Musicians: James Blunt – The Rebirth of Falsetto
James Blunt, real name James Hiller Blount, was raised in Tidworth, Wiltshire, England. Even though he learned to play certain instruments at an early age, he did not learn about bands such as the Beatles and The Rolling Stones until he attended boarding school. He was in his teens when he began to compose songs, and decided to become a professional musician.
Before he got into music, he decided to carry on the family tradition of being a soldier. He followed in the footsteps of his father and joined the British Army Air Corps. He served on the British Life Guard and was an official escort of the queen. He also served in Kosovo with the NATO peacekeeping force. In fact, “No Bravery”, a song that appears on the Back To Bedlam album, was written from the barracks.
After his influential army stint was over in 2002, Blunt pursued his dream and became a full-time musician. It wasn’t long before he was picked up by Elton John’s management company which later led to a deal with songwriter/producer Linda Perry and Atlantic records.
His first album, Back To Bedlam, has been a runaway smash. One of the reasons the first hit single, “High”, became popular was due to its use on an Italian Vodafone commercial. After scoring another hit with “Wisemen”, Blunt made his career with “You’re Beautiful”, a mega hit song that has been number one on many charts, both American and UK.
Blunt is off to a very good start as a musician and possible future artist hall-of-famer. His apparent established style is soft rock with his distinct falsetto, a rare gift amongst modern male musicians.
