Stephen Fretwell
Encyclopedia
Stephen Fretwell is an English
singer-songwriter
.
. It was in his teenage years that he started his first band
, named Label.
After moving to Salford
in Fretwell, he started to earn notices in NME
and Q
. During this period songs such as "Emily" and "What’s That You Say Little Girl?" were first written.
Fretwell decided to stay in Manchester
permanently, later releasing 8 Songs which he released on Northern Ambition, a label
owned by a friend. He left university after one year, and started to perform at local acoustic nights in the Manchester area. The first of these was at The Roadhouse, a venue in the centre of Manchester's Northern Quarter.
He later released the Something's Got to Give EP
and The Lines, both self-financed
. He then supported Travis
, Elbow
, Athlete
, Keane and KT Tunstall
. Signed to Fiction Records
, and while under management by Colin Lester
's and Ian McAndrew's Wildlife entertainment, his debut album
Magpie, was released in November 2004. It was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios
. It peaked at #27 in the UK Albums Chart
in August 2005. The first single taken from the album was "Run" and was subsequently followed by "Emily" (2005) and the Four Letter Words EP. "Emily" reached #42 in the UK Singles Chart
in August 2005. He had previously supported Oasis
at Marlay Park in Dublin on 16 July 2005.
He was described by Q as "Scunthorpe's finest export... ever". Fretwell described this as flattering but not something he actively encouraged.
His version of Jeff Buckley
's "Morning Theft" appeared on the 2005 tribute album Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim and Jeff Buckley
.
His song "Bad Bad You, Bad Bad Me" was featured in an episode of the ABC
family drama, Brothers & Sisters, called "The Missionary Imposition".
His most recent single was called "Scar", which was released on 3 September 2007. It was included on his album, Man On The Roof, which was recorded in New York
, released on 10 September 2007, and featured James Iha
.
Fretwell also played bass on tour with the Last Shadow Puppets, the side project of Arctic Monkeys
' Alex Turner
.
His song "Run" is the theme tune to the situation comedy
, Gavin & Stacey
and his song "Darling Don't" appeared on the third series of the teen drama Skins
.
His song "Play" from the album Magpie was featured in the 2009 movie "The Joneses"
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
.
Biography
Fretwell attended St. Augustine Webster Primary School in Scunthorpe and St. Bede's Catholic School in Ashby before furthering his study at John Leggott CollegeJohn Leggott College
John Leggott College is a sixth form college on West Common Lane, in Old Brumby, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England.-Technical school:...
. It was in his teenage years that he started his first band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, named Label.
After moving to Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
in Fretwell, he started to earn notices in NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
and Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
. During this period songs such as "Emily" and "What’s That You Say Little Girl?" were first written.
Fretwell decided to stay in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
permanently, later releasing 8 Songs which he released on Northern Ambition, a label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
owned by a friend. He left university after one year, and started to perform at local acoustic nights in the Manchester area. The first of these was at The Roadhouse, a venue in the centre of Manchester's Northern Quarter.
He later released the Something's Got to Give EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and The Lines, both self-financed
Vanity press
A vanity press or vanity publisher is a term describing a publishing house that publishes books at the author's expense. Publisher Johnathon Clifford claims to have coined the term in 1959. However, the term appears in mainstream U.S...
. He then supported Travis
Travis (band)
Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
, Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...
, Athlete
Athlete (band)
Athlete are a British rock band formed in Deptford, London, comprising Joel Pott , Carey Willetts , Stephen Roberts and Tim Wanstall...
, Keane and KT Tunstall
KT Tunstall
Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
. Signed to Fiction Records
Fiction Records
Fiction Records is a UK label founded by Chris Parry in 1978 that is best known for being the home of The Cure for over 20 years. Formerly independent, the label is now owned by Polydor, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.-History:...
, and while under management by Colin Lester
Colin Lester
Colin Lester is a British artist manager of R&B, Pop and Rock Music acts. He was born on 26 May 1960 in Hampstead, London, England.Lester has managed the careers for numerous commercially successful British and international artists...
's and Ian McAndrew's Wildlife entertainment, his debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Magpie, was released in November 2004. It was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
. It peaked at #27 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
in August 2005. The first single taken from the album was "Run" and was subsequently followed by "Emily" (2005) and the Four Letter Words EP. "Emily" reached #42 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in August 2005. He had previously supported Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
at Marlay Park in Dublin on 16 July 2005.
He was described by Q as "Scunthorpe's finest export... ever". Fretwell described this as flattering but not something he actively encouraged.
His version of Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
's "Morning Theft" appeared on the 2005 tribute album Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim and Jeff Buckley
Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim and Jeff Buckley
Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim and Jeff Buckley is a studio album performed by various artists in tribute to 1960s musician Tim Buckley, and his son, also a musician, Jeff Buckley...
.
His song "Bad Bad You, Bad Bad Me" was featured in an episode of the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
family drama, Brothers & Sisters, called "The Missionary Imposition".
His most recent single was called "Scar", which was released on 3 September 2007. It was included on his album, Man On The Roof, which was recorded in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, released on 10 September 2007, and featured James Iha
James Iha
James Yoshinobu Iha b. March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Japanese American rock musician. He is best known as having been a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, most notably being a permanent...
.
Fretwell also played bass on tour with the Last Shadow Puppets, the side project of Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
' Alex Turner
Alex Turner (musician)
Alexander David Turner is an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter of the English rock band Arctic Monkeys...
.
His song "Run" is the theme tune to the situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
, Gavin & Stacey
Gavin & Stacey
Gavin & Stacey is a British comedy television series. A romantic comedy-drama, the show follows the long-distance relationship of Gavin from Billericay in Essex, England, and Stacey from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The writers of the show, actors James Corden and Ruth Jones, also...
and his song "Darling Don't" appeared on the third series of the teen drama Skins
Skins (TV series)
Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
.
His song "Play" from the album Magpie was featured in the 2009 movie "The Joneses"
Albums
- 8 Songs (2002)
- Something's Got to Give (EP)
- The Lines
- Magpie (2004)
- Four Letter Words (EP) (2007)
- Man On The Roof (2007)
Other contributions
- The Acoustic AlbumThe Acoustic Album (compilation)The Acoustic Album is a 2-disc compilation album released by EMI/Virgin Records in July 2006 to showcase songs heard on Virgin Radio.-Track listing:Disc 1:#Jack Johnson - "Breakdown"#Corinne Bailey Rae - "Put Your Records On"...
(2006, VirginVirgin RecordsVirgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
) - "Emily" - Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim and Jeff BuckleyDream Brother: The Songs of Tim and Jeff BuckleyDream Brother: The Songs of Tim and Jeff Buckley is a studio album performed by various artists in tribute to 1960s musician Tim Buckley, and his son, also a musician, Jeff Buckley...
(2006, Full Time Hooby) - "Morning Theft"
External links
- Stephen Fretwell's official website
- Official Profile on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace 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....
- Interview on musicOMH.com