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A joint-stock company is a business entity which is owned by shareholders. Each shareholder owns the portion of the company in proportion to his or her ownership of the company's shares (certificates of ownership).^[1] This allows for the unequal ownership of a business with some shareholders owing a larger proportion of a company than others. Shareholders are able to transfer their shares to others without any effects to the continued existence of the company.^[2]

In modern corporate law, the existence of a joint-stock company is often synonymous with incorporation (i.e. possession of legal personality separate from shareholders) and limited liability (meaning that the shareholders are only liable for the company's debts to the value of the money they invested in the company). And as a consequence joint-stock companies are commonly known as corporations or limited companies.

Some jurisdictions still provide the possibility of registering joint-stock companies without limited liability. In the United Kingdom and other countries which have adopted their model of company law, these are known as unlimited companies. In the United States, they are, somewhat confusingly, known as joint-stock companies.

Advantages[link]

Ownership of stock confers a large number of privileges. The company is managed on behalf of the shareholders by a Board of Directors, elected at an Annual General Meeting. The shareholders also vote to accept or reject an Annual Report and audited set of accounts. Individual shareholders can sometimes stand for directorships within the company, should a vacancy occur, but this is uncommon.

The shareholders are usually liable for any of the company debts that exceed the company's ability to pay. However, the limit of their liability only extends to the face value of their shareholding. This concept of limited liability largely accounts for the success of this form of business organization.

Ordinary shares entitle the owner to a share in the company's net profit. This is calculated in the following way: the net profit is divided by the total number of owned shares, producing a notional value per share, known as a dividend. The individual's share of the profit is thus the dividend multiplied by the number of shares that they own.^[3]

Early joint-stock companies[link]

The transfer letter dated 1288 through which bishop Peter of Västerås re-acquires 1/8 of Tiskasjöberg, i.e. Kopparberget. The original can be found at Riksarkivet (National Archive) in Stockholm.

Finding the earliest joint-stock company is a matter of definition. Around 1250 in France at Toulouse, 96 shares of the Société des Moulins du Bazacle, or Bazacle Milling Company were traded at a value that depended on the profitability of the mills the society owned.^[4] The Swedish company Stora has documented a stock transfer for 1/8 of the company (or more specifically, the mountain in which the copper resource was available) as early as 1288.

In more recent history, the English were first with joint-stock companies. The earliest recognized company was the Company of Merchant Adventurers to New Lands, chartered in 1553 with 250 shareholders. Russia's Muscovy Company, which had a monopoly on trade between Moscow and London, was chartered soon after in 1555. The much more famous, wealthy and powerful English (later British) East India Company was granted an English Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intention of favouring trade privileges in India. The Royal Charter effectively gave the newly created Honourable East India Company a 15-year monopoly on all trade in the East Indies.^[5] The Company transformed from a commercial trading venture to one that virtually ruled India as it acquired auxiliary governmental and military functions, until its dissolution.

The East India Company's flag initially had the flag of England, St George's Cross, in the corner.

Soon afterwards, in 1602, the Dutch East India Company issued shares, that were made tradeable on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. An invention that enhanced the ability of joint-stock companies to attract capital from investors as they now easily could dispose their shares.

During the period of colonialism, Europeans, initially the British, trading with the Near East for goods, pepper and calico for example, enjoyed spreading the risk of trade over multiple sea voyages. The joint-stock company became a more viable financial structure than previous guilds or state-regulated companies. The first joint-stock companies to be implemented in the Americas were The London Company and The Plymouth Company.

Transferable shares often earned positive returns on equity, which is evidenced by investment in companies like the British East India Company, which used the financing model to manage trade in India. Joint-stock companies paid out divisions (dividends), to their shareholders by dividing up the profits of the voyage in the proportion of shares held. Divisions were usually cash, but when working capital was low and it was detrimental to the survival of the company, divisions were either postponed or paid out in remaining cargo which could be sold by shareholders for profit.

However, in general, incorporation was only possible by Royal charter or private act, and was limited owing to the government's jealous protection of the privileges and advantages thereby granted.

As a result of the rapid expansion of capital intensive enterprises in the course of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, many businesses came to be operated as unincorporated associations or extended partnerships, with large numbers of members. Nevertheless, membership of such associations was usually short term, so their nature was constantly changing.

Consequently, registration and incorporation of companies without specific legislation was introduced by the Joint Stock Companies Act 1844. Initially companies incorporated under this Act did not have limited liability, although it became common for companies to include a limited liability clause in their internal rules. In the case of Hallett v Dowdall the English Court of the Exchequer held that such clauses bound people who have notice of them. Four years later the Joint Stock Companies Act 1856 provided for limited liability for all joint-stock companies provided, amongst other things, that they include the word "limited" in their company name. The landmark case of Salomon v A Salomon & Co Ltd established that a limited liability company had a distinct legal personality, separate from that of its individual shareholders.

See also[link]

Companies portal

• Aktieselskab
• Types of business entity

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Davis, J.S. (1917). Essays in the Earlier History of American Corporations (vols. 1–2 ed.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 
• Ekelund, R.B. & Tollison, R.D. (1980). "Mercantilist origins of the corporation". Bell Journal of Economics (The RAND Corporation) 11 (2): 715–720. DOI:10.2307/3003390. JSTOR 3003390. 
• Fisher, F. J. (1933). "Some experiments in company organization in the early seventeenth century". Economic History Review (Blackwell Publishing) 4 (2): 177–194. DOI:10.2307/2590601. JSTOR 2590601. 
• Freedman, C.E. (1979). Joint-Stock Enterprise in France 1807–1867: From Privileged Company to Modern Corporation. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 
• Hunt, B.C. (1936). The Development of the Business Corporation in England, 1800–1867. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 
• Lobban, M. (1996). "Corporate identity and limited liability in France and England 1825-67". Anglo-American Law Review 25: 397. 
• Mayson, S.W et al. (2005). Mayson, French & Ryan on Company Law (22nd ed.). London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-928531-4. 

