John Wesley Harding | |
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Wesley Stace in Paris, c. 2007
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Background information | |
Birth name | Wesley Stace |
Born |
Hastings, East Sussex, England United Kingdom |
22 October 1965
Genres |
Singer-songwriter, rock, Pop, Folk |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, author |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
Labels | Yep Roc Records |
Singer-songwriter, rock,
Wesley Stace (born 22 October 1965) is a folk/pop singer-songwriter and author who has used the stage name John Wesley Harding. Under his legal name, he has written four novels. He is also a university teacher and the curator of Wesley Stace's Cabinet of Wonders.
His given name, Wesley, comes from John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who preached one of his last sermons near the town where Harding was born.
Stace took his stage name from the Bob Dylan 1967 album John Wesley Harding, for which Dylan misspelled the outlaw John Wesley Hardin's name, adding a final 'g'.
Stace was born in Hastings, East Sussex, England. His education included the boarding school St. Andrews School (Pangbourne, Berkshire); Milbourne Lodge (Claygate, Surrey); The King's School Canterbury; and university at Jesus College, Cambridge. He left Cambridge with a First in English Literature, but left before completing his PhD in Social and Political Science. Since 1991, Harding has lived in the United States, most recently in Philadelphia. His sister, Melanie Stace, is a performing artist.
Stace often plays solo, but has also done concerts with various backing bands, most recently the English UK. As John Wesley Harding, he has released 17 albums, including 2009's Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead which he recorded with The Minus 5. His subsequent album, "The Sound of His Own Voice", featured members of that band as well as The Decemberists and was released in 2011. His work includes "I'm Wrong About Everything", which was included on the soundtrack for High Fidelity. He has also covered the Madonna song, "Like a Prayer".