Song:You're Beautiful
Album:Back To Bedlam
British singer songwriter James Blunt burst upon the music scene with the 2005 worldwide chart topper You're Beautiful. I don't think he'll have another hit like that but he probably doesn't need it. Also, he's a much bigger deal in England than here. He was born James Hillier Blount Feb. 22, 1974 in Tidworth, Wiltshire, England. He took the stage name James Blunt in 2002 so folks would pronounce his name properly. His dad was a colonel in the British Army. Blunt earned a degree in sociology at the University Of Bristol. His schooling was paid for by the Army so he spent six years there and was a captain. So he could have had a career there just like his dad. But he wanted to pursue a career in music and left the Army in 2002. He signed a publishing deal with EMI but had trouble getting a record deal. Some record companies thought he sounded too upper crust British. 4 Non Blondes leader Linda Perry was starting her label Custard and heard Blunt's demo. She saw him perform at South By Southwest and immediately signed him. Custard is distributed by Atlantic Records. She sent Blunt to producer Tom Rothrock in Los Angeles. Rothrock produced Elliott Smith's recordings and Blunt was thought to be similar to Smith. Back To Bedlam was released in Oct. 2004. It didn't do much at first. The first two singles charted in England but not in the US. But You're Beautiful was Blunt's first number one single in England. It then took over Europe and was first played in the US by New York radio station WPLJ. Blunt was the first British artist to top the US Singles chart since Elton John in 1996. The album sold eleven million copies worldwide. Supposedly, Blunt wrote You're Beautiful for an ex-girlfriend but he has never confirmed or denied that. Blunt has recorded two albums since then and though neither album had a hit single or sold as well as Back To Bedlam, I don't think that should be expected. His singles still chart in England. His fanbase is big enough now that he shouldn't need another hit like You're Beautiful. He has a long career ahead of him. Here's the video for You're Beautiful by James Blunt.
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