G4 were a four-piece British vocal troupe who first came to prominence when they finished second in ITV's talent show The X Factor in 2004. The members met at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, from which the name G4, standing for "Guildhall 4", derives.

[edit] The X Factor

G4 auditioned for the first series of The X Factor in 2004. Mentored by Louis Walsh, they reached the final, where they finished as runners-up to Steve Brookstein. Simon Cowell, who had mentored Steve Brookstein through the show, admitted later that G4 and Walsh were the real winners of the competition as they went on to outsell Brookstein.^[1]

[edit] X Factor performances

• Last 9: "Everybody Hurts"
• Last 8: "Don't Look Back in Anger"
• Last 7: "Baby One More Time"
• Last 6: "Circle of Life"
• Last 5: "My Way"
• Last 4: "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Somebody to Love"
• Semi-final: "O Holy Night" and "Bohemian Rhapsody"
• Final: "Nessun Dorma", "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Creep"

[edit] Post-X Factor

After The X Factor, G4 signed a £1.5 million album deal with Sony BMG.^[2] Having not been picked up by Cowell, Sony A&R Nick Raphael said that his label decided to pursue the band because, "We felt that they were the best act on the show."^[3] With the rules of The X Factor allowing any band or artist that doesn't win to sign with anyone,^[3] Sony competed with Universal and EMI for G4's signatures.^[3] Raphael believes their manager Louis Walsh accepted Sony BMG's advances because,

"We had a plan of how to work with the band, as opposed to our competitors who just had a desire to sign the band. ... We had a definitive release date, a definitive date to put out merchandise and we had already organised the structure to make the record."^[3]

Their debut album, G4, was released on 28 February 2005. It reached Number One for Mother's Day weekend 2005 and sold over 245,000 copies in the first week. Their debut single, a cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", was released on 14 March 2005, and entered the charts at #9. Their second album, G4 & Friends was released on 28 November 2005, and entered the charts at #6.

G4's third album Act Three was released on 27 November 2006. It entered the charts at #21.

In 2006, G4 made a special appearance at the American 4 July party at Winfield House, home of the US Ambassador to the UK, and sang "The Star-Spangled Banner".

On 5 April 2007, the band announced on GMTV that they would be splitting after their 2007 tour due to disagreements within the band. G4 made their final performance at Romsey on 28 July 2007.^[4][5]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

DVDs[link]

• Live at the Royal Albert Hall, released 28 November 2005

References[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2012)

Saint Andrew the Apostle
Saint Andrew the Apostle, icon by Bulgarian iconographer Yoan from Gabrovo, 19th century
Apostle, First-called
Born	early 1st century Bethsaida
Died	mid- to late 1st century AD Patras
Honored in	All Christianity
Major shrine	Church of St Andreas at Patras, with his relics
Feast	November 30
Attributes	Old man with long (in the East often untidy) white hair and beard, holding the Gospel Book or scroll, sometimes leaning on a saltire[citation needed]
Patronage	Scotland, Ukraine, Russia, Sicily, Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Diocese of Parañaque, Philippines, Amalfi, Luqa (Malta) and Prussia; Diocese of Victoria fishermen, fishmongers, rope-makers, golfers and performers

Saint Andrew (Greek: Ἀνδρέας, Andreas; from the early 1st century—mid to late 1st century AD), called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" (Greek: manly, brave, from ἀνδρεία, Andreia, "manhood, valour"), like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews, Christians, and other Hellenized peoples of the region. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him. He is considered the founder and the first bishop of the Church of Byzantium and is consequently the patron saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Life[link]

The New Testament states that Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter, by which it is inferred that he was likewise a son of John, or Jonah.^{[Mt. 16:17] [Jn. 1:42]} He was born in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee.^[Jn. 1:44] Both he and his brother Peter were fishermen by trade, hence the tradition that Jesus called them to be his disciples by saying that he will make them "fishers of men" (Greek: ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων, halieĩs anthrōpōn).^[1] At the beginning of Jesus' public life, they were said to have occupied the same house at Capernaum.^{[Mk. 1:21-29]}

The Gospel of John states that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, whose testimony first led him, and another unnamed disciple of John the Baptist, commonly thought to be John the Evangelist to follow Jesus.^{[Jn. 1:35-40]} Andrew at once recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and hastened to introduce him to his brother.^[Jn. 1:41] Thenceforth, the two brothers were disciples of Christ. On a subsequent occasion, prior to the final call to the Apostolate, they were called to a closer companionship, and then they left all things to follow Jesus.^[2]

In the gospels, Andrew is referred to as being present on some important occasions as one of the disciples more closely attached to Jesus,^[3] Andrew told Jesus about the boy with the loaves and fishes (John 6:8), with Philip told Jesus about the Greeks seeking Him (John 12:20), and was one of four (the others being Peter, James, and John) to hear Jesus' teaching about what would soon happen (Mark 13:3).

