Alistair Richard Griffin, (born 1 November 1977 in Middlesbrough), is an English singer/songwriter. Brought up in Castleton, a small moorland village near Whitby, North Yorkshire, his wide musical influences range from classic rock and 'Britpop', to English and American folk music. 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. November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Middlesbrough is a large town in North-East England and the principal location in the borough of Middlesbrough. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Castleton is a village on the River Esk in the county of North Yorkshire in England. ... Heaths are anthropogenic habitats found primarily in northern and western Europe, where they have been created by thousands of years of human clearance of natural forest vegetation by grazing and burning on mainly infertile acidic soils. ... Whitby is a historic town in North Yorkshire on the north-east coast of England. ... Bolton Abbey North Yorkshire is a Shire county within the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. ... Classic rock was originally conceived as a radio station programming format which evolved from the album oriented rock (AOR) format in the mid-1980s. ... Britpop was a British alternative rock and cultural movement which gained popularity in Great Britain in the mid 1990s, characterised by the prominence of bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004... Folk Music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the common people. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A referee is a person who has authority to make decisions about play in many sports. ... Middlesbrough F.C. are an English football team, commonly known as Boro. ... Terence Frederick Venables (born January 6, 1943 in Dagenham, London) is an English football manager, who managed the England national football team. ...

Alistair Griffin, Middlesbrough, 2004

Alistair Griffin and Riccardi,York Opera House, 2004

Image File history File links AlMid. ... Image File history File links AlMid. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1101x945, 272 KB) Summary Created by JAE. Alistair Griffin, York Opera House, November 2004 Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1101x945, 272 KB) Summary Created by JAE. Alistair Griffin, York Opera House, November 2004 Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Early career

Alistair Griffin started singing and writing songs whilst still a student at York St John College, playing guitar and busking on the streets of York with a small band. 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. York St John College is a Christian college of higher education, located in York, England. ... Busking is the practice of doing live performance art in public places to entertain people, usually to solicit donations and tips. ... York is a city in northern England, at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A milkman is a person — traditionally male — who delivers milk in milk bottles or cartons. ... A milk float in Liverpool city centre, June 2005 A milk float is a small electric vehicle, specifically designed for the delivery of fresh milk. ... For other uses, see London (disambiguation). ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ...

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 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 Radio Two. Leeds is a major city in the northern English county of Yorkshire in the United Kingdom and the urban core of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire. ... Party in the Park is the generic name given to popular music concerts organised by Capital Radio Group in the UK, typically in various large parks during the summer. ... A Song for Europe is the British national preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. ... BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBCs national radio stations and is the most popular station in the UK. It broadcasts throughout the UK on FM radio between 88 and 91 MHz from its studios in Western House, adjacent to Broadcasting House in central London. ...

Alistair was briefly a member of Ultra and after spending some time working in Germany with DJ Sammy, he auditioned for the boyband, Blue, only narrowly failing to make to the final line-up. 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. Ultra is a band from Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, consist of James Hearn (vocal), Michael Harwood (Guitar) Jon OMahony (Drum), and Nick Keynes (Bass). ... DJ Sammy playing at BCM Mallorca. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Trevor Charles Horn, born July 15, 1949 in Durham, England, is a pop music producer and musician. ... Fame Academy is the name of televised competition to search for and educate musical talents. ...

Fame Academy

Having failed at the last audition on his first attempt, Griffin re-applied 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 and cheerful disposition behind the scenes, as well as his camarederie 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, the most successful and internationally-renowned Fame Academy judge, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, said Alistair 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 and as the final approached, he became the dark horse of the show. Fame Academy is the name of televised competition to search for and educate musical talents. ... Richard Park (Born on 10th March 1948 in Kirkcaldy, Fife) is a Media Consultant and broadcaster in the UK. He is best known for his appearances as the Headmaster of BBC TVs Fame Academy programmes. ... Hold Onto Your Love single James Fox, real name James Mullett, (born April 6, 1976 in Cardiff, South Wales) is a pop music singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist. ... Fame Academy is the name of televised competition to search for and educate musical talents. ... Robin Hugh Gibb CBE was born December 22, 1949, in Douglas, Isle of Man, the twin of Maurice Gibb (1949-2003). ... The Bee Gees were a British-born Australian band comprising three brothers who emigrated from the Isle of Man to Manchester during their childhood, then relocated for some years to Australia. ... A dark horse candidate is one who is nominated unexpectedly, without previously having been discussed or considered as a likely choice. ...