External links[link]

• The History of the Corporate Business Firm

John Micklethwait (born 1962, London, England) is the editor-in-chief of The Economist.

Biography[link]

Micklethwait was born in 1962 and educated at the independent school Ampleforth College and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he studied history. He worked for Chase Manhattan Bank for two years and joined The Economist in 1987. Prior to becoming editor-in-chief, he was United States editor of the publication and ran the New York Bureau for two years. Before that, he edited the Business Section of the newspaper for four years. His other roles have included setting up an office in Los Angeles for The Economist, where he worked from 1990 to 1993. He has covered business and politics from the United States, Latin America, Continental Europe, Southern Africa and most of Asia.

He was also a delegate, along with two colleagues, at the 2010 Bilderburg Conference held in Spain. This group consists of an assembly of notable politicians, industrialists and financiers who meet annually to discuss issues on a non-disclosure basis.

A frequent broadcaster, he has appeared on CNN, ABC News, BBC, C-SPAN, PBS and NPR. He is the co-author of several books with Adrian Wooldridge, including:

• The Witch Doctors
• A Future Perfect: the Challenge and Hidden Promise of Globalisation
• The Company: A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea
• The Right Nation: A Study of Conservatism in America
• God is Back

In A Future Perfect, they resurrected the term "cosmocrat".

Appointed as editor-in-chief on March 23, 2006, the first issue of The Economist published under his editorship was released on April 7, 2006.

Bibliography[link]

• The Company — A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea
• The Right Nation
• The Witch Doctors
• The Future Perfect
• God is Back

External links[link]

• Profile at The Economist
• Inside The Economist Magazine- Stanford's Hoover Institution interview with Micklethwaite
• John Micklethwait: Great Minds like a think- Profile of Micklethwait from The Independent – Archived copy
• Conversations With History Interview with Micklethwait at the Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley
• Biography from the London Speaker Bureau
• Interview on OpenDemocracy.net
• Biography from Random House
• Interview on The Alligator Online
• Appearances on C-SPAN
  • C-SPAN Q&A interview with Micklethwait, December 2, 2007
• John Micklethwait on Charlie Rose
• Works by or about John Micklethwait in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

References[link]

This article about a British journalist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

British American

Notable British Americans: George Mason · Daniel Boone · Thomas Jefferson · James Madison · Betsy Ross · James Monroe · Jack Daniel · Jesse James · Butch Cassidy · Frank Lloyd Wright · Harold Lloyd · Bob Hope · John Wayne · Clint Eastwood · James Dean · Robert Redford · Sigourney Weaver · Alicia Silverstone
Total population
40,234,652 (2009) [1][2] 13.0% of the total U.S. population. Other estimates: 72,065,000 [3] 23.3% of the total U.S. population
Regions with significant populations
South, Northeast, and West regions
Languages
American English
Religion
Christian Mainly Protestant (especially Baptist, Congregationalist, Episcopalian, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Quaker) and to a lesser extent Catholic
Related ethnic groups
Australian Americans · Britons · Cornish Americans · Canadian American · English Americans · Scottish Americans · Scots-Irish Americans · Welsh Americans · Irish Americans

British Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The term is seldom used by people to refer to themselves (1,172,050 chose it in the 2009 American Community Survey) and is used primarily as a demographic or historical research term. In the modern age, it can refer to British people who live and work in the United States (some of whom become American citizens), and Americans who do the same in the United Kingdom.

According to American Community Survey in 2009 data, Americans reporting British ancestry made up an estimated (40,234,652) or 13.0% of the total U.S. population,^[2] and form the third largest European ancestry group after German Americans and Irish Americans. This is an approx 35% drop from the population figures derived from the 1980 United States Census.

However, demographers regard this as an undercount as the index of inconsistency is high, and many, if not most, people from English stock have a tendency to identify simply as Americans^[4][5][6][7] or, if of mixed European ancestry, nominate a more recent and differentiated ethnic group.^[8] Consequently, many well-established white Americans have at least some British ancestry^{[citation needed]}, including many who identify primarily with other ethnic groups (such as Irish, German, Scandinavian, and so forth).

In the 1980 United States Census, over 61 million (61,311,449) Americans claimed British ancestry, at the time around 32.56% of the total population and largest reported group which, even today^{[citation needed]}, would make them the largest ethnic group in the United States. This outnumbered the population of Great Britain at the time.^[9][10]

Number of British Americans[link]

1790 Census[link]

Estimated origin - 1790 United States Census [11][12]
Rank	European ancestry only	Percentage	Most of the Founding Fathers had British ancestors.
1	British (total)	74.3%+
2	English	60.9%
3	Scotch-Irish/Scotch	14.3%
4	German	8.7%
5	Dutch/French/Swedish	5.4%
6	Irish	3.7%
7	Unidentifiable	7.0 %
8	Total	100%
African Americans were some 19.3% of the total United States population.

