at London's

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

as part of the third annual Teenage Cancer Trust charity fundraising event, before " Buy It in Bottles", the third and final single to be taken from the album, was released on 7 April, charting at No. 26. Aside from 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 " eryone 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".

Live 8 and ''Keys to the World'': 2005–2007

Ashcroft began playing gigs again in mid-2005, and, on 2 July at the

Live 8 Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, from 6–8 July 2005 ...

concert in Hyde Park,

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 "probably the best song ever written, and here's the best singer in the world", helping to create renewed interest in Ashcroft. At Christmas 2005, a documentary entitled ''Live 8: A Bitter Sweet Symphony'' was aired on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

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 Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...

where he released his third solo album, '' Keys to the World'', on 23 January 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. 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 14 March in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, 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'". The album's second single, " Music Is Power", charted at number 20. On 18 April 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 24 April. With the release of ''Keys to the World'', the general consensus was that Ashcroft was "back at the top of his musical game", as he announced his largest UK tour for years for May 2006, culminating in three nights at London's

Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Lon ...

. Following the tour, Ashcroft had hoped to perform two "Homecoming" shows at

's 25,000 seater JJB Stadium in June 2006, but was unable to do so as the proposed venue lacked the "appropriate licence". As a consequence, he chose to play at

Lancashire County Cricket Club Lancashire Cricket Club represents the Historic counties of England, historic county of Lancashire in Cricket in England, English cricket. The club has held first-class cricket, first-class status since it was founded in 1864. Lancashire's ho ...

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...

, in what was to be his biggest solo show to date. He was supported at the gig by acts such as

Razorlight Razorlight are an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in London by lead singer and guitarist Johnny Borrell. Along with Borrell, the current line-up of the band is composed of founding members Björn Ågren on guitar and bassist Carl Dalem ...

and the Feeling, while

DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972 in San Jose, California, San Jose, California), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ and record producer. His debut studio album, ''Endtroducing.....,'' was released in 1996. He uses l ...

joined Richard on stage during his set to perform "Lonely Soul", their

UNKLE Unkle (often stylised as U.N.K.L.E. or UNKLE, occasionally known as UNKLE Sounds) is a British musical outfit founded in 1992 by James Lavelle. Originally categorised as trip hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a ...

collaboration from 1998's '' Psyence Fiction'' LP. Another UK tour followed five months later, culminating in a show at Manchester's M.E.N. Arena on 30 November. Ashcroft did not tour ''Keys to the World'' outside of Europe. Ashcroft hinted at the possible release of a new version of his previous single "C'mon People (We're Making It Now)" for the

Bobby Moore Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore (12 April 1941 – 24 February 1993) was an English professional footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years, and was the captain of the England national team that won the 1966 FIFA ...

Cancer Fund, which would coincide with

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

's participation in the 2006 Football World Cup, but the single never materialised. Instead, his next release was " Words Just Get in the Way", which charted lower than his previous single, peaking at No. 40 in the UK Singles Chart. On 4 December, the

double a-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

"Why Not Nothing" / "Sweet Brother Malcolm" was released on limited edition 7" vinyl.

RPA & the United Nations of Sound, ''These People'', ''Natural Rebel'': 2008–present

Ashcroft played a solo gig on 25 August 2008 as part of the Last Days of Summer Festival in

Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of ...

. The Verve broke up for a third time sometime between the last rehearsals in late 2008 and the summer of 2009. It was announced in August 2009 by a band's friend. At that time, Ashcroft was contractually obligated to record another album for Parlophone. A b-side compilation was considered a possibility, as Ashcroft's team asked the fans through his site about their feelings on such an album, but it's now very unlikely. In December 2009, Ashcroft contributed the lead soundtrack song for the documentary ''The Journey''. A video of the song was posted at Ashcroft's site. Also, through his blog ''BRAIN'', he stated that he would release a new album in 2010. Sources revealed he worked on a number of new songs in New York, Los Angeles and London with producer No I.D., who Ashcroft sought after because he liked his work in the