Eusebius quotes Origen as saying Andrew preached along the Black Sea as far as the Volga, Kiev and Novgorod. Hence he became a patron saint of Ukraine, Romania and Russia. According to tradition, he founded the See of Byzantium (Constantinople)^[4] in AD 38, installing Stachys as bishop. According to Hippolytus of Rome, he preached in Thrace, and his presence in Byzantium is also mentioned in the apocryphal Acts of Andrew, written in the 2nd century; Basil of Seleucia also knew of Apostle Andrew's mission in Thrace, as well as Scythia and Achaia.^[5] This diocese would later develop into the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Andrew is recognized as its patron saint.

Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras (Patræ) in Achaea, on the northern coast of the Peloponnese. Early texts, such as the Acts of Andrew known to Gregory of Tours,^[6] describe Andrew as bound, not nailed, to a Latin cross of the kind on which Jesus is said to have been crucified; yet a tradition developed that Andrew had been crucified on a cross of the form called Crux decussata (X-shaped cross, or "saltire"), now commonly known as a "Saint Andrew's Cross" — supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been.^[7] "The familiar iconography of his martyrdom, showing the apostle bound to an X-shaped cross, does not seem to have been standardized before the later Middle Ages," Judith Calvert concluded after re-examining the materials studied by Louis Réau.^[8]

Andrew is the patron saint of the city of Patras.

[edit] The Acts of Andrew

Crucifixion of St. Andrew.

The apocryphal Acts of Andrew, mentioned by Eusebius, Epiphanius and others, is among a disparate group of Acts of the Apostles that were traditionally attributed to Leucius Charinus. "These Acts (...) belong to the third century: ca. A.D. 260," was the opinion of M. R. James, who edited them in 1924. The Acts, as well as a Gospel of St Andrew, appear among rejected books in the Decretum Gelasianum connected with the name of Pope Gelasius I. The Acts of Andrew was edited and published by Constantin von Tischendorf in the Acta Apostolorum apocrypha (Leipzig, 1821), putting it for the first time into the hands of a critical professional readership. Another version of the Andrew legend is found in the Passio Andreae, published by Max Bonnet (Supplementum II Codicis apocryphi, Paris, 1895).

Relics[link]

Reliquary of St. Andrew at Patras.

The shrine to Saint Andreas in Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican City

Relics of the Apostle Andrew are kept at the Basilica of St Andrew in Patras, Greece; the Duomo di Sant'Andrea, Amalfi, Italy; St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland;^[9] and the Church of St Andrew and St Albert, Warsaw, Poland. There are also numerous smaller reliquaries throughout the world.

St Jerome wrote that the relics of St Andrew were taken from Patras to Constantinople by order of the Roman emperor Constantius II around 357 and deposited in the Church of the Holy Apostles. The head of Andrew was given by the Byzantine despot Thomas Palaeologus to Pope Pius II in 1461. It was enshrined in one of the four central piers of St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. In September 1964, Pope Paul VI, as a gesture of goodwill toward the Greek Orthodox Church, ordered that all of the relics of St Andrew that were in Vatican City be sent back to Patras. The relics, which consist of the small finger, part of the top of the cranium of Andrew, and small portions of the cross on which he was martyred, have since that time been kept in the Church of St Andrew at Patras in a special shrine and are revered in a special ceremony every November 30, his feast day.

Amalfi[link]

In 1208, following the sack of Constantinople, those relics of St Andrew and St Peter which remained in the imperial city were taken to Amalfi, Italy, by Cardinal Peter of Capua, a native of Amalfi. The Amalfi cathedral (Duomo), dedicated to St Andrew (as is the town itself), contains a tomb in its crypt that it maintains still contains the rest of the relics of the apostle. On 8 May 2008 the relic believed to be Andrew's head was returned to Amalfi Cathedral.

Traditions and legends[link]

Georgia[link]

The church tradition of Georgia regards St. Andrew as the first preacher of Christianity in the territory of Georgia and as the founder of the Georgian church. This tradition was apparently derived from the Byzantine sources, particularly Nicetas of Paphlagonia (died c. 890) who asserts that "Andrew preached to the Iberians, Sauromatians, Taurians, and Scythians and to every region and city, on the Black Sea, both north and south."^[10] The version was adopted by the 10th-11th-century Georgian ecclesiastics and, refurbished with more details, was inserted in the Georgian Chronicles. The story of St. Andrew’s mission in the Georgian lands endowed the Georgian church with apostolic origin and served as a defense argument to George the Hagiorite against the encroachments from the Antiochian church authorities on autocephaly of the Georgian church. Another Georgian monk, Ephraim the Minor, produced a thesis, reconciling St. Andrew’s story with an earlier evidence of the 4th-century conversion of Georgians by St. Nino and explaining the necessity of the “second Christening” by Nino. The thesis was made canonical by the Georgian church council in 1103.^[11][12]

Cyprus[link]

Cypriot tradition holds that a ship which was transporting Saint Andrew went off course and ran aground. Upon coming ashore, Andrew struck the rocks with his staff at which point a spring of healing waters gushed forth. Using it, the sight of the ship's captain, who had been blind in one eye, was restored. Thereafter, the site became a place of pilgrimage and a fortified monastery stood there in the 12th century, from which Isaac Comnenus negotiated his surrender to Richard the Lionheart. In the 15th century, a small chapel was built close to the shore. The main monaster of the current church dates to the 18th century.