The United States Census of 1790 was the first census conducted in the United States. It was conducted on August 2, 1790. The ancestry of the 3,929,214 population in 1790 has been estimated by various sources by sampling last names in the very first United States official census and assigning them a country of origin.^[11] The estimate results indicate that people of British ancestry made up about 62% of the total population or 74.3% of the European American population. Some 80.7% of the total United States population was of European heritage.^[13] Around 757,208 were of African descent with 697,624 being slaves. Of the remaining population, more than 75% was of British origin.^[14]

1980 Census[link]

The Twentieth 1980 United States Census, 61.3 million (61,311,449) Americans reported British ancestry.
The total U.S population in 1980 was 226,545,805 and was the first census-form that asked peoples ancestry.^[15]

These include: In 1980, the total census reported that British ancestry was (32.56%) of the total U.S population. Triple ancestry response:English-Irish-Scotch: 897,316 There are no concrete figures for the Scots-Irish and some group responses were under-counted, but in 1980, 29,828,349 people claimed Irish and another ethnic ancestry. These figures make British Americans the largest "ethnic" group in the U.S. and would have naturally increased in population with more people of British origin than in 1980. This is true when counted collectively (the Census Bureau does give the choice to count them collectively as one ancestry, and also count them in a separate ethnic group, that is English, Scottish, Welsh or Scots-Irish). In 2000, Germans and Irish were the largest self-reported ethnic groups in the nation.

1990 Census[link]

The Twenty-first 1990 United States Census.^[16]

2000 Census[link]

The Twenty-Second 2000 United States Census, 36.4 million Americans reported British ancestry.^[17]

Most of the population who stated their ancestry as "American" are said to be of old colonial British stock.

• American ethnicity 20,625,093 (7.3%)

Distribution[link]

Hildale, Utah has 66.9% of its population of English descent.

Malad City, Idaho identified 21.1% of its population has Welsh ancestry.

Following are the top 10 highest percentages of people of English, Scottish and Welsh ancestry, in U.S. communities with 500 or more total inhabitants (for the total list of the 101 communities, see the reference):^[18][19][20]

English

1. Hildale, UT 66.9%
2. Colorado City, AZ 52.7%
3. Milbridge, ME 41.1%
4. Panguitch, UT 40.0%
5. Beaver, UT 39.8%
6. Enterprise, UT 39.4%
7. East Machias, ME 39.1%
8. Marriott-Slaterville, UT 38.2%
9. Wellsville, UT 37.9%
10. Morgan, UT 37.2%

Scottish

1. Lonaconing, MD town 16.1%
2. Jordan, IL township 12.6%
3. Scioto, OH township 12.1%
4. Randolph, IN township 10.2%
5. Franconia, NH town 10.1%
6. Topsham, VT town 10.0%
7. Ryegate, VT town 9.9%
8. Plainfield, VT town 9.8%
9. Saratoga Springs, UT town 9.7%
10. Barnet, VT town 9.5%

Welsh

1. Malad City, ID city 21.1
2. Remsen, NY town 14.6
3. Oak Hill, OH village 13.6
4. Madison, OH township 12.7
5. Steuben, NY town 10.9
6. Franklin, OH township 10.5
7. Plymouth, PA borough 10.3
8. Jackson, OH city 10.0
9. Lake, PA township 9.9
10. Radnor, OH township 9.8

English American

English American

Scottish American

Scots-Irish American

Scots-Irish American

Welsh American

Dark red and brown colors indicate a higher density. (see also Maps of American ancestries).

History[link]

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson writing the Declaration of independence (1776) were all of British descent.

The National personification of the United States and Great Britain. Uncle Sam embracing John Bull, while Britannia and Columbia hold hands and sit together in the background (1898).

Early British emigration[link]

The British diaspora consists of the scattering of British people and their descendants who emigrated from the United Kingdom. The diaspora is concentrated in countries that had mass migration such as the United States and that are part of the Anglosphere. A 2006 publication from the Institute for Public Policy Research estimated 5.6 million British-born people lived outside of the United Kingdom.^[21][22]

After the Age of Discovery the British were one of the earliest and largest communities to emigrate out of Europe, and the British Empire's expansion during the first half of the 19th century saw an "extraordinary dispersion of the British people", with particular concentrations "in Australasia and North America".^[23]

The British Empire was "built on waves of migration overseas by British people",^[24] who left the United Kingdom and "reached across the globe and permanently affected population structures in three continents".^[23] As a result of the British colonization of the Americas, what became the United States was "easily the greatest single destination of emigrant British".^[23]

Historically in the 1790 United States Census estimate and presently in Australia, Canada and New Zealand "people of British origin came to constitute the majority of the population" contributing to these states becoming integral to the Anglosphere.^[24]

Settlement and colonization[link]

An English presence in North America began with the Roanoke Colony and Colony of Virginia in the late-16th century, but the first successful English settlement was established in 1607, on the James River at Jamestown. By the 1610s an estimated 1,300 English people had travelled to North America, the "first of many millions from the British Isles".^[25] In 1620 the Pilgrims established the English imperial venture of Plymouth Colony, beginning "a remarkable acceleration of permanent emigration from England" with over 60% of trans-Atlantic English migrants settling in the New England Colonies.^[25] During the 17th century an estimated 350,000 English and Welsh migrants arrived in North America, which in the century after the Acts of Union 1707 was surpassed in rate and number by Scottish and Irish migrants.^[26]