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

song " D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" and read an interview where he states how many producers destroy records to boost sales. In 2010, Ashcroft formed a new band called RPA & The United Nations of Sound, who released a promo single, "Are You Ready?", from their new album. The album ''United Nations of Sound'' (former working title ''Redemption'') was released on Parlophone on 19 July 2010; "Born Again", the first proper single from the album, was released on the same day. The full album leaked on 15 July and the NME started streaming the album the following day. The new sound seems to emulate many of Richard's influences described over the years in interviews and seems to close a circle for his solo career. Strings, beats, rock-guitar-riffs, voice-loops, ballads and heroic-choir-anthems are the core of the album's sound with Ashcroft's craft for pop tunes and unique melody-making. Also found in the songs are the ever-present spiritual lyrics for Richard, although here in fuller form. On 15 October 2010, Ashcroft released through his website a second fanclub-only track, "Here We Go Again". On the same day the song "Are You Ready?" was released as the first official single from the new album in the United States. During the same month Ashcroft had signed with the record company Razor & Tie in the United States. The radio edit of "Are You Ready?" is available for free on the US version of Ashcroft's website. The album ''United Nations of Sound'' was released across the Atlantic on 22 March 2011 under the name "Richard Ashcroft". The lead single "Are You Ready?" was featured over the closing credits of the film '' The Adjustment Bureau'' in March 2011, along with the new song "Future's Bright", written and performed specifically for the film's opening by Ashcroft and ten-time Oscar-nominated composer

Thomas Newman Thomas Montgomery Newman (born October 20, 1955) is an American composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is best known for his film scores, earning accolades of six Grammy Award, Grammy Awards, an Emmy Awards, Emmy Award, two British Academy F ...

. For the US release of "Are You Ready?", Ashcroft and Big Life Management commissioned Giorgio Testi for the promo – created out of live footage from a show at

Shepherd's Bush Empire Shepherd's Bush Empire (currently known as O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the BBC Television Theatre) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, West London, run by the Academy Music Group. It was original ...

. The video premiered on 7 February on the official website of Pulse Films, the production company. On 1 March the song "Future's Bright" was premiered on

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

. On the official website of the movie '' The Adjustment Bureau'' there is also a video created for the song by director George Nolfi. After six years' absence, Ashcroft released his comeback fifth studio album, '' These People'', in May 2016. The album received largely positive reviews from music critics. The album was followed by 2016 UK and Europe tour, an abbreviated North American tour, and—for the first time in Ashcroft's career—festival dates in Latin America. In January 2018, it was confirmed that in June 2018, Ashcroft would be supporting

Liam Gallagher William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis and fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2010 to 2014, before starting a succes ...

at his two concerts in Malahide Castle and Gardens in Dublin and Belsonic at Ormeau Park in Belfast. In March 2018, it was announced that Ashcroft would tour with Gallagher in North America in May 2018. On 11 June 2018, it was announced that Ashcroft would support Gallagher at his show at

on 18 August 2018. In August 2018, Ashcroft announced his sixth solo album, '' Natural Rebel'', which was released on 19 October, preceded by the single "Surprised By The Joy" in September and subsequent teasers "Born To Be Strangers" and "That's When I Feel It." The LP debuted at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart, its highest position. On February 19, 2021, he released a cover of

's " Bring On the Lucie (Freda Peeple)" (track 5 on Lennon's 1973 album ''

Mind Games Mind games (also power games or head games) are actions performed for reasons of psychological one-upmanship, often employing passive–aggressive behavior to specifically demoralize or dis-empower the thinking subject, making the aggressor ...

''). On 29 October that year, he released his sixth album, '' Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1''. It features acoustic versions of Ashcroft's songs with The Verve and his solo career. The album debuted at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, its peak position. On May 22, 2025, he released "Lover". The song is based on sample from " Love and Affection" by Joan Armatrading. In an interview with Absolute Radio, he commented how he doesn't consider himself defined by any specific genre and just needs it to be "music". Per the song's new sound, he doesn't like to stale in his previous genres, as that would become like a

Xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (, ) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox was the pioneer of the photocopier market, beginning with the introduc ...

Machine that renders bad copies of something. He admires in the creation of music by sampling, how the sample takes on a life of its own and becomes new music. The song was produced by Esme Ramazanoglu and was accompanied by an announcement of a new album coming September 2025 .

