James Blunt

He is an ex-army officer, she a troubled Hollywood star. Anthony Barnes reports on how Princess Leia put Captain Blunt on top of the world

A year ago he was just a plummy former army captain with an odd falsetto. James Blunt’s album Back to Bedlam had sat untouched on record shop shelves for months while his singles had failed to make the merest dent on the chart.

A mere 482 people bought his album during its first week of release and even they might have struggled to pick out the feather-haired, artfully stubbled musician in a line-up of twenty-somethings. Yet this week he stands on the brink of cracking the world’s biggest music market, the US - a Herculean achievement which has eluded such UK stars as Robbie Williams and Oasis.

In the next few days he is predicted to cap his success by topping the US singles chart, making him the first British act to do so since Sir Elton John with “Candle in the Wind” in 1997. He already sits at number two with the track “You’re Beautiful”.

Blunt’s astonishing rise has been pushed by an unlikely champion, the Hollywood actress Carrie Fisher, known equally for her starring roles in the original Star Wars trilogy as well as her battles with drugs and years of therapy for manic depression.

Three years ago Fisher gave him a home, fed him soup and acted as his therapist. Since then, she has spread the word about his songs to anyone who would listen. So how did this 28-year-old former public schoolboy (Harrow, followed by Sandhurst), who served in the Household Cavalry, guarded the Queen Mother’s coffin and served in Kosovo, hook up with an American icon?

It was while Fisher was visiting London that the two were introduced by Blunt’s then girlfriend Dixie Chassay, whose family are long-time friends of the actress. When it transpired he was heading to LA to record for an American-based label, she offered to let him stay at her Beverly Hills home.

Her house, she joked, is a “guest house for wandering Brits”. For a couple of months they kept their distance, but soon forged a close friendship. (more…)

James Blunt may be the only musician who can claim “queen’s bodyguard” as a day job while gigging London at night. That’s what the 29-year-old Brit was doing while writing many of the songs that now appear on his debut, “Back to Bedlam,” which has sold more than 500,000 copies in the United States since its release in October.

Nevermind that none of the songs has anything to do with Blunt’s experience wearing a plumed helmet and sword while guarding Queen Elizabeth II’s carriage on horseback. The only reference to the four years Blunt spent in the British army is the album closer, “No Bravery,” which offers a chilling bird’s-eye view of the conflict in Kosovo, where Blunt served as a reconnaissance officer in the late ’90s.

What makes Blunt’s military background so notable is its stark contrast to the singer-songwriter’s music. Delivered in sliding falsetto, his strummy slow-dancers deal almost exclusively with the civilian-life concerns of love and loyalty. They bear absolutely no trace of machismo or machine-gun fire.

“People definitely have a picture in their mind of human beings and then people in the army,” Blunt said in a telephone interview from Amsterdam. “The people I worked with in the army, in their spare time their passions included writing or painting. . . . The army recruits from all walks of life. Sometimes you need someone who’s aggressive, but surrounding that aggressive person, you need someone who can think clearly.” (more…)

You’re Beautiful, a massive selling number one hit for James Blunt, is poised to top the US charts having jumped from 5 to 2 and has being declared a ‘sales gainer’.
Blunt’s debut album Back to Bedlam is also fairing well, moving up to number 9 after 18 weeks on the chart, but a number one album for the former solider will be a tall order after Barry Manilow stormed to the top with The Greatest Songs Of The Fifties.

Just posted some new photos of James Blunt in Concert at the House of Blues in Los Angeles  (Feb 7th, 2006) in the photo gallery.

Click to view the whole set
  

Robbie Williams turned up to watch his Brits rival James Blunt do what he has yet to achieve – conquer America.In just 90 minutes newcomer James had Hollywood stars eating out of his hand in LA with a gig at the House Of Blues. Robbie, competing with James for Best Male at next week’s Brits, was among the VIP guests dancing in the stalls at the Sunset Strip rock venue.James, who is up for an impressive Five gongs at the Brits, has got the Yanks to fall in love with his debut album without even trying. His hit You’re Beautiful is already at No8 in the Billboard chart, his Back To Bedlam album is at No9 and climbing and the gig sold out in seconds.Robbie tried — and failed — to crack the US countless times and has now given up. He turned up at James’s show with Shakira on his arm and stayed backstage to party with James after the gig.

Other famous names dancing in the aisles were Friends star Matthew Perry, The OC’s Mischa Barton and Elisha Cuthber, from tv’s 24.Other famous names dancing in the aisles were Friends star Matthew Perry, The OC’s Mischa Barton and Elisha Cuthber, from tv’s 24.

Three women in the front row clutched balloons with “We love James” scribbled on them.

(more…)

British singer played to Shakira, the Donnas and a Pussycat Doll at his pre-Grammy show.

James Blunt is just beginning to make his mark in the U.S., but he’s already won over the slew of Hollywood stars, musicians and die-hard fans that swarmed the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip late Tuesday night to get a taste of the British import’s heartwarming goods.

Devotees lined up for blocks along the Strip, ready to whip out those lighters and shed a tear or two during Blunt’s sold-out concert, which marked the first time the performer had his four-piece live band in tow (he went acoustic for his stint opening for Jason Mraz).