The British policy of salutary neglect for its North American colonies intended to minimize trade restrictions as a way of ensuring they stayed loyal to British interests.^[27] This permitted the development of the American Dream, a cultural spirit distinct from that of its European founders.^[27] The Thirteen Colonies of British America began an armed rebellion against British rule in 1775 when they rejected the right of the Parliament of Great Britain to govern them without representation; they proclaimed their independence in 1776, and subsequently constituted the first thirteen states of the United States of America, which became a sovereign state in 1781 with the ratification of the Articles of Confederation. The 1783 Treaty of Paris represented Great Britain's formal acknowledgement of the United States' sovereignty at the end of the American Revolutionary War.^[28]

Today[link]

Nevertheless, longstanding cultural and historical ties have, in more modern times, resulted in the Special Relationship, a term used to describe the exceptionally close political, diplomatic and military co-operation of United Kingdom – United States relations.^[29] Linda Colley, a professor of history at Princeton University and specialist in Britishness, suggested that because of their colonial influence on the United States, the British find Americans a "mysterious and paradoxical people, physically distant but culturally close, engagingly similar yet irritatingly different".^[30]

Identity[link]

British Americans have Cornish, English, Scottish, Ulster Scots, and/or Welsh family heritages, or came from Canada where their ancestors were of British descent, and are those Americans who were British born. Catholic Irish-Americans are not usually categorized as having British ancestry; they do not usually consider themselves as being British Americans.^{[citation needed]} Immigrants from Canada of British ancestry tend to call themselves Canadian Americans. Similarly, most British Americans tend to differentiate to being specifically Cornish, English, Northern Irish, Irish, Scottish, Welsh or ethnic minorities (e.g. Pakistani Scottish) and do not identify with the UK as a whole, therefore tending not to refer to themselves as British American (see: Cornish American, English American, Scottish American, Welsh American, or Scots-Irish American) and settlers of British heritage from other former British territories like Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa also consider themselves by their nationalities, Australian Americans, New Zealand Americans, South African-Americans, like those with British citizenship would identify themselves as British-American, when actually they are African-British.

1790 - 2000 Census[link]

In the 1790 United States Census, people of British origin constituted the majority with 62.5% of the United States population.

American cultural icons[link]

Grand Union Flag was first flown on December 2, 1775. The current flag has fifty stars on the flag represent the 50 states and the 13 stripes represent the original British thirteen colonies.

The Grand Union Flag is considered to be the first national flag of the United States^{[citation needed]}. This flag consisted of 13 red and white stripes with the British Union Flag of the time (prior to the inclusion of St. Patrick's cross of Ireland) in the canton.

The flag was first flown on December 2, 1775 by John Paul Jones (then a Continental Navy lieutenant) on the ship Alfred in Philadelphia).^[33] The Alfred flag has been credited to Margaret Manny.^[34] It was used by the American Continental forces as a naval ensign and garrison flag in 1776 and early 1777.

It is widely believed that the flag was raised by George Washington's army on New Year's Day 1776 at Prospect Hill in Charlestown (now part of Somerville), near his headquarters at Cambridge, Massachusetts, and that the flag was interpreted by British observers as a sign of surrender.^[35] Some scholars dispute this traditional account, concluding that the flag raised at Prospect Hill was likely a British union flag.^[36]

British place names in the United States[link]

Boston, Massachusetts is named after Boston, England. Albany, New York is named after Duke of Albany and ultimately gets its name from Alba which is Scottish Gaelic for Scotland. Swansea, Massachusetts is named after Swansea, Wales.

There are many places in the United States named after places in Great Britain as a result of the many British settlers and explorers. These include New York (after the Duke of York^[37]), New Hampshire (after Hampshire^[38]), Manchester,^[39] Boston,^[40] Birmingham, Southampton,^[41] Gloucester and the region of New England. In addition, some places were named after the English royal family. The name Virginia was first applied by Queen Elizabeth I (the "Virgin Queen") and Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584.,^[42] the Carolinas were named after King Charles I and Maryland named so for his wife, Queen Henrietta Maria (Queen Mary).^[43]

See also[link]

	United States portal
	United Kingdom portal

• European American
• Hyphenated American
• List of English Americans
• List of Scots-Irish Americans
• List of Scottish Americans
• List of Welsh Americans
• Anglo-Celtic Australian

References[link]

• References

Scholarly sources[link]

• Oscar Handlin, Ann Orlov and Stephan Thernstrom eds. Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups (1980) the standard reference source for all ethnic groups.
• Rowland Tappan Berthoff. British Immigrants in Industrial America, 1790-1950 (1953).
• David Hackett Fischer. Albion's Seed, Four British Folkways In America (1989).

External links[link]

• 1980 U.S Census ancestry lists
• 2000 Census Bureau ancestry figures

v t e British diaspora Europe Ireland (Anglo-Irish · Ulster Scots) · Spain · Turkey North America Canada (Anglo-Indian · English · Scottish (Quebec) · Welsh) · Jamaica (English · Irish · Scottish · Welsh) · United States (Cornish · English · Scottish · Scotch-Irish · Welsh) South America Argentina (English · Irish · Scottish · Welsh) · Brazil (English · Scottish) · Chile (English · Scottish · Welsh) · Paraguay · Peru Asia Burma · Hong Kong · India (English · Scottish) · Pakistan · Sri Lanka · United Arab Emirates Africa Egypt · Kenya · South Africa · Zimbabwe Oceania Australia (Cornish · English · Scottish · Welsh) · New Zealand (Pākehā · Scottish)

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Alistair Richard Griffin (born 1 November 1977, Middlesbrough, England) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Already an established songwriter, he first became famous as a solo artist through his appearances on the BBC television show Fame Academy 2 in 2003, where he was "spotted" and championed by Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees. He subsequently had two top twenty hit singles and a top twenty album in the UK. In 2007 he received worldwide press coverage for his adaptation of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" as a tribute to football player, Mark Viduka.

