ARTIST

James Blunt

British singer/songwriter James Blunt began playing the piano and violin as a child, but there was no CD or record player in the home he grew up in. In fact, he didn't hear much rock or pop music until he went away to boarding school. It was then that he started listening to The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin. When he was 14 years old, James starting playing the guitar and writing his own songs.

After graduating from Bristol University when he was 21, James joined the British army. In 1999 he was sent to Kosovo as part of the peacekeeping force. He would later write the song "No Bravery" about this time in his life. After returning to the U.K., James served in the Life Guard. One of his duties was escorting the Queen of England during special ceremonies. During his last year of service in London, he spent his nights writing songs that would eventually end up on his first album.

In 2002, James left the army and became a full-time musician. In 2003, he went to the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, where he was spotted by a producer who gave him a record deal. Soon he was in Los Angeles, recording his first album, "Back to Bedlam." The album was released in the U.K. in 2004 and in the U.S. in 2005. One of the songs on the album, "You're Beautiful," became a huge hit in both countries. Thanks in part to the popularity of that song, "Back to Bedlam" became a quadruple platinum-selling album. In 2006, "You're Beautiful" won Best Male Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Written by Michele Meyer