An eclectic array of celebs — including Mraz, Matthew Perry, Shakira, the Donnas, model Petra Nemcova and the Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger — all came out to show their support for Blunt, and a white banner posted high above the venue reading “Blunt [Heart] L.A.,” showed that the good feelings were mutual.

Producer Linda Perry, who first heard Blunt at the South by Southwest music festival nearly three years ago, made a rare appearance to show her support to the former-British-Army-officer-turned-international-star who has pushed more than 2.4 million albums worldwide (see “James Blunt Finally Getting Love From Americans — But Not Mischa Barton”). Perry signed Blunt to her Atlanta Records imprint, Custard, and she’s already expecting the bloke to walk away with a handful of Grammys next year. (more…)

2005 was undoubtedly the year of James Blunt. With the biggest selling album of the year, the third best-selling single and the Number 1 airplay record with ‘You’re Beautiful’, as well as success in America and a coveted MTV Award for Best New Act, James has emerged as the UK’s brightest singer/songwriter talent. Now, with five BRIT nominations including Best Album and Best British Male, he returns with his first ever DVD release ‘Chasing Time – The Bedlam Sessions’ featuring a bonus CD on February 13th.

The DVD features his special live concert at the BBC in November, filmed by Goldfrapp and Basement Jaxx director Philip Heyes, plus each of the videos to his recent smash hit singles ‘Wisemen’, ‘High’, ‘Goodbye My Lover’ and the Number 1 ‘You’re Beautiful’; plus a special making-of feature for each video; a documentary and interview footage; and a photo gallery. The bonus CD boasts a special live concert recorded in Dublin, December 2005 with his live band - Malcolm Moore (bass) Karl Brazil (drums) Ben Castle (guitar) and Paul Beard (keyboards).

Back To Bedlam’ has now sold 2.4 million copies in the UK – making it both the biggest-selling album of the last twelve months and the highest selling LP for a one-year period in modern chart history. This also means he is the first male artist in 11 years to sell more than 2 million copies of an album within one calendar year. In the US ‘Back To Bedlam’ has sold half a million copies and continues to climb the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart at this week’s Number 16, while ‘You’re Beautiful’ is at Number 17 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Worldwide sales of ‘Back To Bedlam’ exceed 5.6 million copies. (more…)

YOU don’t get many stiff upper lips in the pop industry. Even fewer officers and gentlemen…

James Blunt (Harrow, Sandhurst and the Household Cavalry) is not a man given to the usual wild exclamations of rock and roll.

So when he is “flabbergasted” you know that must be pretty momentous…

Producing the UK’s biggest-selling album of 2005 - an effort rewarded with five Brits nominations - and creating a buzz across the Atlantic probably is flabbergasting.

“When my manager called to tell me about the Brits nominations - well, I still can’t quite get my head round it,” he says.

“I’m just flabbergasted. The last year has been incredible - beyond my wildest dreams.” 

And beyond the wildest imagination of his music teachers at Harrow public school, where an education costs a pop star pay packet.

He laughs: “For a time I was in the chapel choir - then I got sacked. Then I was in the plainsong choir and got sacked again.

“And I wasn’t in a band because there was this guy in my house who always laughed at me when I suggested I would like to front one.”

In fact, he admits his one performance at Harrow was for bare faced cheek, not musical ability, when he was paid to flash at his fellow students. (more…)

The power of the Blunt cannot be denied. Just last month, British cute-core enthusiasts the Boy Least Likely To announced their first-ever North American headlining tour, which would bring them to small clubs across our fair continent this spring.

But then something magical happened: singer/songwriter heartthrob (and Beck look-alike) James Blunt asked the band to be the opening act on his spring North American tour. And, well, they just couldn’t say no to that, could they?

Thus, the Boy Least Likely To have cancelled their American club tour, and will instead be rocking you, your mom, and all of her friends, in big ol’ concert halls this March and April. Their February headlining journey through the UK still stands, as does their Blunt-less SXSW appearance. (more…)

A whole bunch of James Blunt photoshoot images have been added to the photo gallery!

Click on images to view the whole set!

Just posted some new photos of James at the Wetten Dass Broadcast (Jan 28,2006) in the photo gallery.

Click to view the whole set
  

British alt-rock singer/songwriter James Blunt has announced dates for his upcoming North American tour, with 18 shows scheduled across a three-week, March-April swing.  

Blunt, who grew up in a military family and served in the British Army (he was deployed to Kosovo with other UN troops), will start off his slate of small clubs and theater March 13 in Washington, DC.

Indie-poppers The Boy Least Likely To will support on all of Blunt’s upcoming dates, with electronic duo Sierra Swan signed on for a secondary support slot starting with the March 23 show in Lakewood, OH. Blunt who is currently touring in Europe, will also play a one-off Feb. 7 date in Los Angeles before embarking on another round of UK shows.

Blunt got his break in the music industry by catching the attention of producer Linda Perry (Christina Aguilera, Pink) at the 2003 SXSW conference in Austin, TX. The producer signed him to her Custard label, and Blunt released his debut album, “Back to Bedlam,” in January of last year.

The album reached No. 1 on the UK’s pop charts, a position it held for several weeks. Blunt also won the title of Best New Act at last fall’s MTV Europe Music Awards.

View USA Tour Dates: http://www.james-blunt.net/tour/american-tour-usa/