Grant Kirkhope
Encyclopedia
Grant Kirkhope is a British
video game music composer
, known for writing the soundtrack
s for numerous games by Rare, such as Banjo-Kazooie
, Perfect Dark
and Donkey Kong 64
.
, North Yorkshire
and attended King James's School
(like his fellow trumpet player and good friend, Simply Red
's Tim Kellett
). Grant played in various bands after leaving the Royal Northern College of Music
, including Zoot and the Roots
along with the saxophonist
, Snake Davis
. Grant also spent many years as part of "the big bad horns" which were part of UK band "Little Angels". At the age of 33 he was employed by Rare. Before joining Rare, in October 1995, he played for two bands called Syar and Maineeaxe where he played guitar, and already knew Robin Beanland
, another Rare composer. Grant's music, featuring an electric guitar, is played on an Ernie Ball/Musicman EVH given to him by Eddie Van Halen
.
On 14 July 2008, Kirkhope stated in his MySpace
blog that he was resigning from Rare. He joined THQ
studio Big Huge Games
, as audio director.
Big Huge Games
was acquired by 38 Studios in May 2009, the company founded by Curt Schilling
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
video game music composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, known for writing the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s for numerous games by Rare, such as Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie is a platform and action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998...
, Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark is a first-person shooter video game developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is considered the spiritual successor to Rare's earlier first-person shooter GoldenEye 007, with which it shares many gameplay features...
and Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong 64 is a platform game, developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in North America on November 24, 1999 and in Europe on December 6, 1999. The game is a follow up to the Donkey Kong Country trilogy on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System...
.
Biography
Grant was brought up in KnaresboroughKnaresborough
Knaresborough is an old and historic market town, spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located on the River Nidd, four miles east of the centre of Harrogate.-History:...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
and attended King James's School
King James's School
King James's School is located on King James Road, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England. King James's is a large non-selective school with a large sixth form.-Admissions:...
(like his fellow trumpet player and good friend, Simply Red
Simply Red
Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
's Tim Kellett
Tim Kellett
Tim Kellett is an English musician, songwriter and record producer.-Biography:Kellett has worked in the British music industry for the past twenty five years...
). Grant played in various bands after leaving the Royal Northern College of Music
Royal Northern College of Music
The Royal Northern College of Music is a music school in Manchester, England. It is located on Oxford Road in Chorlton on Medlock, at the western edge of the campus of the University of Manchester and is one of four conservatories associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music...
, including Zoot and the Roots
Zoot and the Roots
Zoot and the Roots were a British jazz band based in York during the 1980s, fronted by Miles Gilderdale and featuring saxophonist Snake Davis. It also featured future video game music composer, Grant Kirkhope on trumpet.-Singles and EPs:...
along with the saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, Snake Davis
Snake Davis
Snake Davis is a session musician who has played with some of the worlds biggest artists. In the 1980s he fronted York band Zoot and the Roots....
. Grant also spent many years as part of "the big bad horns" which were part of UK band "Little Angels". At the age of 33 he was employed by Rare. Before joining Rare, in October 1995, he played for two bands called Syar and Maineeaxe where he played guitar, and already knew Robin Beanland
Robin Beanland
Robin Beanland , sometimes credited as R. Beanland or simply "The Bean", is a British video game music composer for numerous Rare titles, such as the Killer Instinct franchise, Conker's Bad Fur Day , and many others...
, another Rare composer. Grant's music, featuring an electric guitar, is played on an Ernie Ball/Musicman EVH given to him by Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
.
On 14 July 2008, Kirkhope stated in his MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
blog that he was resigning from Rare. He joined THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
studio Big Huge Games
Big Huge Games
Big Huge Games is a video game developer located in Timonium, Maryland. The company was founded in February 2000 by four veteran game industry developers: Tim Train, David Inscore, Jason Coleman and Brian Reynolds...
, as audio director.
Big Huge Games
Big Huge Games
Big Huge Games is a video game developer located in Timonium, Maryland. The company was founded in February 2000 by four veteran game industry developers: Tim Train, David Inscore, Jason Coleman and Brian Reynolds...
was acquired by 38 Studios in May 2009, the company founded by Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...
.
Nominations
- In 2004 Kirkhope was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement In Original Music Composition" at the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Wards Ceremony for Grabbed by the GhouliesGrabbed by the GhouliesGrabbed by the Ghoulies is a video game released on October 21, 2003 by Rare for the Xbox gaming console. It was the first Rare game to be published by the Microsoft buyout from Nintendo, having originally been in development for the Nintendo GameCube. It is forward compatible with the Xbox 360...
