Who is Richard Ashcroft from The Verve?

RICHARD Ashcroft is one of the founding members of the iconic Britpop band The Verve.

The beloved singer will be touring with fellow 1990s act Oasis for their upcoming reunion tour.

Wigan beginnings

Richard was born on September 11, 1974, and grew up in Wigan, Lancashire.

He was the son of office worker Frank and a hairdresser named Louise.

In 1982, Richard's dad passed away from a brain haemorrhage which left the future signer struggling to cope.

He relied on music to get himself through that difficult time.

Richard attended Up Holland High School, where he met his future band-mates Simon Jones, Peter Salisbury and Simon Tong.

He later met another future band-mate, Nick McCabe, at Winstanley College.

The Britpop years

Richard formed The Verve with Peter and Simon in 1990.

He invited Nick to join the band without even seeing what he looked like, as he overheard the guitarist playing at Winstanley College.

The band's creative process was chaotic, with Richard creating the band's songs from improvised jam sessions.

The band split up in 1995, but reformed in 1997.

They released the hugely successful album, Urban Hymns, that same year and quickly rocketed to fame with the album's lead single Bittersweet Symphony.

The Verve were quickly labelled as part of the Britpop scene, alongside acts including Blur and Oasis.

Much of the attention on the band focused on Richard's appearance and personal style.

He became known for wearing 1970s-style sunglasses, even in interviews, and a leather jacket.

The Verve broke up in 1999, just two years after they became mainstream, because of touring difficulties and tensions within the band.

They briefly reunited in 2007 before splitting up again just two years later in 2009.

Going solo

Richard went solo and released a solo single entitled A Song For the Lovers in April 2000.

The song was a hit and reached the No.3 spot on the UK Charts.

He then released a string of solo albums, including 2000's Alone with Everybody and 2016's These People, which also reached the No.3 spot in the UK Charts.

Richard's life out of the spotlight

The singer married Kate Radley, a member of the band Spiritualized, in 1995.

They kept their relationship quite for several years, but the couple eventually toured together alongside Coldplay in 2006.

Kate and Richard share two sons together, named Sonny (born in 2000) and Cassius (born in 2004).

Richard has been open about his many friendships within the British indie scene, including a close personal bond with the Gallagher brothers and Coldplay's Chris Martin.

He will be touring with Oasis for their 2025 reunion tour.

Oasis infamously broke up in 2009, but the brothers decided to put their differences aside in 2024 to reunite the band.