Fran Healy (musician)
Fran Healy | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Francis Healy |
Also known as | Fran [1] |
Born | [1] Stafford, Staffordshire, England | 23 July 1973
Origin | Glasgow, Scotland[2] |
Genres | Rock[2] |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician[1] |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, piano, banjo, guitar 12 chords[1] |
Years active | 1990–present[1] |
Website | https://www.travisonline.com |
Francis Healy (born 23 July 1973)[1] is a Scottish musician.[2] He is the lead singer and lyricist of the band Travis, having written nearly all of the songs on their first six studio albums and their ninth, with the seventh and eighth being more co-written works.[4] He is based in Los Angeles.[5] Healy released his debut solo album, titled Wreckorder, in October 2010.[1]
Early life
Born in Stafford, England, Healy grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, his mother's home town.[2] His mother had moved back to Scotland after divorcing her husband. Healy has said that both his mother and his grandmother were major influences on him.[2][4] Healy attended Holyrood Secondary School in Glasgow.
As a young child at primary school, he was awarded a book of
Career
Travis (1990–present)
In 1991, Neil Primrose, the drummer of Glasgow band Glass Onion, asked Healy if he would like to audition for the band; their previous singer, Catherine Maxwell, had just left the band. Healy joined the band on the same day he enrolled at the Glasgow School of Art. This band soon changed their name to Travis, named after the main character in the Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas.
Travis' first single, "
Travis has twice been awarded British album of the year at the annual
Solo work (2000; 2010)
Although Healy predominantly plays guitar, he has also been known to write and perform with piano. In 2000, he appeared on The Clint Boon Experience single "Do What You Do (Earworm Song)", reaching number 63 in the UK charts. Boon described this song as his "masterpiece".
In 2010 Healy released the solo album Wreckorder, which featured Paul McCartney on bass and Neko Case. He co-wrote the song "Here With Me" from The Killers' 2012 album Battle Born.
Influences
In interviews, Healy has talked of being influenced by songwriters such as
Activism
Healy is a part of the movement Make Poverty History and has, alongside his band, played at the Live 8 concerts in both London and Edinburgh. He participated in Band Aid 20's re-recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?", with Healy and friend Nigel Godrich also playing roles in its organisation.
He has so far made two trips to Sudan with the Save the Children organisation, for which he launched the biggest ever global campaign[6] to help the ten million children who die unnecessarily each year to survive.
Healy has also taken part in and been a speaker at several
Personal life
Healy lives in Los Angeles with his wife Nora and son Clay, having moved there from Berlin.[9][10]
In January 2008, it was announced that Healy would curate a new talent compilation for Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.[11]
In 2010, as a way to thank Paul McCartney for playing on his solo album, Healy and his wife became
Healy was a member of the Glasgow athletics club Bellahouston Harriers in his youth, and took part in the Berlin Relay Marathon in 2012.[12]
At the 2005 general election, Healy was reported to be a supporter of the Liberal Democrats.[13] In a 2013 interview, speaking of an earlier interview in which he appeared to criticise Alex Salmond, he said "I certainly came across as pro-Labour but the truth is I'm not pro-anyone."[14]
Equipment
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (April 2022) |
- 1956 Fender Telecaster Sunburst
- 1958 Fender Telecaster Butterscotsch
- 1964 Fender Telecaster Black
- 1970 Fender Telecaster Natural White
- Fender Mustang Candy Apple Red
- Fender Mustang Olympic White
- Fender Thinline Telecaster Mahogany & Sunburst
- Martin 12 String Acoustic
- Martin D-18 Acoustic
- Vox AC30
- Marshall Amplifiers
Discography
Studio albums
- Wreckorder (2010)
Featured singles
- "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (2004) – as part of Band Aid 20
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "FranHealy.com". www.franhealy.com. Archived from the original on 25 July 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Synnot (1 December 2019). "Fran's on the run: Flit's all over as Travis singer leaves La La Land". Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "The Invisible Band - Travis".
- ^ a b "Nina's Song by Travis - Songfacts".
- ^ Synnot, Siobhan (1 December 2019). "Fran's on the run: Flit's all over as Travis singer leaves La La Land". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "Fran Healy launches Save the Children’s biggest ever global campaign", Charities Aid Foundation, 2008-02-20. Retrieved on 2008-02-25.
- ^ "Entertainment | Music | Stars sing out against war". BBC News. 16 March 2003. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ^ Alexis Petridis (14 March 2003). "Sound of silence | | Guardian Unlimited Arts". Arts.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ^ "Travis' Fran Healy: "It's a radical act to write a simple song these days"". FastForward-Magazine.de. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ a b Michaels, Sean (5 January 2010). "Travis' Fran Healy goes vegetarian for Paul McCartney". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- ^ [1] Archived 22 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Fran Healy: The Man Who Ran", Scottish Running Guide, Spring 2013, p.16
- ^ Matthews, Jenny (21 April 2005). "Who's backing whom at the election?". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ Smith, Aidan (17 August 2013). "Interview: Fran Healy on the new album from Travis". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2 September 2015.