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James Blunt Information
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'James Blunt' (born, James Hillier-Blount ” February 22 1977 in Tidworth, Wiltshire) is a British musician whose debut album, Back To Bedlam, and single releases ” especially number one hit "You're Beautiful" ” brought him to fame in 2005. His style is a mix of jazz, rock and soul, and comparisons have been made between him and early Elton John. Along with vocals Blunt plays a wide variety of instruments including the piano, organ and guitar.
Blunt was educated at Harrow School and subsequently attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Before the release of his album, Blunt was an Officer in the British Army and served as a NATO peacekeeper in Kosovo. He was also on duty for the funeral of the Queen Mother on April 9, 2002, his duties included carrying her coffin.
Early success
James Blunt's debut single in the UK, "High", peaked below the Top 100 of the UK Singles Chart. However, the song was chosen to appear in a Vodafone commercial in Italy, and as a result ended up becoming a Top 10 hit in that country. His second single "Wisemen" improved upon that position with a #44 peak.
However, it was the third single, "You're Beautiful", that became Blunt's breakout hit. The song debuted at #12 in the UK, and demonstrated a rare trend of upward mobility on the UK charts, rising all the way to the #1 position, six weeks after its debut. The song also received massive airplay in the UK which was able to propel Back To Bedlam to #1 on the albums chart, unseating the record-breaking album X & Y by Coldplay from the pole position.
After the success of "You're Beautiful" in the UK, the song crossed over to mainland Europe, becoming one the biggest hits of summer 2005 across the continent. In the USA, "You're Beautiful" has not been released to radio, but despite that it is getting airplay at WPLJ, a prominent radio station in New York City.
The videos for all three of Blunt's singles to date feature symbolism and dark imagery. In the video for "High", he is buried in a desert. In the video for "Wisemen", he is kidnapped and taken hostage. In the video for "You're Beautiful", he alludes to suicide.
On December 3, 2005 James Blunt peformed on Saturday Night Live.
On December 9, 2005 James Blunt performed on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
Discography
Albums
* Back To Bedlam ” 11 October 2004 #1 UK, #1 AUS, #76 US
Singles
'From Back To Bedlam:'
* "High" ” 18 October 2004 #148 (#16 (re-release)) #90 AUS
* "Wise Men" ” 7 March 2005 #44 UK
* "You're Beautiful" ” 30 May 2005 #1 UK #46 US #2 AUS
* "Goodbye My Lover" ” 12 December 2005 #???
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