Julia Thornton is a professional harpist, who to date has released two albums: Harpistry (2003) and Eye of the Storm (2004).
Julia Thornton began to play the harp aged 11. Having wanted to do so since the age of three, her parents initially managed to stave off her persistence, allowing her piano lessons at the age of 9. Eighteen months later, having taken well to the piano, she was allowed to have her first harp lesson. [1]
Beginning on an Irish instrument called the clarsach (an instrument that is smaller than a concert harp and doesn't have its pedal mechanism), Thornton was initially taught by a local teacher who had to return to her native Czechoslovakia after a year. After this, she was taught by Daphne Boden (who eventually became her professor at the Royal Academy of Music). Within a year, Boden asked Thornton's parents if they would buy her a concert harp – a huge financial investment. Thornton's first harp belonged to Boden – a Japanese instrument called an Ahomaya.
Thornton extended her studies by attending the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music on Saturdays, where she began also to learn percussion. At this time she also became a member of the National Youth Orchestra.
Having won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, she studied there between 1990 and 1995, [2] winning many prizes for her harp-playing (including the Julia Leney and Renata Schefelstein harp awards, and both the harp prizes at the Royal Overseas League competition). She was also awarded the Mathias Prize for the best performance of his Santa Fe Suite at the International Harp Competition in Cardiff. After completing her studies at the Academy, Thornton's work consisted of a mixture of teaching, orchestral and solo work. She performed with a wide variety of orchestras and opera and ballet companies, and gave recitals including performances at the Cambridge, Beaumaris and Cheltenham music festivals. She also joined the panel of Yehudi Menuhin's "Live Music Now!", which enables young musicians to perform in various communities around the country, such as in schools, day-care centres, homes for the elderly, homes for those suffering from Alzheimers or dementia, prisons and young offenders' institutes.
Thornton's main breakthrough came at a yoga demo in 1999, where she was playing the harp and was spotted by Clare Davies, wife of Bryan Ferry's producer, Rhett Davies. [3] Following an audition, she began working with Bryan Ferry, performing on the harp and percussion instruments on his "As Time Goes By" tour, which comprised a collection of 1930s standards such as the title track. In 2001 she was asked to join the Roxy Music reunion tour – a tour that involved 50 days of percussion playing only. Despite her love for the harp, Thornton took this opportunity. The tour involved visits to Australia and Japan, and playing in some of the world's major venues, such as Wembley Arena.
The seeds of her first album, "Harpistry", were sown during her involvement with a mediaeval instrumental group, Arcana Mundi, a concept dreamed up by Craig Leon, who would later become her producer. Thornton signed a deal with EMI in 2002, and between trips abroad with Bryan Ferry, she sourced the material for her first album, with help from Leon. She recorded "Harpistry" in the Netherlands in 2003, before going to Brazil on another Bryan Ferry tour. On 1 September 2005, www.PlaybillArts.com reported that Harpistry charted at no. 13 on the Billboard Classical chart. Thornton released her second album, "Eye of the Storm", on her own label, Crossways Records, due to frustrations with EMI.
In spring 2007, Thornton became a member of a new band, The Metaphors, which featured Roxy Music founding members Andy MacKay and Paul Thompson on reeds and drums respectively, together with Hazel Mills on Keyboards and T J Allen on guitar and effects. That summer, they recorded their first album. The six-song collection called London! Paris! New York! Rome! was released on iTunes in March 2009, and became available as a disk from their website a month later. To date The Metaphors have played a limited number of live dates.
In June and July 2009, Julia returned to her percussion and harp duties for the 30th anniversary tour of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the World for a 21-concert tour of U.K. and Europe.
According to her webpage, Julia has plans to go into the studio and record her own music and record with members of Lunar Dunes, a band that she has sat in with. Julia is also following up on her interest in yoga by taking classes towards becoming a yoga instructor.
Julia grew up in Ipswich. Commenting on her wide range of musical tastes from Mahler to Joni Mitchell, she said "My parents were hippies!"
Her precise date of birth is not generally known, but FreeBMD states that she was born in the first quarter of 1972.
