Guy Berryman

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Guy Berryman
ColdplayBBC071221 (27 of 53) (51741484131).jpg
Berryman performing with Coldplay in 2021
Born
Guy Rupert Berryman[1]

(1978-04-12) 12 April 1978 (age 43)
Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland
EducationEdinburgh Academy
Kent College
Alma materUniversity College London (dropped out)
Occupation
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • producer
  • photographer
  • businessman
Years active1997–present
Spouse(s)
Joanna Briston
​
​
(m. 2004; div. 2007)​
Partner(s)Keshia Gerrits (2012–present)
Children3
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Bass
  • keyboards
  • percussion
  • synthesizers
  • guitar
  • vocals
Labels
Associated acts
Websitecoldplay.com
Signature
Guy Berryman signature.png

Guy Rupert Berryman (born 12 April 1978) is a Scottish musician, songwriter, producer and businessman best known as the bassist of rock band Coldplay and electronic supergroup Apparatjik. He is the founder and designer of menswear label Applied Art Forms.

Berryman dropped out a mechanical engineering degree at University College London, joining Coldplay with Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion. The group signed with Parlophone in early 1999, finding global fame through the release of Parachutes (2000) and subsequent records. He won seven Grammy Awards and nine Brit Awards as part of Coldplay. The band have sold over 100 million albums worldwide as of 2021,[a] making them the most successful group of the 21st century.[4]

Early life[edit]

Guy Rupert Berryman was born on 12 April 1978 in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland,[5] being the youngest son of engineer Rupert Berryman and his wife Elizabeth, whose family were merchants and factory owners in the city.[6] Raised close to the Beveridge Park area, he described his childhood as one with a "huge sense of freedom", since he spent most of his time "getting up to no good" with friends, exploring the Raith Estate and ultimately ending up "lost for days on end".[6] He commented that listening to Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" for the first time was one of the reasons he became fond of soul music, funk and Motown, which would later influence his instrumental preferences: "I can remember being maybe six years old, having this experience. I had obviously heard music in the background, in the house and stuff, but that was the first moment that I ever connected with music on a personal level".[6]

Berryman's family would then leave Kirkcaldy when he was 12 years old, during the same year he started to play bass.[5] He studied at the Edinburgh Academy, playing drums and trumpet as part of the school band.[7] Around that period he also discovered being "a leftie who plays right-handed" and formed a group called Time Out: "Everyone was into bands like The Smiths and The Stone Roses, but I wanted to find a music that I could call my own. That was my form of rebellion".[5] His education was continued at Kent College, Canterbury,[8] and he mentioned spending his teenage years listening to James Brown, Kool & the Gang, Pink Floyd and many other similar acts as well.[5] Years later, Berryman enrolled on a mechanical engineering degree at University College London,[9] where he met Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion, eventually forming Coldplay. As opposed to his bandmates, he did not finished his course.[10]

Career[edit]

Coldplay[edit]

Berryman performing during Coldplay's 2008 Viva la Vida Tour

Berryman started a mechanical engineering degree at University College London (UCL),[11] where he met future bandmates Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, and Will Champion. Soon after he joined Coldplay, he dropped out of his engineering course and switched to a seven-year architecture programme at The Bartlett (UCL's school of architecture).[12] He dropped out of his architecture degree after one year to focus on playing bass with Coldplay. While his bandmates were still continuing their degrees, Berryman worked as a barman in a local London pub. During the Twisted Logic Tour for the promotion of Coldplay's third album, X&Y, Berryman took candid pictures of the band with disposable cameras and threw them to the audience.[13]

Apparatjik[edit]

In 2008, Berryman started collaboration with Magne Furuholmen, Jonas Bjerre (of Mew) and Martin Terefe under the band name of Apparatjik, working on a musical theme for the BBC2 series, Amazon.[14] The theme was made available along with exclusive tracks from other artists on the Survival International charity album, Songs for Survival. Apparatjik has made their first live performance at the eleventh edition of Club Transmediale, a estival in Berlin which took place between 28 January and 7 February 2010. They performed inside a specially constructed cube at the WMF on Monday, 1 February 2010. On the same day, the band released their debut album, titled We Are Here. The band's second studio album, Square Peg in a Round Hole, was released digitally in November 2011 and physically in March 2012.

Business ventures[edit]

Berryman owned a clothing shop called "Jezebell" in London, which closed down due to debt. In 2019, Berryman began publishing The Road Rat magazine, which celebrates classic automobiles, he runs it from his garage and also works on the creative direction.[15] In December 2020, he launched a function-focused menswear brand called "Applied Art Forms". When talking about it to GQ, he said: "I have long been interested in classic workwear and military clothes. At heart I’m a collector. Over time I realised there were still gaps in my wardrobe, because I wanted clothing that was suited to the way we live now, with every design element considered and honed into a perfect garment.”[16][17]

Other projects[edit]

Berryman guested on a-ha keyboardist Magne Furuholmen's debut album Past Perfect Future Tense (2004) along with Champion.[18] In 2008, Berryman participated to the Movie Soundtheme of Umi no Shanghai. He also played the bass guitar on Furuholmen's second album, A Dot of Black in the Blue of Your Bliss. He was also credited with providing photographs for the inner sleeve of the album Foot of the Mountain, released by a-ha in 2009.[19] In 2010 and 2011, Berryman produced The Pierces' new album, You&I, together with Coldplay's producer Rik Simpson. He also played electric guitar, bass guitar, percussion, omnichord, and keyboards on the album.[20][21] In 2012, he produced James Levy and the Blood Red Rose's album, Pray To Be Free.[22] In 2013, he produced New York-based band, Hudson Hank's debut album, Daybreak.[23]

