Tom Chaplin

Tom Chaplin (born Thomas Oliver Chaplin, 8 March 1979, Battle, East Sussex, England) is a musician and composer, best known as the lead vocalist of the piano rock band, Keane.

Life and career

His father was headmaster of Vinehall School in Robertsbridge, so both friends were schooled there. With Rice-Oxley, Chaplin then attended Tonbridge School. Studying there, they met Richard Hughes, who would later be their band mate and Dominic Scott (who was an original member of the line-up but left in 2001). During his time at Vinehall, Chaplin acted in several school plays and was part of the school's choral group. He also played the flute while at school.

In 1995, the trio (Scott, Rice-Oxley and Hughes) started their first band, 'The Lotus Eaters'. It was a cover band that played U2, Oasis and The Beatles at Sussex pubs. Tim Rice-Oxley invited Chaplin to join the band as an acoustic guitar player. Short time later, in 1997, the band's name change to Keane and Tom Chaplin became the lead vocalist.

He is currently living in a cottage in Kent. It was revealed on Soccer AM in 2010 that Tom is an Ipswich Town fan.

Tom fulfilled a lifetime ambition of performing with the remaining Queen members at the Prince's Trust Rock Gala, 17 November 2010. Tom sang 'It's a Hard Life', backed by Brian May and Roger Taylor.

Keane

In July 1997, Chaplin went to South Africa for his gap year, during which the rest of the band members were preparing themselves for a gig. When Hughes went to collect Chaplin a year later, on 3 July 1998, his first words were, "We've got a gig in ten days." This would be the band's first performance at the Hope & Anchor pub on 13 July 1998. Chaplin then began studying for a degree in art history at the University of Edinburgh, before leaving to pursue his music career in London.

During their stint in London, Chaplin shared a flat with Rice-Oxley in Stoke Newington and they tried to get money for rehearsal time. Chaplin worked at a publishing company where his chief responsibility was to carry boxes.

With Scott in the line-up as the lead guitarist, Chaplin had to play the acoustic guitar. Since Scott left in 2001, he primarily takes lead vocal, but also plays the organ on "Hamburg Song" during some live gigs, as well as a distorted piano for newer songs on their second album. He also took part in Band Aid 20's re-recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in November 2004 doing a solo on the line "feed the world", something that had not been done on previous versions where all artists sang.

He has been parodied on Irish music animation site Eyebrowy.com as being "The Bloke out of Keane".

Drug rehabilitation

Equipment

He also has been playing the acoustic guitar in songs like "Your Eyes Open" since the 2006 UK tour, and during 2007 acoustic solos of "Broken Toy" and "The Frog Prince". He also plays guitar in Keane's third album, Perfect Symmetry. In many of the Perfect Symmetry live shows, Tom plays three different Fender Telecaster guitars: one red, one white and one light blue.

In an interview with Keane Backline, Rice-Oxley stated that Chaplin had been interested in learning to play the theremin, but "couldn't be bothered to learn how to use it", also stating that the theremin "might be the only way of reproducing the musical saw sound" used in some tracks of Perfect Symmetry.

Known compositions

References

External links

Category:1979 births Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Category:English guitarists Category:English keyboardists Category:English male singers Category:English pianists Category:English rock singers Category:English songwriters Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Keane (band) Category:Old Tonbridgians Category:People from Battle, East Sussex