Early career[link]

Alistair Griffin started singing and writing songs whilst still a student at York St John College (now York St John University), playing guitar and busking on the streets of York with a small band. His wide musical influences range from classic rock and 'Britpop', to English and American folk music. After graduating with a BA(Hons) in English Literature (and following a brief stint working as a milkman around his home town, during which he crashed his milk float), he moved to London to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter.

In 2001, as vocalist with the pop/rock band 'Sugartown', he performed in front of 70,000 people at the Leeds Party in the Park. The following year, he and his sometime songwriting partner, Stuart Hanna (now part of folk duo Megson) formed the band, Pulse, and co-wrote the song 'Fade Away' (having recorded the song on an 8-track in Hanna's bedroom) and entered it for the 2002 Song for Europe competition on BBC Radio 2. The song was shortlisted, and a performance by Pulse was broadcast, but it failed to reach the finals.

Griffin was briefly a member of Ultra and spent some time working in Germany with DJ Sammy. It was widely reported that he auditioned for the boyband, Blue, only narrowly failing to make it to the final line-up, but Griffin later dismissed this as a fabrication by the press. Although signed by music publisher Trevor Horn's company, "Perfect Songs", he was unable to get a solo recording contract and in 2002, he applied to become a contestant on the first series of Fame Academy.

Fame Academy[link]

Griffin reached the final audition stage of Fame Academy 1 on his first attempt in 2002, but was not chosen to appear on the show. He re-applied for a place on Fame Academy 2 the following year and was voted through by the public with the highest vote of the preliminary round. Despite harsh criticism every week from ‘Headmaster’ Richard Park who called him "bland" and his voice "nasal", his dogged determination, comic impersonations and cheerful disposition behind the scenes, as well as his camaraderie and duetting with fellow student James Fox, attracted the attention and the votes of many viewers of the live TV streaming programmes. The vocal coaches criticised both his voice and image, calling them "unoriginal", "unidentifiable" and "boybandish"; however, guest judge, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees said Griffin had a "unique talent" as a vocalist and songwriter, an "ideal recording voice" with "an engaging vocal tone". His technically-accomplished live performances and proven songwriting ability gradually gained him the support of the public. As the final approached, he was dubbed the "dark horse" of the show by BBC Three presenter, Claudia Winkleman,^[1] and eventually finished in second place.

The final showdown was screened live and generated so many angry messages from viewers claiming bias that the BBC were forced to close down their Points of View message boards. Daniel Bedingfield, who duetted with both finalists, later made a public apology to Griffin for his behaviour, particularly for his outburst that people should "just vote for Alex".(This incident received considerable press coverage and was the subject of one of the questions in the 2003 Observer Music Monthly Magazine Christmas Quiz) ^[2] The actual voting figures have never been publicly released.

A new direction[link]

During 2004, Griffin performed live at over 50 gigs up and down the UK and appeared on numerous television programmes, including Top of the Pops and Liquid News. In March of that year he also competed in the European 'WorldBest' competition in Cannes, singing live with Phil Collins.

The live performances of his own material that he gave throughout that year, singing acoustically and with the backing of a regular 5-piece band, Riccardi, showed a marked difference from the generic 'pop' approach of his record company. After parting from UMTV he abandoned his record company's 'pop style' backing tracks and his former 'boyband' image.

In the autumn, he supported Robin Gibb on his 'Magnet' tour of Germany, opening each concert with an acoustic set of his own songs, playing guitar and accompanied on keyboards by long-time friend and fellow musician, Simon Waggott (Waggo), as well as joining Gibb on stage to duet on 'My Lover's Prayer'. On his return he released an independent recording of his live performances in Germany, which he showcased at a series of sell-out concerts in the North of England.

A former junior tennis champion, he played tennis and also performed with Riccardi in Sir Cliff Richard's pro/celebrity Tennis Tournament in December 2004.

During 2005 Griffin continued to perform live, both solo and with Riccardi, but split with them later that year. He moved back to York and although there were rumours of a new recording deal, nothing materialised. In November he assembled a new backing band and performed his first London gig for over a year at The Bedford, where he showcased several new compositions.

Early in 2006 he announced that he would no longer be pursuing a solo career, and would be concentrating on working and writing with his new band, Albion. For some time he performed solo only at charity events and small local venues. At the beginning of 2007 he also set up his own recording studio called oakwood near York. When interviewed shortly after disbanding Albion in August 2007, he confirmed his intention to resume recording and performing as a solo artist, although he has since performed several times at society weddings and other functions as well as at charity concerts, fronting his covers band, Blue Nun.

In September 2007 Griffin joined other celebrities, fans and professional players to play for the Middlesbrough team in the week long, seven a side, charity football contest, Sky One Premier League All Stars. He scored the winning goal in the last 30 seconds of the final against West Ham, ensuring that Middlesbrough gained the trophy and two local Teesside charities benefited from the first prize of £100,000. ^[3]

As well as pursuing various other projects he is currently writing and recording material for his next solo album. He performed several of these brand new songs live with his own (unnamed) backing band in May 2008, during a short tour of smaller venues in the UK supporting recently signed indie band Ivyrise.

In August 2008 he headlined the Truck Stage at H2008:Beached festival in Scarborough and is also booked to return there for Acoustic Gathering 111 in September. New UK tour dates with Ivyrise have also been announced for September as well as an additional appearance at the Grand Opera House, York.

In December 2008 he made an impromptu appearance with David Smith and The Mojos.