Other pilgrammages are more recent. The story is told that in 1895, the son of a Maria Georgiou was kidnapped. Seventeen years later, Saint Andrew appeared to her in a dream, telling her to pray for her son's return at the monastery. Living in Anatolia, she embarked on the crossing to Cyprus on a very crowded boat. Telling her story during the journey, one of the passengers, a young Dervish priest became more and more interested. Asking if her son had any distinguishing marks, he stripped off his cloths to reveal the same marks and mother and son were thus reunited.^[13]

Apostolos Andreas Monastery (Greek: Απόστολος Ανδρέας) is a monastery dedicated to Saint Andrew situated just south of Cape Apostolos Andreas, which is the north-eastern most point of the island of Cyprus,in Rizokarpason in the Karpass Peninsula. The monastery is an important site to the Cypriot Orthodox Church. It was once known as 'the Lourdes of Cyprus', served not by an organized community of monks but by a changing group of volunteer priests and laymen. Both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities consider the monastery a holy place. As such it is visited by many people for votive prayers.

Malta[link]

The first reference regarding the first small chapel at Luqa dedicated to Andrew dates to 1497. The pastoral visit of Mgr. Pietro Dusina affirms that this chapel contained three altars, one of them dedicated to Andrew. The titular painting showing "Mary with Saints Andrew and Paul" was painted by the Maltese artist Filippo Dingli.

At one time, many fishermen lived in the village of Luqa, and this may be the main reason behind choosing Andrew as patron saint. The titular statue of Andrew was sculpted in wood by Giuseppe Scolaro in 1779. This statue underwent several restoration works including that of 1913 performed by the Maltese renowned artist Abraham Gatt. The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew on the main altar of the church was painted by Mattia Preti in 1687.

Romania[link]

The official stance of the Romanian Orthodox Church is that Andrew preached the Gospel to the Daco-Romans in the province of Dobrogea (Scythia Minor), whom he is said to have converted to Christianity. There have been some ancient Christian symbols found carved in a cave called Basarabi, near Constanţa harbor, which have been used for propaganda purposes in the communist era and beyond as part of the protochronism ideology, which purports that the Orthodox Church has been a companion and defender of the Romanian people for all of its history.^[14] This theory is largely dismissed by scholars.^{[citation needed]}

Ukraine, Romania, and Russia[link]

Naval Ensign of Russia

Naval Jack of Russia

Early Christian History in Ukraine holds that the apostle Andrew is said to have preached on the southern borders of modern-day Ukraine, along the Black Sea. Legend has it that he travelled up the Dnieper River and reached the future location of Kiev, where he erected a cross on the site where the St. Andrew's Church of Kiev currently stands, and prophesied the foundation of a great Christian city, Jerusalem of the Russian/Ukrainian land.

It was in the obvious interest of Kievan Rus' and its later Russian and Ukraninian successors, striving in numerous ways to link themselves with the political and religious heritage of Byzantium, to claim such a direct visit from the famous. Claiming direct lineage from St. Andrew also had the effect of disregarding any theological leanings of Greek Orthodoxy over which disagreement arose, since the actual "indirect" proselytising via Byzantium was bypassed altogether. Still, as the same source quotes [7], Andrew only preached to the southern shore of the Black Sea (current Turkey).

Scotland[link]

The Saltire (or "St. Andrew's Cross") is the national flag of Scotland

St. Andrew carving c.1500 in the National Museum of Scotland

About the middle of the 10th century, Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland. Several legends state that the relics of Andrew were brought under supernatural guidance from Constantinople to the place where the modern town of St Andrews stands today (Gaelic, Cill Rìmhinn).

The oldest surviving manuscripts are two: one is among the manuscripts collected by Jean-Baptiste Colbert and willed to Louis XIV of France, now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, the other in the Harleian Mss in the British Library, London. They state that the relics of Andrew were brought by one Regulus to the Pictish king Óengus mac Fergusa (729–761). The only historical Regulus (Riagail or Rule) (whose name is preserved in the tower of St Rule was an Irish monk expelled from Ireland with Saint Columba; his dates, however, are c 573 – 600. There are good reasons for supposing that the relics were originally in the collection of Acca, bishop of Hexham, who took them into Pictish country when he was driven from Hexham (c. 732), and founded a see, not, according to tradition, in Galloway, but on the site of St Andrews. The connection made with Regulus is, therefore, due in all probability to the desire to date the foundation of the church at St Andrews as early as possible.

