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James Blunt Bio

James Blunt

James Hillier Blount (later changed to Blunt so Americans could pronounce his name) was born February 22, 1974, in Tidworth, Wiltshire, England. He is a singer and songwriter known for his interesting mix of pop music with a soulful, emotional, and contemporary twist. Demonstrating his multitalented ways, Blunt not only sings and writes his own music and lyrics, but he also plays the guitar, piano, organ, marimba, and mellotron. His debut album, Back to Bedlam, peaked at #1 on the United Kingdom, Ireland, and United States charts in 2005.

Blunt grew up in Tidworth and was educated at Elstree School, Woolhampton, and Harrow School. Following in the tracks of his military-minded family, Blunt took an Army sponsored seat at Bristol College. He later finished his education at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Blunt was a commissioned officer but eventually became a Captain when he served in Kosovo. It was during this time that Blunt penned the song "No Bravery," which appears as the closing track on his album Back to Bedlam.

Blunt’s first single in England was "High." The song reached the top ten spot thanks to added exposure from its use in an Italian commercial. His next single titled "Wisemen" performed even better on the charts. It wasn’t however until his third single, "You’re Beautiful," that Blunt exploded onto the music scene. Reaching the #1 spot on British charts after debuting at #12, the song eventually crossed over into American airwaves where it became the smash hit of summer 2005. Just as in England, Blunt took over just about every music chart conceivable, including the Adult Top 40, Adult Contemporary, Adult Alternative, as well as presiding at #1 on the Hot 100 chart.

Blunt is known in his music videos for dark imagery and his highly symbolic nature. Some scenes from Blunt’s singles reveal him buried in desert sand, being taken hostage, and an allusion to his suicide at the conclusion of "You’re Beautiful."

Blunt has made several television appearances, including visits to various talk shows. But he also received the honor of performing on Saturday Night Live as the musical guest, long revered as an accurate gauge of who’s hot in the music industry. In January of 2006, Blunt made his American acting debut in the ABC Family Channel production of Wildfire. He also appeared in one episode of the quickly canceled CBS production Love Monkey, starring Thomas Cavanagh and Jason Priestley of Beverly Hills, 90210 fame. His music has been heard on several television shows including Grey’s Anatomy and The OC.

However, Blunt’s rise to fame has not been met with universal appeal. On May 29, 2006, after Blunt’s singles had been played ad nauseam, a local British radio station Essex FM was forced to discontinue playing "You’re Beautiful." The move was prompted by a deluge of listener calls stating that they were simply "fed up with them [Blunt’s singles]." The song had been in constant rotation for fourteen months. A tongue in cheek 2006 survey found James Blunt to be the fourth most annoying thing in Britain, beaten only by cold callers, queue-jumpers, and caravans.

Blunt has won numerous awards including the 2005 MTV Europe Music Award’s Best New Act and the 2006 Brit Awards for Best Pop Act and Best British Male. Blunt is the first Brit to reach the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 since Elton John achieved the feat in 1997 with his tribute to Princess Diana, "Candle in the Wind."

Blunt has never been married, but rumors of his romantic associations have been many and various. He allegedly broke off his relationship with long-time girlfriend Camilla Bowler and kindled a romance with Pussycat Dolls singer Jessica Sutta. He has also been linked with Czech model Petra Nemcova and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson.

YUDDY