The Choirboys (boyband)
Encyclopedia
The Choirboys are an English boy band
, made up of cathedral
choristers. In 2005, a talent search was held to find a young chorister to bring choral music into the then current music scene, however, the judges could not decide which of its three finalists should be given the recording contract
and decided to put them together as a trio.
), Eskricke Francis Benedict "Ben" Inman (born 19 March 1993, Starbeck, Harrogate
, North Yorkshire
) and Charles John "CJ" Porter-Thaw (born 11 December 1994, Sheffield
). Both Aspbury and Porter-Thaw were members of Ely Cathedral
choir and Inman was a member of the choir of Southwell Minster
.
In summer 2005, they were selected from cathedral choristers around the UK for a recording contract
with Universal Classics and Jazz
, and released their self-titled first album in November of that year.
After an intensive promotional tour of television and radio stations, they performed at several events, including the Southwell Minster St. Cecilia Concert, the Ely Cathedral May Day Concert and charity concerts in London venues such as the Royal Albert Hall
.
The first trio have since moved on and retired from being trebles
at their respective cathedrals.
Inman recorded as solo artist on the James Newton-Howard soundtrack
for the 2005 film
, King Kong
, and has since retired as a treble chorister from Southwell Minster. He won the Trebby Award for 'Best Solo Treble Track' in 2006 for "Fairest Isle".
Gloucestershire
, Bill Goss (11 December 1994) and Will Dutton (17 November 1995) who is the son of Paul Dutton. Swait was a member of Tewkesbury Abbey
choir, Dutton was a member of St. Mark's Church in Harrogate and Goss was a member of St. Olave's Church in York
.
Swait features with other singers in many other albums. He features on Landscape and Time by the King's Singers
, he sang with counter tenor James Bowman in 2008 on Songs of Innocence with pianist Andrew Plant. He has sung with Anna Netrebko
on her Souvenirs in 2008 and recorded on the NMC Recordings
label on a celebratory disc of New Music released in 2009; here he premiered works by James MacMillan (with fellow treble Sam Harris, and harpist Lucy Wakeford) and Peter Maxwell Davies
, again with Andrew Plant. Herald Records released his final treble solo album in 2009, Salve Puerule where he was accompanied by the Trinity College of Music
Chamber Choir. Swait also appeared in the children's documentary A Different Life which was all about his life as a chorister.
Dutton was awarded the BBC Radio 2
'Young Chorister of the Year' Award in 2006, and was also once a member of the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain, where he was co-principal violinist.
which was presented to them on the popular BBC
children's television program
me, Blue Peter
. It has since gone platinum and has to date sold over 750,000 .copies. It peaked at #25 in the UK Albums Chart
.
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
, made up of cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
choristers. In 2005, a talent search was held to find a young chorister to bring choral music into the then current music scene, however, the judges could not decide which of its three finalists should be given the recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
and decided to put them together as a trio.
Original members (2005)
The original line-up of the group was made of Patrick Aspbury (born 9 June 1993, ChelmsfordChelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
), Eskricke Francis Benedict "Ben" Inman (born 19 March 1993, Starbeck, Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
, 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 Charles John "CJ" Porter-Thaw (born 11 December 1994, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
). Both Aspbury and Porter-Thaw were members of Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon...
choir and Inman was a member of the choir of Southwell Minster
Southwell Minster
Southwell Minster is a minster and cathedral, in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. It is six miles away from Newark-on-Trent and thirteen miles from Mansfield. It is the seat of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.It is considered an outstanding...
.
In summer 2005, they were selected from cathedral choristers around the UK for a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Universal Classics and Jazz
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, and released their self-titled first album in November of that year.
After an intensive promotional tour of television and radio stations, they performed at several events, including the Southwell Minster St. Cecilia Concert, the Ely Cathedral May Day Concert and charity concerts in London venues such as the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
.
The first trio have since moved on and retired from being trebles
Boy soprano
A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...
at their respective cathedrals.