According to legend, in 832 AD, Óengus II led an army of Picts and Scots into battle against the Angles, led by Æthelstan, near modern-day Athelstaneford, East Lothian. The legend states that he was heavily outnumbered and hence whilst engaged in prayer on the eve of battle, Óengus vowed that if granted victory he would appoint Saint Andrew as the Patron Saint of Scotland. On the morning of battle white clouds forming an X shape in the sky were said to have appeared. Óengus and his combined force, emboldened by this apparent divine intervention, took to the field and despite being inferior in terms of numbers were victorious. Having interpreted the cloud phenomenon as representing the crux decussata upon which Saint Andrew was crucified, Óengus honoured his pre-battle pledge and duly appointed Saint Andrew as the Patron Saint of Scotland. The white saltire set against a celestial blue background is said to have been adopted as the design of the flag of Scotland on the basis of this legend.^[15] However, there is evidence Andrew was venerated in Scotland before this.

Andrew's connection with Scotland may have been reinforced following the Synod of Whitby, when the Celtic Church felt that Columba had been "outranked" by Peter and that Peter's brother would make a higher ranking patron. The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath cites Scotland's conversion to Christianity by Andrew, "the first to be an Apostle". Numerous parish churches in the Church of Scotland and congregations of other Christian churches in Scotland are named after Andrew. The national church of the Scottish people in Rome, Sant'Andrea degli Scozzesi is dedicated to St Andrew.

Legacy[link]

Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Patras in Greece, Amalfi in Italy, Luqa in Malta, and Esgueira in Portugal. He was also the patron saint of Prussia and of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The flag of Scotland (and consequently the Union Flag which also features on the flags of Australia, New Zealand and the arms and flag of Nova Scotia) feature St Andrew's saltire cross. The saltire is also the flag of Tenerife, the flag of Galicia and the naval jack of Russia. The Confederate flag also features a saltire commonly referred to as a St Andrew's cross, although its designer, William Porcher Miles, said he changed it from an upright cross to a saltire so that it would not be a religious symbol but merely a heraldic device. The Florida and Alabama flags also show that device. Andrew is also the patron saint of the U.S. Army Rangers.

The feast of Andrew is observed on November 30 in both the Eastern and Western churches, and is the national day of Scotland. In the traditional liturgical books of the Catholic Church, the feast of St. Andrew is the first feast day in the Proper of Saints.

See also[link]

Christianity portal

• Saint Andrew of Patras
• Andrew
• Order of Saint Andrew
• Patron saints of places
• Roman Catholic calendar of saints
• St Andrew's Day
• St Andrews (disambiguation)
• Santo André, an industrial town in Brazil
• New Saint Andrews College
• St. Andrew's College (Ontario), an all-boys independent school in Ontario, Canada named after St. Andrew. On the driveway to the main building, there is the St. Andrew statue.
• Universidad de San Andrés, Argentina, named after the saint
• University of St Andrews, named after the Royal Burgh of St Andrews, which was named after the saint

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Metzger, Bruce M. (ed); , Michael D. Coogan (ed) (1993). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504645-5. 
• Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-14-051312-4.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Saint Andrew

• The Life and Miracles of St. Andrew The Apostle
• St. Andrew in the National Archives of Scotland
• Andreas: The Legend of St. Andrew translated by Robert Kilburn Root, 1899, from Project Gutenberg
• Paintings and Statues of Saint Andrew in Malta and around the world
• National Shrine to St Andrew in Edinburgh Scotland
• Scottish Government Celebrations of St. Andrew's Day
• Grimm's Saga No. 150 about St. Andrew
• St. Andrew page at Christian Iconography
• "The Life of St. Andrew" from Caxton's translation of the Golden Legend

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

The Edgar Broughton Band, founded in 1968 in Warwick, England, is an English Psychedelic Rock group.

Career[link]

The band started their career as a blues group under the name of The Edgar Broughton Blues Band, playing to a dedicated but limited following in the region around their hometown of Warwick. However, when the band began to lean towards the emerging psychedelic movement, dropping the 'Blues' from their name as well as their music, Victor Unitt left.

In 1968, the Broughtons moved to Notting Hill Gate, London, seeking a recording contract and a wider audience, and were picked up by Blackhill Enterprises. Blackhill landed them their first record deal, on EMI's progressive rock label Harvest Records, in December 1968. Their first single was "Evil"/"Death of an Electric Citizen", released in June 1969, which was also the first single released by Harvest.

The first single was followed by the Broughtons' first album, Wasa Wasa. Wasa Wasa retained a heavily blues influenced sound that was hard-driven and propelled by Edgar Broughton's gritty vocal style, which was similar to that of Captain Beefheart and Howlin' Wolf.^[1] After a series of free concerts, many performed on the back of trucks and in the face of police harassment, the Broughtons entered into an attempt to capture their ferocious live sound on record by organising a performance at Abbey Road on 9 December 1969. Only one track was released at the time: a rendition of "Out, Demons Out!", an adaptation of The Fugs' song "Exorcising The Demons Out Of The Pentagon", which had become the band's set-closer and anthem. The rest of the recording was lost until its rediscovery and release in a remixed form in 2004 as Keep Them Freaks a Rollin': Live at Abbey Road 1969.

The Edgar Broughton Band kept recording, releasing the live performance of "Out Demons, Out!" as a single (b/w "Momma's Reward (Keep Those Freaks a Rollin')") and following it, in June 1970, with the album Sing Brother Sing. This was accompanied by the single "Up Yours!" (b/w "Officer Dan"), a polemic on the 1970 General Election declaring their intention to drop out. The song featured a string arrangement by David Bedford.