Albion[link]

In April 2006, Griffin announced that he would shortly be forming a new band, Albion, which was launched in July.^[4] The initial lineup proved unsuccessful, with James and Tom Martin leaving a few months later to form another indie band, The Station Club. At the end of 2006, Griffin (guitar and vocals) and Walter Laybourne (drums), were joined by Paul Banks (ex Shed Seven) (guitars and keyboard) and Paul 'Foda' Fothergill (bass). Despite writing and recording numerous songs together and releasing several free download tracks, Albion split up abruptly in August 2007 for reasons which were not made public. When interviewed, Griffin commented "Things weren’t working out the way we anticipated and it seemed the right time to call it a day". ^[5]

Recordings[link]

In 1999-2000, Griffin recorded several demos of his own compositions which were made available online at Songmanagement.com.^[6] These have never been officially released.

In 2002 he recorded the football anthem "Stand Up" which was included in the compilation album Boro Songs - The Sound Of The Riverside.

Several covers he recorded for the Fame Academy programme were released as download only tracks by the BBC during the course of the show in 2003. These were also included in the compilation albums Fame Academy "Bee Gees Special" and Fame Academy - The Finalists also released in 2003.

In October 2003 Griffin signed a record deal with UMTV and at the end of December released his first single, "Bring It On"; a double A-side also featuring 'My Lover's Prayer', a duet with Robin Gibb. Although it received very little airplay, it was voted #1 for 6 consecutive weeks on the music TV channel 'The Box' and reached the top 5 in the UK Singles Chart. On 9 January 2004, he was therefore able to fulfil one of his lifetime ambitions to appear live on Top of the Pops.

In January 2004, he released his debut album, also titled Bring It On, featuring mainly self-penned songs. This charted at number 12 in the UK Albums Chart. His second single, You and Me (Tonight) reached the top 20 but Griffin parted with both his record company and management soon afterwards.

In late 2004 he released an independent solo CD, "Live in Germany", featuring live recordings of the acoustic set he performed in Germany while supporting Robin Gibb. This included "Bring it On", "You and Me (Tonight)", "In Your Smile" and "I Have Lived" with a cover of "I Can't Make You Love Me". The limited edition CD was only made available for a short time at his concerts.

At his Christmas concert in December 2006 he released another independently recorded, three track solo CD; finding Boethius, consisting of one co-written song, "Let Love Speak Its Name", a cover of "Hallelujah" which he regularly sings live, and an acoustic cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart".

In March 2007, "Mark Viduka" was released by popular demand, as a download single only, with all the proceeds going to charity.

Brand new versions of four of the songs which were originally recorded with his former band Albion, but never released, are included on his most recent solo CD Alistair Griffin (May 2008), again produced independently and only available to buy at live concerts during the Ivyrise tour. These are "Blown Away", "I Have Lived", "Silent Suicide" and "Is It Me".

Unreleased demos of his own compositions are regularly previewed on his official Myspace.^[7]

Griffin's song, "Just Drive", was played in full over the BBC's F1 montage at the end of the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and subsequently appeared again in the BBC's 2010 F1 season review programme. "Just Drive" has received positive reviews and entered the UK Singles Chart at number 38, the track was produced with David Watts at the Oakwood Studios, York.^[8] "Just Drive" has been chosen as the title song for Sky's F1 coverage on their new channels "Sky Sports F1" and "Sky Sports F1 HD" ^[9]

Songwriting[link]

Griffin's songs cover a wide range of genres, from light pop and romantic ballads to anthemic rock. After recording several demos, he obtained a publishing deal with Trevor Horn's Perfect Songs. He has also co-written songs with a number of other artists, including James Hearn, Michael Harwood, Nick Keynes and Jon O'Mahony of Ultra, Robin Gibb, singer/songwriter Richard Chance, Liverpudlian songwriting duo, Chris and Tony Griffiths (ex Britpop band The Real People) and Paul Banks, (ex Shed Seven).

In 2002, "Fade Away", one of several songs co-written with Stuart Hanna, was shortlisted for the Song for Europe competition. That year Griffin also co-wrote the football anthem "England Crazy" which was recorded by Rider and Terry Venables. He also recorded his own version of the Boro anthem "Stand Up", which was included in the compilation album Boro Songs - The Sound Of The Riverside.

Although largely ignored as a singer/songwriter by the British music establishment since his appearance on Fame Academy (that he now describes as a 'double-edged sword'), several covers of his earlier songs have achieved notable chart success in the Netherlands. "You and Me" appears on the #1 album Impressed released in 2003 by Jim Bakkum, runner-up in the Dutch series of Pop Idol; Do’s ballad "Angel By My Side" (co-written with James and Tom Martin) reached the Dutch top 10 in 2004 and "Hungry For Love" (co-written with Greg Fitzgerald and Tom Nichols) was covered by rock band Di-rect, getting to number 3 early in 2005.

Griffin's debut album, "Bring It On" consisted mainly of songs that he wrote or co-wrote before being signed. During his time in Fame Academy he also co-wrote several new songs with the students and the songwriters on the show. "Painkiller", (co-written with Greg Fitzgerald and Tom Nichols) along with " A Heart Can't Lie", co-written with fellow student, Louise Griffiths both appeared on his debut album.

He has also written and co-written songs for albums by Phixx (2004), Ultra (2006), Bel's Boys (2007), and Cascada (2009).

In 2005 he resumed his writing partnership with James and Tom Martin. He has since recorded new versions of several of these songs with Albion, which were made available as free downloads on MySpace in 2007.