The final showdown, screened live, 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 and his outburst that people should "just vote for Alex". The actual voting figures have never been publicly released. Points of View is a long-running television show shown in the United Kingdom on BBC One, featuring the letters of viewers offering praise, criticism and purportedly witty observations on the television of recent weeks. ... Photograph From Official Site Daniel John Bedingfield is a UK-based pop singer songwriter. ... Alexandra Rebecca Parks (born 26 July 1984, in Mount Hawke, Cornwall) is a British singer and songwriter. ...

After coming second, Griffin signed a record deal with UMTV and 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. In January 2004, he released an album of the same name, featuring mainly self-penned songs and charting at number 12 in the UK album charts. His second single, You and Me (Tonight) reached the top 20 but Griffin parted with both his record company and management soon afterwards. Universal Music Group (UMG), formerly MCA Music Entertainment (see Music Corporation of America), is the largest major label in the record industry. ... The Box is a television channel in the United Kingdom which mostly plays music videos, although it also features some music-related programming. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

A New Direction

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. Top of the Pops is a long-running British music chart television programme shown each week on BBC Two and now licensed for local versions around the world. ... The Liquid News ident Christopher Price presenting a Liquid News programme Liquid News was the daily round up of entertainment news for BBC Three (formerly BBC Choice) running from May 30, 2000 to April 1, 2004. ... Philip David Charles Collins (born January 30, 1951 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock and pop musician. ...

The live performances of his own material that he gave throughout that year, acoustically and with the backing of a regular 5-piece band, showed a marked difference from the generic 'pop' approach of his record company. He abandoned his record company's 'pop style' backing tracks and his former 'boyband' image. For Popular music (music that is popular, rather than of a specific genre or style), see Popular music. ... A boy band (American English) or boyband (British English) is a style of somewhat to mostly prefabricated pop group featuring about between three and six young male singer/dancers, but normally five. ...

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 acompanied on keyboards by long-time friend and fellow musician, Simon Waggott (Waggo), as well as joining Robin on stage to duet on 'My Lover's Prayer'. Robin Hugh Gibb CBE was born December 22, 1949, in Douglas, Isle of Man, the twin of Maurice Gibb (1949-2003). ...

A former junior tennis champion, he also played and performed with his band in Sir Cliff Richard's pro/celebrity Tennis Tournament in December 2004. The Australian Rod Laver, a candidate for the greatest player of all time This article is about the sport. ... Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb in Lucknow, India, on October 14, 1940) is one of the United Kingdoms best known singers. ...

Although largely ignored by the British music establishment (perhaps due to his appearance on Fame Academy that he now describes as a 'double-edged sword'), two of his compositions have achieved notable chart success in The Netherlands with Do’s ballad “Angel By My Side” (co-written with James and Tom Martin} reaching the top 10 in 2004 and “Hungry For Love” (co-written with Greg Fitzgerald and Tom Nichols) covered by rock band Di-rect, getting to number 3 early in 2005. Fame Academy is the name of televised competition to search for and educate musical talents. ... The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ... Do on the cover of her EP Love Is Killing Me Dominique Rijpma Van Hulst (stage name Do) is a singer born on 7th September 1981 in Eindhoven, Netherlands. ...

He now works as an independent artist and is currently writing and recording with Robin Gibb, singer/songwriter Richard Chance and Liverpudlian songwriting duo, Chris and Tony Griffiths (ex Britpop band The Real People). Robin Hugh Gibb CBE was born December 22, 1949, in Douglas, Isle of Man, the twin of Maurice Gibb (1949-2003). ... This article is about the city in England. ... Britpop was a British alternative rock and cultural movement which gained popularity in Great Britain in the mid 1990s, characterised by the prominence of bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s. ... The Real People, from Liverpool, England, were one of the very first bands to play what is today known as “Britpop”, and have been quoted by Oasis as being one of their major influences. ...

In April 2006, he announced that he would shortly be forming a new regular band with former 'Sugartown' bandmates and fellow songwriters, James and Tom Martin.