Personal life[edit]

According to The Times, Berryman has an estimated wealth of £107 million as of May 2021.[24] He was married Joanna Briston until 2007.[25] The couple have one daughter.[26][27] In March 2007, Coldplay's spokesman confirmed that Guy and Joanna separated after three years of marriage, and later divorced.[28] In 2014 he became engaged to Dutch model Keshia Gerrits.[29]

Berryman is a marathon runner and likes to run in the nearest parks or around the neighbourhoods of the hotels whenever the band is touring. He is a fan of his local football team, Raith Rovers and has an interest in photography, fashion and electronic gadgets.[13] He also owns a vintage, retro-style jukebox and collects Motown and Stax 7" singles to play on it, joking that he knows "every second-hand vinyl shop in every major U.S. city". Berryman also restores classic cars as a hobby. In 2021, he revealed that before doing so, he had an ambition to restore aeroplanes and learn to fly them, but given the complexity of the task, he eventually got bored of the idea.[30]

Discography[edit]

With Coldplay[edit]

Main articles: Coldplay discography and songs

With Apparatjik[edit]

Solo credits[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The term "records" is for album and single sales combined.[2] Coldplay, however, sold 100 million copies in albums alone, while Parlophone have not disclosed the amount of records.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Births Index of Scotland & Ireland, 1553–2009.
  2. ^ "What's The Difference Between A Record And An Album? 5 Things To Know". The Sound of Vinyl. 30 March 2021. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Coldplay Re-ups With Warner Music Group for Long-term Deal Via Parlophone". Variety. 6 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  4. ^ "In Defense of Coldplay: Why The Band's New Album Should Stop The Hate". New York Post. "Coldplay became the biggest band from the 21st century on the strength of 2000's Parachutes". 22 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
    • "Mylo Xyloto". Rolling Stone. "These are things that can’t be solved with a lullaby, even from the biggest band to emerge in the 21st century". 17 October 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2022.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ^ a b c d Wild, Debs; Croft, Malcolm (2018). Life In Technicolor: A Celebration of Coldplay. ECW Press. pp. 65–69. ISBN 9781787391093.
  6. ^ a b c "Coldplay's Guy Berryman Says Hearing Stevie Wonder In His Fife Bedroom Was Key To Entire Life And Career". The Courier. 24 January 2022. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Notable Alumni". The Edinburgh Academy. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Kent College's Greatest Graduates". Holland Park. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Coldplay's Guy Berryman – Classic Cars Generate A Smile". Classic Car Curation. 2 August 2021. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Coldplay Recall UCL". UCL News. 29 June 2005. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  11. ^ "DRIVING BASS: Guy Berryman | The Rake". therake.com. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  12. ^ Roach, Martin (2003). Coldplay: Nobody Said It Was Easy. Location unknown:Omnibus Press, 18. ISBN 0-7119-9810-8
  13. ^ a b Scaggs, Austin; Corbijn, Anton (25 August 2005), "COLDPLAY'S QUIET STORM". "THE HANDSOME ONE" Rolling Stone. (981):40–46
  14. ^ "Coldplay and A-ha team up". Teletext. Archived from the original on 26 August 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  15. ^ TYLER HEATLEY (24 April 2019). "Check out Coldplay star Guy Berryman's garage". Motorious.
  16. ^ Maoui, Zak. "Coldplay's Guy Berryman has delivered a lesson in winter weather-wear". British GQ. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  17. ^ Broeke, Teo van den. "From Coldplay to couture (kinda): inside Guy Berryman's Applied Art Forms". British GQ. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Coldplay Contribute To a-ha Member's Solo Album". Listen To Norway. 7 May 2004. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  19. ^ [1] Archived 18 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ "The Pierces – You & I (LP, UK) | Pop-Catastrophe.co.uk". Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  21. ^ Fulton, Rick (23 June 2011). "Guy and Dolls - Coldplay's Guy Berryman to play twice at this years T in the Park". Daily Record. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  22. ^ "James Levy & The Blood Red Rose - Pray To Be Free". diymag.com. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Stream Hudson Hank's Debut Album (Produced By Coldplay's Guy Berryman)". American Songwriter. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  24. ^ "Paul McCartney Tops Musicians Rich List". Music News. 21 May 2021. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  25. ^ Killkelly, Daniel (12 May 2007). "Coldplay star splits from wife". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  26. ^ Montgomery, James (2 October 2006). "No Five-Year Hiatus For Coldplay – But They Are Taking A Break". MTV News. mtv.com (MTV Networks). Retrieved 14 October 2008.
  27. ^ "Coldplay to take hiatus?". Ireland On-Line. 2 October 2006. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  28. ^ Taylor, Chris (12 May 2007). "Coldplay Star Splits With Wife". Entertainment Wise. Retrieved 11 July 2008. Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman has split from his childhood sweetheart wife Joanna just six months after the birth of their first child.
  29. ^ Hope, Hannah (24 March 2014). "Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman engaged to Dutch model Keshia Gerrits".
  30. ^ "My Three Watch Wardrobe: Mr Guy Berryman". Mr Porter. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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