Personal life

Ashcroft is married to Kate Radley, a former keyboardist of Spiritualized. They married in 1995 and it was years before it was publicly revealed that the pair had married. Together, they have two sons. The family lives in Taynton in Gloucestershire and Richmond in London. Ashcroft and Radley have collaborated professionally throughout their marriage and toured together with the band

in 2006. Ashcroft is a

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

fan, and regularly attends matches. He is good friends with the band

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentNoel and

and

's Chris Martin. For a long time the Gallagher brothers have expressed great respect for Ashcroft, with Noel Gallagher fondly nicknaming Ashcroft 'Captain Rock'. The Oasis track " Cast No Shadow", from the successful 1995 album '' (What's the Story) Morning Glory?'' is dedicated to him, possibly as a response to Ashcroft having dedicated the title track of ''

A Northern Soul ''A Northern Soul'' is the second studio album by English rock band the Verve, released on 3 July 1995 through Hut Records. With the tumultuous promotion for their debut studio album, '' A Storm in Heaven'' (1993), combined with their friends ...

'' to Noel Gallagher. 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 it did not 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.

Songwriting style and artistic influences

Ashcroft has a sustained interest for the psychological and affectual influence music holds, stating, "A great pop song is as powerful as the best piece of poetry you have ever read and the melody can take you to another place." Ashcroft is well known for using string instrumentation in his songs. He considers it part of his "palette" and draws inspiration from such composers as

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone ( , ; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, Orchestration, orchestrator, conductor, trumpeter, and pianist who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 film score, scores for cinema and televisi ...

, John Barry, and

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

. A major influence on Ashcroft from childhood to adulthood has been

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

. Ashcroft recalls two out of the three LPs his family owned when he was a child were the 1966 album ''Revolver'', and the Beatles compilation album ''

1967–1970 ''1967–1970'', also known as the Blue Album, is a compilation album of songs by the English rock band the Beatles, spanning the years indicated in the title. A double LP, it was released with ''1962–1966'' (the "Red Album") in April 1973. ...

''. He also recalls in his teens he used to watch an "unauthorised" video of the band on a loop. He has expressed a high regard for

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

's work within the Beatles and solo work, as well as praise for his moral ideals and distaste for the fake nature of the music industry. Ashcroft has listed

The Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

as a major influence in his teens, listing the album '' Hatful of Hollow'' and the song 'How Soon is Now' as having a profound impact on him. Ashcroft also holds a deep interest for Cinema; when he was thirteen years of age, he was shown the

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

film "1+1", which showed the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

creating a song. Ashcroft mentions this event as a turning point in his life view. In terms of literature, Ashcroft has been vastly influenced by the poet/polymath

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

. He has also mentioned poet Phillip Larkin and A.E. Housman as some of his favorite poets.

"Bittersweet Symphony" legal dispute

A legal dispute was held over Ashcroft's song, " Bitter Sweet Symphony", on which Ashcroft was the sole band member to share a co-writing credit.''Urban Hymns'' sleevenotes The song uses a sample of Andrew Oldham Orchestra's recording of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

' 1965 song " The Last Time". The Verve had negotiated this legally; however, the Rolling Stones' record company successfully sued and argued that they had used "too much." The Verve was subsequently forced to give ABKCO 100 percent of the

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset or ...

from "Bitter Sweet Symphony", and

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

and

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who is an original member, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. His songwriting partnership wi ...

were given songwriting credits along with Ashcroft. Against Ashcroft's wishes, the song was used in a commercial advertisement; from this he received $175,000, but donated it all to charity despite it being the only revenue he had ever received from the song. On 23 May 2019, Ashcroft announced that Jagger and Richards had signed over the rights to him, giving him sole writing credit and all subsequent royalties.

Awards and nominations

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Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...

, rowspan=2, Himself , Songwriter of the Year , , - , Denmark GAFFA Awards , Best Foreign Songwriter , , - , rowspan=2, 2000 ,

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...

, '' Alone with Everybody'' , Album of the Year , , - , rowspan=2,

NME Awards The ''NME'' Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''NME'' (''New Musical Express''). The first awards show was held in 1953 as the ''NME'' Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding o ...