Children In Need[link]

In Autumn 2009, Griffin was invited to take part in the BBC's Children In Need, being matched against other former musical reality TV contestants in a bout of "Reality Conkers".

Despite despatching "Nasty" Nigel Lythgoe in the opening round and making good progress in the early stages of round two, Griffin suffered an early exit at the hands of Michelle McManus after she distracted him with a finger of Cadburys Fudge. Griffin had been due to face Fame Academy rival Alex Parks in the following round, Parks went on to win the event by beating Danny from Hear'say in the final.

Footage of Griffin's first and second round bouts have appeared on U-Tube along with a promotional safety video demonstrating the benefits of wearing goggles while playing conkers.

Hallelujah Mark Viduka[link]

Griffin is notorious for performing his own comedy versions of well known songs in his live concerts. These have included songs by George Formby, Wham, Johnny Mathis, Ronan Keating and Robin Gibb.

In February 2007, Griffin sang at a charity event at the Riverside Stadium, home of Middlesbrough Football Club. After his performance of Leonard Cohen’s "Hallelujah", he asked the audience if they would like to hear an alternative version, based on Cohen’s song, but with new words dedicated to the Boro hero at that time, Australian striker Mark Viduka. Keeping faithfully to Cohen's melody, Griffin's almost plaintive vocals are sung to a simple acoustic backing, forming a contrast to the altered lyrics which reference the particular skills of Viduka and several other popular players in the team, as well as some of their opponents, in a sharply observed and witty commentary. ^[10]

After hearing the tongue-in-cheek tribute, Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate was so taken with it he asked Griffin to make a special recording to play at the following day’s match. It was played to the crowd at half-time and to the players in the dressing room after the game.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Boro’s Aussie international keeper Mark Schwarzer said:

“It’s a great song. He (Mark Viduka) is already copping some stick about it and I’m going to make sure he gets some more from the Australia camp — I’m going to make sure they get to hear it as well. We played it in the dressing room afterwards and were a bit unsure about it to begin with but the chorus is pretty good. We all sang and I think Mark was a little bit embarrassed by it but I think he enjoyed it” ^[11]

The incident received global press coverage, most of it positive (although The Times was uncomplimentary and dubbed Leonard Cohen "the cheesiest of crooners").^[12] It was immediately picked up by hundreds of online sports pages and blogs. The Mark Viduka song was added to Griffin’s MySpace page the following day and clocked up over 75,000 plays by football fans worldwide. ^[7].

The BBC Sports Review described the song as the "football anthem of the week, year, decade and possibly all time",^[13] and the Irish Times called it "a bit on the excellent side". ^[14] TV and Radio coverage followed. A film of Griffin performing the song with other young Middlesbrough supporters appeared on Sky Sports News, and he also appeared on the BBC's and ITV's regional news programmes. In addition to interviews on local radio stations, Griffin was also interviewed on BBC Radio Five Live The song was also broadcast on several channels in Australia and on the BBC World Service.

Southgate embraced the tune as a way of raising money for his chosen charity, Macmillan Cancer Support. Leonard Cohen was approached and gave permission for the song to be released as a charity download ^[15]

Personal life[link]

Griffin was brought up in Castleton, a small moorland village near Whitby, North Yorkshire. He has two older sisters. He has retained strong links with his family and his local community and often performs at local events to raise money for good causes. In 2003, without his knowledge, his mother, Barbara Griffin, offered a date with him as a prize in a charity raffle for the Whitby Christmas Lights Appeal. Enough money was raised to light the town for the next three years.^[16]

He is an expert at making lemon curd, which he regularly enters in the annual Danby Show. Despite donating a trophy for this category,^[17] although he has been awarded second and third prize he has never won.^[18]

He is passionate about football and is a qualified referee. He has also written songs for his home team, Middlesbrough Football Club, and former England manager, Terry Venables. He played Junior Tennis at regional level, and is a member of the Bunbury Cricket Club. His other hobbies include crazy golf and pub quizzing.

He has appeared in Heat Magazine's "Spotted" column after a member of the public reported he was seen talking to a homeless person outside the Royal York Hotel.

Griffin was opening batsman for the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette in the inaugural cricket match against The Northern Echo played on 14 August 2011. He donated a jar of lemon curd which has led to the now annual fixture being dubbed the Alistair Griffin Lemon Curd Challenge. Despite his efforts, the Evening Gazette team were all out for 34, losing by 65 runs.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Reviews[link]

• Middlesbrough Evening Gazette 19.10.04 Gig Review

Other links and information sources[link]

• www.alistairgriffin.com Official Website
• Fame Academy Final, BBC News report.
• Cultural Foundation Interview In depth interview with Pete Bell of the Cultural Foundation, 19.6.2004
• Perfect Songs Music Publisher
• IMDB TV Appearances
• Fame Academy Supporters Club
• Press interview, 5 October 2006
• Press report of Charity Event, 23 February 2007
• Southgate serenade stirs Viduka's home thoughts, The Guardian, 26 February 2007
• Hallelujah Mark Viduka, Sydney Morning Herald 27 February 2007
• Fans Flock to Hear Viduka Tribute - Middlesbrough Football Club, 26 February 2007
• Press report, August 2007
• Sky One Premier League Allstars
• [5]

Media[link]

• Last Dance, unreleased demo,c2000 (Quicktime)
• Kiss and Tell, unreleased demo, c2000 (Quicktime)
• Radio Interview BBC Radio January 2004 (Realplayer)
• Aligriffin.com – comprehensive multimedia archive of live performances, 2004–2007, recorded by fans.
• Video clips of live performances Middlesbrough Gazette.
• Alistair Griffin produces tribute song for Middlesbrough star Broadband TV channel (video podcast), 1 March 2007

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2010)

Box of Frogs was a band formed in 1983 by former members of The Yardbirds, who released their first album in 1984. The core group comprised Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell-Smith, and Jim McCarty. Vocals on their eponymous album were done by John Fiddler, formerly of Medicine Head and British Lions; on the second album Fiddler sang on five tracks with guests including Graham Parker, Ian Dury and Roger Chapman singing lead on the others. Many musicians guested on their albums (including Rory Gallagher and Mark Feltham), with several tracks featuring Steve Hackett. Former Yardbirds guitarists Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page guested on their first and second albums respectively.