Their next single, "Apache Dropout", combined The Shadows' "Apache" with Captain Beefheart's "Drop Out Boogie". It was played (to astonished and puzzled reactions) on the David Jacobs' hosted BBC Television's Juke Box Jury. Jerry Lordan, the composer of "Apache", insisted that the title be "Apache Dropout" instead of the original "Dropout Apache". The single reached #33 on the UK Singles Chart, stalling partly due to the then-current postal strike.^{[citation needed]}

In 1971, the band decided that existence as a power trio was limiting, and asked Victor Unitt, who had been playing meanwhile in The Pretty Things, to rejoin the band. In May, with the new lineup, they released possibly their finest work: their eponymous third album, which contained the classic "Evening Over Rooftops" (again with strings by David Bedford which Edgar Broughton called "stunning"). Edgar Broughton Band contained heavy blues and even country influences. Mike Oldfield also featured, on "Thinking Of You". This album has been said to mark the highest point in the Broughtons' career because of its sense of wholeness and completeness (while not straying into concept album territory).

The album was followed by the release of the double A-side "Hotel Room"/"Call Me A Liar". This was played by Tony Blackburn as his 'record of the week' upon its release: Edgar Broughton recalled him saying that "he hated everything that we stood for, but that the single was the best thing he had heard that year". The single failed to chart, but the album sold well throughout Europe, especially in Germany.

With the success of their third album, the Broughtons relocated to Devon to begin recording for their next album, Inside Out, after which Unitt departed.

In 1975 the band signed to NEMS. In the same year, John Thomas joined the band on guitar for the Broughtons' sixth album, Bandages. This featured a softer sound than previous releases. Shortly after the release of Bandages, John Thomas left and was replaced by Terry Cottam. In 1976, having recorded the live album Live Hits Harder (which was not released until 1979), the Edgar Broughton Band dissolved.

However, Edgar and Steve Broughton together with Grant regrouped as The Broughtons to release Parlez-Vous English? in 1979, with Tom Nordon and Pete Tolsen playing guitar and Richard DeBastion on keyboards. These supplementary musicians were not retained after the release of the album, but Tom Norden was used again, along with keyboardist Dennis Haines, for Superchip, released in 1982.

After this the band returned to a hiatus, recording no more studio material but touring infrequently throughout the 1980s and 1990s. A mini-tour in 1989 included a gig at The Oval in London. Following another lengthy hiatus with occasional gigs, the band returned to live action in 2006 after the re-issue of their back catalogue had stimulated new interest in their work. They had a mini tour of England and Germany then completed a European tour in 2007, including an appearance at the German Burg Herzberg Festival.

The Edgar Broughton Band disbanded in 2010, with Edgar Broughton opting to continue to perform as a solo artist.

Band details[link]

• Edgar Broughton (born Robert Edgar Broughton, (1947-10-27) October 27, 1947 (age 64), Warwick, Warwickshire).
• Steve Broughton (born Stephen Alex Broughton, (1950-05-20) May 20, 1950 (age 62), Warwick).
• Art Grant (born Arthur James Grant, (1950-05-14) May 14, 1950 (age 62), Leamington Spa, Warwickshire).
• Luke Broughton (born Luke Alex Broughton, (1980-01-16) January 16, 1980 (age 32), London)

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Wasa Wasa (1969) - did not chart
• Sing Brother Sing (1970) - #18 UK^[2]
• Edgar Broughton Band (1971) - #28 UK^[2]
• Inside Out (1972)
• Oora (1973)
• Bandages (1975)
• Parlez-Vous English? (1979) (as The Broughtons)
• Superchip (1982) (subtitled 'The Final Silicon Solution?')

Compilations[link]

• A Bunch Of 45s (1975)
• The Legendary Edgar Broughton Band (1984)
• Out Demons Out: The Best of the Edgar Broughton Band (1986)
• As Was: The Best of the Edgar Broughton Band (1988)
• Classic Album and Single Tracks 1969-73 (1992)
• Edgar Broughton Band: In Side Out (1993)
• The Very Best Of The Edgar Broughton Band - Out Demons Out! (2001)
• Bandages & Chilly Mornings (2006)

The Edgar Broughton Band has also appeared on several Harvest Records compilations:

• Picnic - A Breath of Fresh Air (1970)
• The Harvest Bag (1971)
• Harvest Sweeties (1971)
• Harvest Heritage 20 Greats (1977)
• Harvest Festival (1999)

Live albums[link]

• Chilly Morning Mama - Live (1998)
• Live Hits Harder (1979)
• Demons at the Beeb, Live (2000)
• Keep Them Freaks a Rollin': Live at Abbey Road 1969 (2004)

Singles[link]

• "Evil" / "Death of an Electric Citizen" (1969)
• "Out Demons Out" / "Momma's Reward" (1970) - #39 UK^[2]
• "Up Yours!" / "Officer Dan" (1970)
• "Apache Drop Out" / "Freedom" (1970) - #33 UK^[2]
• "Hotel Room" / "Call Me A Liar" (1971)
• "Gone Blue" / "Someone" / "Mr. Crosby" (1972)

DVDs[link]

• Live at Rockpalast (2006) - performance by the band for German Television.