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, rowspan=3, Himself , Best British Male , , - , rowspan=2, 2019 , Global Awards , Best Indie , , - ,

, Outstanding Contribution to British Music ,

Discography

Albums

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" , + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:13em;", Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:19em;", Album details ! scope="col" colspan="10", Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:10em;", Certifications , - ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", UK
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", AUS
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", AUT
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", FRA
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", GER
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", ITA
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", IRL
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", NL
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", SWI
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", US
, - ! scope="row" , '' Alone with Everybody'' , * Released: 26 June 2000 * Label: Hut * Formats: LP, CD, cassette, download , 1 , , 10 , , 18 , , 28 , , 10 , , 4 , , 5 , , 41 , , 39 , , 127 , * BPI: Platinum , - ! scope="row" , '' Human Conditions'' , * Released: 21 October 2002 * Label: Hut * Formats: LP, CD, cassette, download , 3 , , 70 , , 48 , , 67 , , 14 , , 24 , , 11 , , — , , 51 , , — , *BPI: Gold , - ! scope="row" , '' Keys to the World'' , * Released: 23 January 2006 * Label:

* Formats: CD, download , 2 , , 54 , , 7 , , 78 , , 6 , , 11 , , 6 , , 49 , , 7 , , — , *BPI: Platinum * IRMA: Gold , - ! scope="row" , '' These People'' , * Released: 20 May 2016 * Label: Righteous Phonographic Association,

Cooking Vinyl Cooking Vinyl is a British independent record label, based in Acton, London, England. It was founded in 1986 by former manager and booking agent Martin Goldschmidt and his business partner Pete Lawrence. Goldschmidt remains the current owner an ...

Harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...

* Formats: LP, CD, download , 3 , , — , , 70 , , 134 , , 51 , , 34 , , 17 , , 92 , , 32 , , — , *BPI: Silver , - ! scope="row" , '' Natural Rebel'' , * Released: 19 October 2018 * Label: Righteous Phonographic Association, BMG * Formats: LP, CD, cassette, download , 4 , , — , , 71 , , — , , 82 , , 42 , , 18 , , — , , 47 , , — , , - ! scope="row" , '' Acoustic Hymns Vol 1'' , * Release: 29 October 2021 * Label: Righteous Phonographic Association, BMG * Formats: LP, CD, cassette, download , 2 , , — , , 64 , , 194 , , 37 , , — , , 23 , , — , , 39 , , — , , - , colspan="14" style="font-size:90%" , "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Project album

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" , + List of project studio albums, with selected chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:13em;", Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:19em;", Album details ! scope="col" colspan="4", Peak chart positions , - ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", UK
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", AUT
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", GER
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", SWI
, - ! scope="row" , '' United Nations of Sound''^{/sup>
,
* Released: 19 July 2010
* Label: Parlophone
* Formats: LP, CD, download
, 20 , , 63 , , 49 , , 50

Extended plays

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
, + List of extended plays
! scope="col" style="width:14em;", Title
! scope="col" style="width:20em;", EP details
, -
! scope="row" , ''Live from London''
,
* Released: 24 April 2006
* Format: Download
, -
! scope="row" , ''Rare Vibration/Guided Halls''
,
* Released: 19 October 2018
* Format: CD (HMV

HMV is an international music and entertainment retailer, founded in 1921. The brand is owned by Hilco Capital and operated by Sunrise Records, except in Japan, where it is owned and operated by Lawson.

The inaugural shop was opened on Lo ...
's exclusive market only)

Singles

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
, + List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:24em;" , Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" , Year
! scope="col" colspan="10" , Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" , Album
, -
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", UK

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", AUT

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", BEL
(WA)