. - In 2004 Kirkhope was nominated for "Best Interactive Score" at the 2nd Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards Ceremony for Grabbed by the GhouliesGrabbed by the GhouliesGrabbed by the Ghoulies is a video game released on October 21, 2003 by Rare for the Xbox gaming console. It was the first Rare game to be published by the Microsoft buyout from Nintendo, having originally been in development for the Nintendo GameCube. It is forward compatible with the Xbox 360...
. - In 2007 Kirkhope was nominated for "Original Score" at the British Academy of Film and Television ArtsBritish Academy of Film and Television ArtsThe British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
awards for Viva PinataViva PiñataViva Piñata is a life simulation game developed by Rare, for the Xbox 360 video game console. The project was headed by Gregg Mayles and the team behind the Banjo-Kazooie series, based on an idea from Tim Stamper. Although rumors of the title circulated among fans for some time, Viva Piñata was...
.
Selected works
- Project DreamProject DreamProject Dream was an unreleased video game that was originally going to be released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and later the Nintendo 64 by Rare...
(1995) - Donkey Kong Land 2Donkey Kong Land 2Donkey Kong Land 2 is a Game Boy game released in 1996. It is the sequel to the 1995 Game Boy hit, Donkey Kong Land. The game was later followed by Donkey Kong Land III which was released in 1997...
(1996) - GoldenEye 007 (with Graeme NorgateGraeme NorgateGraeme Norgate is an English video game music composer, who has composed music for a variety of video games developed by Rare. His first project at Rare was writing the music for the Game Boy game, Donkey Kong Land. He also contributed to the soundtracks of Blast Corps and GoldenEye 007...
and Robin BeanlandRobin BeanlandRobin Beanland , sometimes credited as R. Beanland or simply "The Bean", is a British video game music composer for numerous Rare titles, such as the Killer Instinct franchise, Conker's Bad Fur Day , and many others...
) (1997) - Banjo-KazooieBanjo-KazooieBanjo-Kazooie is a platform and action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998...
(1998) - Donkey Kong 64Donkey Kong 64Donkey Kong 64 is a platform game, developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in North America on November 24, 1999 and in Europe on December 6, 1999. The game is a follow up to the Donkey Kong Country trilogy on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System...
(1999) - Banjo-TooieBanjo-TooieBanjo-Tooie is a platform and action-adventure hybrid video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo in 2000 for the Nintendo 64 as a part of the Banjo-Kazooie series. The game is the successor to Banjo-Kazooie and was one of the most anticipated sequels for the Nintendo 64.The game's story...
(2000) - Perfect DarkPerfect DarkPerfect Dark is a first-person shooter video game developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is considered the spiritual successor to Rare's earlier first-person shooter GoldenEye 007, with which it shares many gameplay features...
(with David Clynick) (2000) - Grabbed by the GhouliesGrabbed by the GhouliesGrabbed by the Ghoulies is a video game released on October 21, 2003 by Rare for the Xbox gaming console. It was the first Rare game to be published by the Microsoft buyout from Nintendo, having originally been in development for the Nintendo GameCube. It is forward compatible with the Xbox 360...
(2003) - Viva PiñataViva PiñataViva Piñata is a life simulation game developed by Rare, for the Xbox 360 video game console. The project was headed by Gregg Mayles and the team behind the Banjo-Kazooie series, based on an idea from Tim Stamper. Although rumors of the title circulated among fans for some time, Viva Piñata was...
(with Steve BurkeSteve Burke (composer)Steven Burke is a British video game composer, sound designer and voice actor. He is mostly known for his work at the British video game developer Rare Ltd. at 2001–2009 period.-Background and career:...
) (2006) - Viva Piñata: Trouble in ParadiseViva Piñata: Trouble in ParadiseViva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise is the Xbox 360 sequel to the critically acclaimed life simulation game entitled Viva Piñata. The title was officially announced on May 13, 2008 with a September 2, 2008 release date in North America and a September 5, 2008 date in Europe.-Plot:The second Viva...
(2008) - Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & BoltsBanjo-Kazooie: Nuts & BoltsBanjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is an action-adventure/vehicle construction/platformer video game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was first announced at the X06 Media Briefing. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is the third installment in the Banjo-Kazooie series and takes place...
(with Robin BeanlandRobin BeanlandRobin Beanland , sometimes credited as R. Beanland or simply "The Bean", is a British video game music composer for numerous Rare titles, such as the Killer Instinct franchise, Conker's Bad Fur Day , and many others...
and David Clynick) (2008) - Kingdoms of Amalur: ReckoningKingdoms of Amalur: ReckoningKingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is an upcoming single-player role-playing video game for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. Ken Rolston, the lead designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, acts as the game's executive designer. Additionally, noted...
(still in working) (February 2012)
External links
- Profile at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Artist profile at OverClocked ReMixOverClocked ReMixOverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs with new technology and software, as well as by various traditional means...