Inman recorded as solo artist on the James Newton-Howard 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...
for the 2005 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, King Kong
King Kong (2005 film)
King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong....
, and has since retired as a treble chorister from Southwell Minster. He won the Trebby Award for 'Best Solo Treble Track' in 2006 for "Fairest Isle".
New members (2007)
As the Choirboys aged, so did their voices, and to keep the sound of the group the same a new trio replaced Porter-Thaw, Aspbury and Inman. The new group was made up of Andrew Swait (2 October 1994) of Cheltenham CollegeCheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, Bill Goss (11 December 1994) and Will Dutton (17 November 1995) who is the son of Paul Dutton. Swait was a member of Tewkesbury Abbey
Tewkesbury Abbey
The Abbey of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Tewkesbury in the English county of Gloucestershire is the second largest parish church in the country and a former Benedictine monastery.-History:...
choir, Dutton was a member of St. Mark's Church in Harrogate and Goss was a member of St. Olave's Church in York
St Olave's Church, York
St Olave's is an Anglican church in York, England. It is situated on Marygate by St Mary's Abbey.The church is situated within St Mary's Abbey walls, which was ruined in the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It is dedicated to St Olaf, patron saint of Norway...
.
Swait features with other singers in many other albums. He features on Landscape and Time by the King's Singers
King's Singers
The King's Singers is a British a cappella vocal ensemble who celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008. Their name recalls King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars in 1968. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s...
, he sang with counter tenor James Bowman in 2008 on Songs of Innocence with pianist Andrew Plant. He has sung with Anna Netrebko
Anna Netrebko
Anna Yuryevna Netrebko is an Russian operatic soprano. She now holds dual Russian and Austrian citizenship and currently resides in Vienna. She has been nicknamed "La Bellissima" by fans.-Biography:...
on her Souvenirs in 2008 and recorded on the NMC Recordings
NMC Recordings
NMC Recordings is a British recording label which specialises in recording works by living British composers.-History:The composer Colin Matthews founded NMC in 1988, with financial assistance from the Holst Foundation. NMC is an abbreviation for "New Music Cassettes", which refers to the intended...
label on a celebratory disc of New Music released in 2009; here he premiered works by James MacMillan (with fellow treble Sam Harris, and harpist Lucy Wakeford) and Peter Maxwell Davies
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...
, again with Andrew Plant. Herald Records released his final treble solo album in 2009, Salve Puerule where he was accompanied by the Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
Chamber Choir. Swait also appeared in the children's documentary A Different Life which was all about his life as a chorister.
Dutton was awarded the BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
'Young Chorister of the Year' Award in 2006, and was also once a member of the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain, where he was co-principal violinist.
The Choirboys
Their self titled debut album was released 28 November 2005 and sold 100,000 copies in the first week, making it the fastest-selling classical debut album in the UK and earning The Choirboys a gold discMusic recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
which was presented to them on the popular BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
children's television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
me, Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
. It has since gone platinum and has to date sold over 750,000 .copies. It peaked at #25 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...
.
The Carols Album
A second album The Carols Album was released on 3 December 2007 in the UK. By this time the singing voices of the original Choirboys had changed and their members had changed to reflect this. The new line-up is Andrew Swait, William Dutton and Bill Goss.Singles
- "Tears in HeavenTears in Heaven"Tears in Heaven" is a ballad written by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings about the pain and loss Clapton felt following the death of his four-year-old son, Conor. Conor fell from a window of the 53rd-floor New York apartment of his mother's friend on March 20, 1991. Clapton, who arrived at the...
" released in 2005, with the B-sideA-side and B-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
track, "Ave MariaAve Maria (Gounod)The Bach/Gounod Ave Maria is a popular and much-recorded setting of the Latin text Ave Maria.Written by French Romantic composer Charles Gounod in 1859, his Ave Maria consists of a melody superimposed over the Prelude No. 1 in C major, BWV 846, from Book I of The Well-Tempered Clavier, written by...
", which was sung by Ben Inman. It reached #22 in the UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe 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 2005.