Guy Garvey

A man of many talents, Guy Garvey was a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and radio presenter, best known for fronting the alternative rock band Elbow. Hailing from Manchester, England, Garvey began his career by forming Elbow while at sixth-form college in the early ‘90s. Heavily influenced by the likes of Genesis and Radiohead, and widely recognized and praised for his exceptional songwriting ability, Garvey was known for his experimental use of a wide variety of instruments, crafting genre-blurring epics, and flirting with expansive soundscapes and immersive swathes of sound. He simultaneously remained within the borders of the popular song framework, exploring love, loss, failure, and hope in his lyrics. With a body of work spanning more than two decades, he has received continuous acclaim and accolades for his work, including two Ivor Novello awards for the songs “One Day Like This” and “Grounds for Divorce.” He was commissioned by the BBC to write the theme song “First Steps” for the 2012 London Olympics and was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Radio Academy in 2014. Garvey has also been known to flex his creative muscles outside of the Elbow camp, most notably producing the debut album from indie rock act I Am Kloot, as well as their subsequent efforts  —  with his bandmate Craig Potter  — and appearing on the seminal Massive Attack album Heligoland. He released his first solo effort, Courting the Squall, in 2015, a more straightforward, less cinematic effort than the aforementioned Elbow albums. Garvey described the need to put out a solo record as a desire to increase his creative output after reaching 40. Aside from his recognized musical efforts, his other disciplines were plenty  — Garvey was also well known as a radio presenter, first with XFM and then more prominently with BBC 6 Music on Sunday afternoons, as well as a prominent member of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. In 2012, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Manchester Metropolitan University in recognition of his service to the arts and, as of 2015, presented the show Music Box on BBC iPlayer, showcasing new and emerging artists. ~ Rob Wacey