See also[link]

• List of anarchist musicians
• List of Peel Sessions

References[link]

External links[link]

• Edgar Broughton Band lyrics
• A review of an Edgar Broughton Band gig in 1998
• Edgar Broughton Yahoo Group
• Edgar Broughton - official website

v t e British Underground People Stephen Abrams Nicholas Albery Tariq Ali Jim Anderson Edward Barker Syd Barrett Mark Boyle Joe Boyd Barney Bubbles Bob Cobbing Caroline Coon Felix Dennis Robin Farquharson Mick Farren Duggie Fields Germaine Greer Hapshash and the Coloured Coat Jim Haynes Wally Hope John 'Hoppy' Hopkins Michael Horovitz Peter Jenner & Andrew King Mike Lesser Niall McDevitt Tom McGrath John Michell Barry Miles Richard Neville Jeff Nuttall John Peel Aubrey Powell Sid Rawle Craig Sams Gregory Sams Martin Sharp Nicholas Saunders Storm Thorgerson Steve Peregrin Took Alexander Trocchi Heathcote Williams Ubi Dwyer Publications Alternative London Brighton Voice Children of Albion: Poetry of the Underground in Britain The Black Dwarf Friends Gandalf's Garden Gay News Ink International Times The Mersey Sound Oz Schoolkids OZ Peace News Seed - The Journal of Organic Living Spare Rib Bands AMM Arthur Brown Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band Edgar Broughton Band Delivery The Deviants Fairport Convention Family Gong Hawkwind The Incredible String Band Pink Fairies Pink Floyd The Pretty Things The Purple Gang Quintessence Soft Machine Third Ear Band Tomorrow Events International Poetry Incarnation The 14 Hour Technicolour Dream Phun City Windsor Free Festival Other Arts Lab Better Books BIT Compendium Books Games for May Granny Takes a Trip Indica Gallery London Free School London Film-Makers' Co-op Mr. Freedom (London) Release Seed Macrobiotic Restaurant UFO Club See also British Poetry Revival Counterculture English underground Freak scene Youth subculture

Jonathan Ansell
English tenor Jonathan Ansell at Broadlands in Hampshire, England, in 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Jonathan Mark Ansell
Born	(1982-03-10) 10 March 1982 (age 30)
Origin	Bognor Regis, Sussex, England
Genres	Classical Easy listening Operatic pop Vocal
Occupations	Singer Tenor
Years active	2004–present
Labels	UCJ
Website	jonathanansell.com

Jonathan Mark Ansell (born 10 March 1982) is an English singer, formerly the high tenor of the vocal group G4.

Jonathan Ansell was born in Bognor Regis in 1982, where both his parents were primary school teachers. Influenced by his mother’s tapes of Pavarotti and the Three Tenors, Jonathan joined the West Sussex Boys' Choir conducted by Arthur Robson, at the age of eight. He toured extensively with the choir to Florida, Germany, and France, performed in the Royal Festival Hall and sang many times in Arundel Cathedral, to great acclaim. Jonathan stayed with the choir until his voice broke at the age of 16^[1] when he lost the ability to sing treble but after puberty found he had developed a high tenor voice instead.

He attended the Anglican Bishop Luffa School in Chichester. Achieved his Grade 8 as a treble at 13, he received his Grade 8 as a tenor at 17. He published a solo album in 2001 with his savings.

After a show-stopping performance of Love Changes Everything at a choral society concert in Littlehampton, his local MP Howard Flight, who was in the audience, arranged for him to have a preliminary audition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Jonathan suffered from Glandular Fever from early September 1999 to mid-February 2000 and the audition was due during this period, luckily, they agreed to rearrange it.^[2] He worked with his music teacher Martin Elliott, with whom he'd had private lessons since he was 13, and went back to basics, gradually building up vocal strength. He won a place at the Guildhall two years later, and felt he had come home.^[3]

Whilst at the Guildhall Jonathan's singing teacher was Adrian Thompson who has a similar voice to Jonathan and he described their lessons as working together. At that time Jonathan tried his hardest at the academic studies but fell below the standard – he was diagnosed as dyslexic – and the Guildhall were not sure that he should stay, but he managed to convince them and was incredibly grateful.^[1]

G4[link]

Whilst he was at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama he formed the pop-opera boyband G4 with Mike Christie, Tom Lowe, and Ben Thapa, three other Guildhall students. Later, due to artistic differences, Tom Lowe resigned as bass, and Matthew Stiff took his place. Their name, G4, comes from the fact that they were all students at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and stands for Guildhall 4.

