Ed Harcourt
| Ed Harcourt | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edward Henry Richard Harcourt-Smith |
| Born | 14 August 1977 |
| Origin | Wimbledon, London, England |
| Genres | Chamber pop, indie pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, writer, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Heavenly, Piano Wolf Recordings |
| Associated acts | Sophie Ellis-Bextor |
| Website | www |
Ed Harcourt is an English singer-songwriter. To date, he has released six studio albums, two EPs, and thirteen singles. His debut album, Here Be Monsters, was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Prize. Since 2007 he has been writing for other artists, including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Paloma Faith and performed with Marianne Faithfull and the Libertines. His music is influenced by Tom Waits, Nick Cave, and Jeff Buckley, among others.
Harcourt was born Edward Henry Richard Harcourt-Smith on 14 August 1977, in Wimbledon, London, England.[1] The youngest of three, Harcourt is the son of Maj. Charles Harcourt-Smith (Life Guards) and a former diplomat, and his wife Sabrina, an art historian. He began to study piano at the age of nine and achieved grade 8 when he was 17. He declined the offer to study music citing "the idea of having to analyse, dissect and everything [of one piece of music] would completely destroy any enjoyment".
Before going solo, Harcourt played the bass and keyboards for Snug, a band formed in the mid-1990s by Harcourt, James Deane, Ed Groves, and Johnny Lewsley at school. The band recorded two albums and a handful of singles together before dissolving.
In 2000, Harcourt recorded his debut mini-album Maplewood EP straight to a 4-track recorder at Wootton Manor. After signing with Heavenly Records and releasing Maplewood in November 2000, Harcourt recorded his debut studio album Here Be Monsters with producers Gil Norton and Tim Holmes. The album was released in June 2001, and charted on the UK Albums Chart at No. 84. One month after its release, the album was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Prize. He later described the period as "very strange for me, I was naive, I knew nothing. I was used to making music in my room, so it felt very odd being on stage". In the US he signed with Capitol Records.
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