Discography

Singles

‘Bring It On/Lover's Prayer’(UMTV) January 2004 (# 5 UK official singles charts)

‘Bring It On/Lover's Prayer’ (UMTV) Limited Edition Single, January 2004

You and Me (Tonight) (UMTV) March 2004 (# 18 UK official singles chart) 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

You and Me (Tonight) (UMTV) March 2004 (extended edition) 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Albums

‘Bring It On' (UMTV) January 2004 (#12 UK official album chart). 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1. Bring It On*
2. Painkiller*
3. Oblivion*
4. You And Me*
5. Hungry For Love*
6. Real World*
7. Feeling Alive*
8. Something About Her*
9. Lover's Prayer(ft Robin Gibb)
10. Jealous Guy
11. In Your Smile*
12. Everything I Own
13. Wherever You Will Go
14. The Heart Can't Lie*

‘Alistair Griffin Live in Germany’ (Limited Edition CD - not on general release) November 2004. The Bee Gees were a British-born Australian band comprising three brothers who emigrated from the Isle of Man to Manchester during their childhood, then relocated for some years to Australia. ... Robin Hugh Gibb CBE was born December 22, 1949, in Douglas, Isle of Man, the twin of Maurice Gibb (1949-2003). ... Jealous Guy is a song written and performed by John Lennon. ... David Gates (born December 11, 1940) is a singer and songwriter, best known as the front man of the group Bread (formed in 1967). ... The Calling is a band formed in Los Angeles, California. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1. You and Me (Tonight)*
2. Feeling Alive*
3. I Have Lived*
4. I Can’t Make You Love Me
5. Bring It On*

George Michael (born June 25, 1963) is a British pop singer/songwriter who has sold an estimated 180 million records. ...

Compilations

‘Boro Songs’ Middlesbrough Football Club December 2000 Middlesbrough F.C. are an English football team, commonly known as Boro. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

10. Stand Up*

‘”Fame Academy” Bee Gees Special’ (Polydor) August 2003 Fame Academy is the name of televised competition to search for and educate musical talents. ... The Bee Gees were a British-born Australian band comprising three brothers who emigrated from the Isle of Man to Manchester during their childhood, then relocated for some years to Australia. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

3. To Love Somebody.

‘Fame Academy - The Finalists’ (Polydor) October 2003 Fame Academy is the name of televised competition to search for and educate musical talents. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

5. Wherever You Will Go 6. Lately 7. Truly Madly Deeply 8. It Must Be Love

Original Compositions *

(Griffin's hit singles have also appeared in a number of compilation albums including Now That's What I Call Music! 57 (U.K. series) ; I Love Smash Hits; Steve Wright's Sunday Love Songs; and Just For You). Now Thats What I Call Music! 57 or Now 57 was released in 2004. ... Steve Wright (born August 26, 1954 in Greenwich, London) is a radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom. ...

An extended dance version of 'You and Me (Tonight)', which was included on the enhanced single, also appears on the 2004 Floorfillers compilation album under the name 'AG vs Clubstar - You & Me (Tonight) (Clubstar Remix)'. Floorfillers is a dance album compilation brand by All Around The World Records (in association with UMTV) that has evolved from a range of separate compilations that AATW used to compile for a number of Northern radio stations in Emaps Big City Hits network. ...

External links

Official Fansite

• www.Alistair-Griffin.co.uk Official homepage - up to date information, gigography, interviews, photo archive, multimedia and forum (currently inactive: 01.06.2006)
• Alistair Griffin temp Temporary Official forum

Other Fansites

• Griffinchat - fan forum
• Aligriffin.com – comprehensive multimedia archive of live performances, recorded by fans.
• Alistair Griffin la revelation - French language fansite and forum

Reviews

• Musicomh.com Album Review
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/fridayreview/story/0,12102,1118501,00.html Album Review in The Guardian
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/pop/reviews/alistairgriffin_bring.shtml BBC Album Review
• Middlesbrough Evening Gazette 19.10.04 Gig Review

The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...

Other Links and Information Sources

• Fame Academy Final, BBC News report.
• [1] Transcript of TV Interview with Robin Gibb, December 2003
• Radio Interview BBC Radio January 2004 (Realplayer)
• 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