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", CAN

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", GER

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", ITA

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", IRL

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", NL

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", NZ

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", SWI

, -
! scope="row", " A Song for the Lovers"
, rowspan="3", 2000
, 3 , , — , , — , , 6 , , 82 , , 9 , , 11 , , 83 , , 42 , , 78
, rowspan="3", '' Alone with Everybody''
, -
! scope="row", " Money to Burn"
, 17 , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , 38 , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", " C'mon People (We're Making It Now)"
, 21 , , — , , — , , — , , 82 , , — , , — , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", " Check the Meaning"
, 2002
, 11 , , — , , — , , 21 , , 94 , , 13 , , 19 , , — , , — , , —
, rowspan="3", '' Human Conditions''
, -
! scope="row", " Science of Silence"
, rowspan="2", 2003
, 14 , , — , , — , , — , , — , , 31 , , — , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", " Buy It in Bottles"
, 26 , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", " Break the Night with Colour"
, rowspan="4", 2006
, 3 , , 17 , , 48 , , — , , 45 , , 3 , , 10 , , 90 , , — , , 55
, rowspan="4", '' Keys to the World''
, -
! scope="row", " Music Is Power"
, 20 , , — , , — , , — , , — , , 42 , , — , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", " Words Just Get in the Way"
, 40 , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", " Why Not Nothing?" / " Sweet Brother Malcolm"^{/sup>
, — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", "Born Again"^{/sup>
, rowspan="2", 2010
, — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , —
, rowspan="2", '' United Nations of Sound''
, -
! scope="row", "Are You Ready?"^{/sup>
, — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", "This Is How It Feels"
, rowspan="5", 2016
, 42 , , — , , — , , — , , — , , 89 , , — , , — , , — , , —
, rowspan="5", '' These People''
, -
! scope="row", "Hold On"
, — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", "They Don't Own Me"
, — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , 178 , , — , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", "Out of My Body"
, — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", "These People"
, — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", "Surprised by the Joy"
, rowspan="3", 2018
, 53 , , — , , — , , 32 , , — , , 71 , , — , , — , , — , , —
, rowspan="3", '' Natural Rebel''
, -
! scope="row", "Born to Be Strangers"
, — , , — , , — , , 66 , , — , , 23 , , 44 , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", "That's When I Feel It"
, — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , —
, -
! scope="row", " Bring On the Lucie (Freda Peeple)"
, 2021
, — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , —
,
, -
! scope="row", "Lover"
, 2025
, — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , —
,
, -
, colspan="14" style="font-size:90%" , "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Other releases

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
, + List of singles, showing year released and album name
! scope="col" style="width:20em;" , Title
! scope="col" , Year
! scope="col" , Album
, -
! scope="row", "The Journey"^{/sup>
, 2009
, non-album single
, -
! scope="row", "Are You Ready?"^{/sup>
, 2010
, ''United Nations of Sound''
, -
! scope="row", "Future's Bright"^{/sup>
, 2011
, movie soundtrack

Guest appearances

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
, + List of guest appearances, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:20em;" , Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" , Year
! scope="col" colspan="2" , Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" , Album
, -
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", UK

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;", IRL

, -
! scope="row", "Lonely Soul"
(UNKLE

Unkle (often stylised as U.N.K.L.E. or UNKLE, occasionally known as UNKLE Sounds) is a British musical outfit founded in 1992 by James Lavelle. Originally categorised as trip hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a ...
, with Ashcroft on vocals)
, 1998
, — , , —
, '' Psyence Fiction''
, -
! scope="row", " The Test"
(The Chemical Brothers

The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands in Manchester in 1992. They were pioneers in bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture.

Originally known as The Dust Brothers, th ...
, with Ashcroft on vocals)
, 2002
, 14 , , 36
, '' Come with Us''
, -
, colspan="14" style="font-size:90%" , "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Notes
*A ^ ''United Nations of Sound'' and the singles taken from it were released under Ashcroft's pseudonym " RPA & The United Nations of Sound".
*B ^ "Why Not Nothing?" / "Sweet Brother Malcolm" was a limited 7" release.
*C ^ "The Journey" was a charity single for Helen Bamber Foundation.
*D ^ "Are You Ready?" was a released as a limited edition UK promo CD and vinyl.
*E ^ "Future's Bright?", Richard Ashcroft teamed up with the American film score composer Thomas Newman to pen this song for the opening credits of the 2011 movie, ''The Adjustment Bureau''.

Notes

References

External links

Official website (UK)

Richard Ashcroft Online
(unofficial website)
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashcroft, Richard
1971 births
Living people
20th-century English male singers
21st-century English male singers
20th-century English singer-songwriters
21st-century English singer-songwriters
English alternative rock guitarists
English alternative rock singers
English male guitarists
English male singer-songwriters
Music in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
Singers from Manchester
Parlophone artists
People from Higher End
British shoegaze musicians
Space rock musicians
The Verve members
Virgin Records artists
Ivor Novello Award winners
Britpop musicians}}}}}}}