G4 were discovered after finishing second on ITV talent show The X Factor in 2004. G4's self-titled debut album produced by the legendary Trevor Horn and Brian Rawling, reached Number One for Mother's Day weekend 2005 and sold over 245,000 copies in the first week. In total they released 3 albums, sold in excess of 1.5 million albums in the UK, completed 5 sell-out UK tours, sold in excess of 40,000 Live at the Royal Albert Hall DVDs (one of the concerts on their first tour) and also released a best selling autobiography Our Way.

Jonathan turned down the role of Prince Tamino in Kenneth Branagh's film of Mozart's The Magic Flute to stay with the band and continue recording.

On 5 April 2007, G4 announced on GMTV that they were calling it a day at the end of July 2007.

Solo career[link]

Jonathan signed with new management Jonathan Shalit in 2007 and secured a £1 million, 5 album deal with Universal Classics and Jazz (UCJ) which is part of the Universal Music Group. He was offered an album deal by the three major labels, EMI, Sony and Universal.^[4] His first solo album with UCJ, Tenor at the Movies, was released on 18 February 2008.

For 5 Sunday afternoons from 17 February 2008 Jonathan Ansell presented The Great Movie Composers on ClassicFM coinciding with the release of his solo album.

On 24 February 2008, Jonathan's album Tenor at the Movies went straight to number 1 in the Classical Chart and stayed there for 3 weeks and reached Number 9 in mainstream charts making him the youngest tenor ever to top the Classical Charts.

Jonathan participated in a celebrity edition of Channel 4 show Come Dine With Me on 10 April 2008, along with fellow celebrities MC Harvey, Tamara Beckwith and Lynsey de Paul. Jonathan came in joint first place with MC Harvey, both of whom scored 21 points.

On 8 May 2008, Jonathan's participation in BBC programme Ready Steady Cook against Hayley Westenra was broadcast.

In the evening of 8 May 2008, Jonathan performed Un Giorno Per Noi with Hayley Westenra at the Classical Brits, Royal Albert Hall.

During June 2008, Jonathan and England and Arsenal striker Kelly Smith won the British Lung Foundation's male and female 'Lungs of the Year 2008' award in recognition of the fantastic use they have made of their lungs over the past year.^[5]

In a Q&A session with the BBC's Last Choir Standing website, Jonathan gave his views on the benefits of being part of a choir: "People see choirs on stage and predominantly it looks quite square... but off stage that's where all the fun happens - in rehearsals, messing about, lunch breaks, interacting with new people. That, for me, is what choirs are all about – having that fun both on and off stage."^[6] Jonathan made a guest appearance on Last Choir Standing (Results Show) on 3 August 2008 performing "Barcelona".^[7]

On Sunday, 17 August 2008, Jonathan participated in the tribute concert Lyrics by Don Black which was held at the London Palladium featuring performances of Black's songs by a selection of guest artists. He performed the duet Amigos Para Siempre with Hayley Westenra, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The evening, hosted by Michael Parkinson was recorded by BBC Radio 2 Friday Night is Music Night and broadcast on Friday, 22 August 2008.^[8]

One of the tracks on his second album Forever is "Hearts of England", the 2008 Rugby League World Cup song composed by Patrick Hawes and his brother Andrew. He performed it live at the Rugby League Carnegie Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, 30 August 2008.^[9]

For the second weekend running Jonathan performed a track from his album Forever live at Wembley, this time to sing the footballing anthem Nessun Dorma at Soccer Aid on Sunday, 7 September whilst the teams were presented to Sir Geoff Hurst.

Before his G4 days, Jonathan worked in Jersey with a Gilbert and Sullivan operatic society and during September 2008 returned to his roots by taking on the role of Nanki-Poo in the Carl Rosa Opera Company's production of The Mikado at both the Richmond Theatre and Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham.^[10]

Jonathan performed alongside Hayley Westenra at Music on Fire! at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 18, 19 and 20 September 2008 - a stunning musical and firework spectacular organised by the Army Benevolent Fund to raise funds for veterans of current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.^[11]

The third series of The Alan Titchmarsh Show featured the start of a competition to find a soprano to sing alongside Jonathan in the A Night At The Opera tour^[12] on Monday, 1 September 2008. From the thousands of hopefuls who applied, 8 ladies were selected to sing in front of a judging panel of David Grant, Ruthie Henshall and Jonathan Shalit. The 4 successful ladies Rosie Bell,^[13] Rosie Havel,^[14] Olivia Safe and Esther Dee^[15] faced a public vote on 15 September 2008 and Olivia Safe and Rosie Bell won through. They sang with Jonathan Libiamo ne' lieti calici, the most famous duet from Verdi's La Traviata on 29 September 2008 and Olivia Safe won the public vote to appear in the tour of A Night At the Opera.

A Night At the Opera had its first performance at the Cardiff Millennium Centre on 30 October 2008 and toured 18 venues in the UK ending at the London Palladium on 23 November 2008.^[12] The show co-stars Silvia Colloca, Telman Guzhevsky, Anna-Clare Monk, Toby Stafford Allen and Olivia Safe. Jonathan describes A Night At the Opera as "All the big tunes that you know from the world of opera compressed into one show. It's not just a gala performance, there's also a narrative in it. All the characters are there and you go on a journey with them. It's kind of like the opera you normally go and see, but you know all of it rather than waiting two hours for the aria you recognise."^[16]

On Saturday, 8 November 2008, Jonathan performed at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, he performed "Today Won't Come Again" with Hayley Westenra, composer Geoff Stevens, lyrics by Don Black and sang Here's to the Heroes composer John Barry, lyrics by Don Black, when the returning forces came into the auditorium.