The group showed promise on the first album of rock radio friendly tunes, featuring Jeff Beck. "Back Where I Started" was in the top ten in the U.S., and the album was a featured number one on college campuses. Plans were made for a U.S. tour, but it is alleged that Samwell-Smith, Dreja, and McCarty nixed the idea of the tour, much to John Fiddler's dismay.^{[citation needed]} Jeff Beck, who along with Dzal Martin was considered as the lead guitarist for such a tour, was reportedly disgusted at his ex-bandmates' refusal to tour America. He took no part on the second album, and Fiddler barely chose to do so before walking out. "Asylum" is one of the few songs Fiddler sang on, and was the only one featuring Page.

The track Back Where I Started is regularly included in the set-list of the revived Yardbirds.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

[edit] Box of Frogs - 1984

1. Back Where I Started (3:54) (P. Samwell-Smith, C Dreja, J McCarty, F Fiddler)
2. Harder (3:44) (J Fiddler, R Majors)
3. Another Wasted Day (4:12) (Samwell-Smith, Dreja, McCarty, J Fiddler)
4. Love Inside You (2:47) (J Fiddler)
5. The Edge (4:02) (Samwell-Smith, Dreja, McCarty, J Fiddler)
6. Two Steps Ahead (4:33) (Samwell-Smith, Dreja, McCarty, J Fiddler)
7. Into The Dark (4:07) (Samwell-Smith, Dreja, McCarty, J Fiddler)
8. Just A Boy Again (5:38) (Samwell-Smith, Dreja, McCarty, J Fiddler)
9. Poor Boy (4:26) (Samwell-Smith, Dreja, McCarty, J Fiddler)

All lead vocals by John Fiddler.

Produced by Paul Samwell-Smith

[edit] Strange Land - 1986

1. Get it While You Can (G. O'Connor) Graham Parker, lead vocals
2. You Mix Me Up (Samwell-Smith, Dreja, McCarty) John Fiddler, lead vocals (?)
3. Average (Samwell-Smith, Dreja, McCarty) Ian Dury, lead vocals
4. House on Fire (Samwell-Smith, Dreja, McCarty) John Fiddler, lead vocals
5. Hanging from the Wreckage (Samwell-Smith, Dreja, McCarty) John Fiddler, lead vocals
6. Heart Full of Soul (G Gouldman) Roger Chapman, lead vocals
7. Asylum (Samwell-Smith, Dreja, McCarty) John Fiddler, lead vocals
8. Strange Land (Samwell-Smith, Dreja, McCarty) Roger Chapman (?)
9. Trouble (Samwell-Smith, Dreja, McCarty) John Fiddler, lead vocals

Bonus track:

10. Nine Lives (?) John Fiddler, lead vocals

Produced by Paul Samwell-Smith

(Both albums were reissued in 1996 by Renaissance Records)

Personnel[link]

The Frogs:

• John Fiddler - lead and backing vocals, guitars, percussion, synthesizers
• Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, percussion, occasional backing vocals
• Paul Samwell-Smith - bass guitar, backing vocals, percussion, synthesizers
• Jim McCarty - drums, percussion, backing vocals

with : (First Album) -

• Dzal Martin - guitar, vocals, percussion
• Jeff Beck - guitar
• Mark Feltham - harmonica
• Peter-John Vettese - keyboards
• Ray Majors - guitar
• Max Middleton - keyboards
• Rory Gallagher - guitar
• Guy Barker - trumpet
• Geraint Watkins - piano

(Strange Land) - additionally:

• Graham Parker - vocal
• John Knightsbridge - guitar
• Neil Lockwood - backing vocals
• Julie Roberts - backing vocals
• Carroll Thompson - backing vocals
• Ian Dury - vocals
• Steve Hackett - guitar
• Roger Chapman - vocal
• Graham Gouldman - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Jimmy Page - guitar
• David Clayton - keyboards

Singles[link]

• "Back Where I Started" / "The Edge" - 1984 (UK)
• "Back Where I Started" / "Nine Lives" / "The Edge" - 1984 (UK - 12")
• "Into The Dark" / "X-tracks medley": "Two Steps Ahead" / "Just A Boy Again" / "Harder" / "Another Wasted Day" / "Back Where I Started" - 1984 (UK)
• "Into The Dark" / "X-tracks medley" - 1984 (UK - 12")
• "Two Steps Ahead" / "The Edge" - 1984 (US)
• "Two Steps Ahead" / "Two Steps Ahead" - 1984 (US - 12" promo)
• "Average" / "Strange Land" / "I Keep Calling" - 1986 (UK - 12")
• "Heart Full of Soul" - 1986 (Netherlands)

Transcription discs[link]

• Interchords - 1984

See also[link]

• The Yardbirds

References[link]

External links[link]

• Box of Frogs at Allmusic