b. Richard Paul Ashcroft, 11 September 1971, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire, England. The charismatic Ashcroft made his name with the Verve, a band who triumphed over commercial, artistic and personal struggles to release one of the most successful UK rock albums of recent times, 1997's drone-pop classic Urban Hymns. The band finally imploded for good in April 1999, with Ashcroft by now working on solo material with players including pedal steel guitarist B.J. Cole and Verve drummer Pete Salisbury. His first solo release was the single "A Song For The Lovers", which reached the UK Top 5 in April 2000. A disarmingly up-tempo and upbeat paean to love, the single's melodic acoustic rock style proved an apt taster for Ashcroft's debut album, Alone With Everybody. Essentially an extended love letter to his wife Kate Radley, the album's classic rock mannerisms drew a divided response from critics, with some bemoaning the fact that Ashcroft had diluted the Verve's sound while others praised his new direction. The follow-up Human Conditions was an album that slowly soaked into the bloodstream, proving Ashcroft's determination to succeed on his own musical terms and not those that are expected of him. The album's commercial failure did not deter the bloody-minded Ashcroft, who returned four years later with the almost identical sounding Keys To The World and proved his detractors wrong by achieving a major hit with the debut single "Break The Night With Colour".
Richard Ashcroft
NME.com feature on Richard Ashcroft including news, reviews, biography, youtube video, audio, concerts, tour dates, photos, pictures, commentary, album reviews and live reviews and cool facts.
Richard Ashcroft News
Verve's Richard Ashcroft covers John Lennon at solo show
Ashcroft plays festival show in Northampton
- Aug 26, 2008
Richard Ashcroft YouTube Videos
Break The Night With Colour /Richard Ashcroft (04:13)
Break The Night With Colour /Richard Ashcroft Keys To The World
Richard Ashcroft Media Player
Richard Ashcroft Reviews
Richard Ashcroft: King’s College, London: Wednesday December 7
Returning Verve hero brings The Big music back to the capital
- Jan 10, 2006
Richard Ashcroft: Break The Night With Colour
Britpop guv’nor remains scintillatingly relevant
- Nov 30, 2005
Richard Ashcroft Discography
Richard Ashcroft albums.
- Alone With Everybody - 2000 (Hut)
- Human Conditions - 2002 (Hut)
- Keys To The World - 2006 (Parlophone)