During February 2009, Jonathan toured with Hayley Westenra in The Valentines Tour.^[17]

At the England versus Scotland Six Nations Rugby Match at Twickenham on 21 March 2009 Jonathan sang the English National Anthem at Twickenham. During Easter Week, 7 April 2009 Jonathan appeared in Dictionary Corner on Channel 4's Countdown.

Jonathan was nominated for the Classical Brits 2009 "Album of the Year" with Tenor at the Movies.^[18]

On Monday 30 November 2009, Jonathan launched the This Morning's Christmas Choir.^[19] This is a Virtual Choir brought together via individual viewers posting unaccompanied video clips of their singing We Wish You A Merry Christmas on YouTube. Participants should download the music and lyrics, record the song listening to the music on headphones and then post the video to The Morning page on YouTube. Jonathan will be leading the choir and picking viewers to take part in the final virtual choir performance live on This Morning on 23 December 2009. On 3 December 2009, some video clips were broadcast to show viewers what This Morning are after for their Choir.

In 2010, Jonathan made his musical theatre début as The Man in the Bill Kenwright touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's Whistle Down The Wind. Opening at the Liverpool Empire on 20 January, Jonathan performed an intensive eight shows a week for the entire eight month UK tour.^[20]

Jonathan played Boemer and 2 other characters in the 2010 National Tour of Lark Rise to Candleford directed by Joe Harmston^[21] starting at the Theatre Royal Windsor in September 2010.

On 16 March 2011 Jonathan announced the dates for the Jonathan Ansell and Friends Tour starting in June 2011.^[22]

Jonathan will be playing the role of the Prince / Beast in a national tour of "Beauty and the Beast" for New World Productions in April and May 2011

In January 2012 Jonathan launched a new album project through Pledge Music, The album will be a mix of pop/rock covers and classics.^[23]

Philanthropy and charity[link]

Jonathan has long been a supporter of Breast Cancer Care because his father's twin sister Brenda died from the condition. He participated in the London Triathlon in 2007, performed at their London Fashion Show and Carols by Candlelight Service as well as donating his winnings from Who Wants to be Millionaire and Come Dine with Me.

In Oct 2008 Jonathan and Christchurch soprano Hayley Westenra took to the streets to sell poppies at Waterloo Station to support the Royal British Legion.^[24] On 12 Nov, Jonathan duet "Today Won't Come Again" with Hayley Westenra in the Royal Albert Hall for the Annual Festival of Remembrance and was broadcast by the BBC.^[25]

In April 2009 Jonathan was appointed as an Ambassador for the charity Breast Cancer Care. Jonathan’s first role as Ambassador was to participate in the JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race on 20 June 2009.^[26]

Jonathan was the benchmark flyer for the Worthing International Birdman challenge where contestants attempt mechanically unaided flight off the end of Worthing pier. On a JustGiving website,^[27] Jonathan said: "The thought of leading the way as the benchmark flyer in front of 25,000 people is obviously terrifying, but it is going to be a lot of fun and, most importantly, a brilliant opportunity for me to raise funds for Breast Cancer Care, a charity that is very close to my heart." ^[28] He managed 16.04 metres, sporting a Mr Incredible-style pink hairdo.^[29]

Personal life[link]

In an interview Jonathan spoke about how he looks after his greatest asset; his lyric tenor voice.^[30]

"I'm not one of those fussy singers who won't be in a car with air conditioning, eat dairy products or go out drinking. I treat my voice with respect, but I also give it a level of abuse, so that it's actually resilient as well. If I'm slightly under the weather I can still perform well. Whereas, if I'd been wrapped in cotton wool and something happened I'd get paranoid. I've trained my voice to deal with the bugs and the smoke and everything else."

Jonathan wears a ring on his right hand. Its history is that a friend made it in a silver-smithing class at school and gave it to him. He then bought the one he now wears as a present to himself when G4 signed their first record deal.^[31]

After meeting her in a London club^[32] Ansell proposed to former Quizmania host Debbie King on stage at the end of his final show of A Night at the Opera at the London Palladium on 23 November 2008. The couple married on Sunday 30 August 2009 on the 40th floor of 30 St Mary Axe. On 14 May 2010, Ansell announced he and King were expecting their first child.^[33] King gave birth at 02:00 on 24 November 2010 to Siena Valentine Ansell.^[34]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Tenor at the Movies
• Forever
• Intimate Sunday

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Jonathan Ansell Website
• Follow Jonathan Ansell on Twitter
• Jonathan Ansell Official Fan Page on Facebook
• Jonathan Ansell at ClassicalX Jonathan Ansell section at ClassicalX
• Official Record Label Website