Bryan Ferry (2000) Live at the Grand Rex
Roxy Music (2001) Live at the Apollo
Konixxtreffen 2002 Concert (extra on Bryan Ferry: The Bete Noire Tour 2008 DVD reissue) [4]
Classic FM TV Greatest Hits Vol.1
Live 8 (2005) with Roxy Music
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds – Live on Stage (2006)
Roxy Music (2001) Live
Susheela Raman (2001) Salt Rain
Bryan Ferry (2002) Frantic
Julia Thornton (2003) Harpistry *
Julia Thornton (2004) Eye of the Storm
The Bench Connection (2007) Around the House in 80 Days
Athena (2008) Breathe With Me
Andy MacKay & The Metaphors (2009) London! Paris! New York! Rome!
Bryan Ferry As Time Goes By 1999–2000 Harp/Percussion
Roxy Music Reunion Tour 2001–2002 Percussion/Keyboards
Bryan Ferry Frantic Tour 2002 Harp/Percussion
Roxy Music Summer Festivals 2005 Percussion/Keyboards
Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds 2006 Harp/Percussion
Russell Watson Spring Tour 2007 Harp/Percussion
Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds Australia Sept 2007 Harp/Percussion
Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds Re-Invasion of England Dec. 2007 Harp/Percussion
Andy MacKay & The Metaphors 2008 Harp
Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds 30th Anniversary Tour 2009 Harp/Percussion
Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds – The New Generation Tour 2012 Harp/Percussion
Rod Stewart 2013/2016/2017 Harp/Percussion
Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by lead vocalist and principal songwriter Bryan Ferry and bassist Graham Simpson. By the time the band recorded their first album in 1972, Ferry and Simpson were joined by saxophonist and oboist Andy Mackay, guitarist Phil Manzanera, drummer Paul Thompson and synthesizer player Brian Eno. Other members over the years include keyboardist and violinist Eddie Jobson and bassist John Gustafson. The band split in 1976, reformed in 1978 and split again in 1983. In 2001, Ferry, Mackay, Manzanera and Thompson reunited for a concert tour and have toured together intermittently ever since, most recently in 2022 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first album. Ferry has also frequently enlisted band members as backing musicians during his solo career.
Bryan Ferry is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to The Independent, Ferry and his contemporary David Bowie influenced a generation with both their music and their appearances. Peter York described Ferry as "an art object" who "should hang in the Tate".
Christopher John Spedding is an English guitarist and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Spedding is best known for his studio session work. By the early 1970s, he had become one of the most sought-after session guitarists in England. Spedding has played on and produced many albums and singles. He has also been a member of eleven rock bands: the Battered Ornaments, Frank Ricotti Quartet, King Mob, Mike Batt and Friends, Necessaries, Nucleus, Ricky Norton, Sharks, Trigger, and the Wombles. In May 1976, Spedding also produced the very first Sex Pistols recordings.
Paul Thompson is an English drummer, who is best known as a member of the rock band Roxy Music. He is a member of Andy Mackay's project with the Metaphors and joined Lindisfarne in 2013. He was also the drummer for Oi! band Angelic Upstarts and the American alternative rock band Concrete Blonde.
Concerto is a live album by Roxy Music. All tracks were recorded during the group's "Manifesto Tour" at the Rainbow Music Hall, Denver, Colorado on April 12, 1979, except for Mother of Pearl and Editions of You, which were recorded earlier that month at the Oakland Auditorium, Oakland, California. The album was released in 2001; three years after it was previously released as Concert Classics in 1998. It was released again under the title Ladytron on August 19, 2002 on Superior Records. Roxy Music had no input to this album as it is not an official Roxy Music release but released under license.
The High Road is the second live album by the English rock band Roxy Music. Recorded at the Apollo in Glasgow, Scotland on 30 September 1982 during the band's Avalon tour, it features four tracks. Two of the songs are covers, including Roxy Music's no.1 hit version of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", and Neil Young's "Like a Hurricane". A Bryan Ferry solo effort "Can't Let Go" was also included, originally released on his 1978 album The Bride Stripped Bare, with the remaining track being a version of "My Only Love" from Flesh + Blood, with an extended instrumental section. The album reached number 26 on the UK Album Charts. and did even better in Canada, reaching #5 in May 1983.
Heart Still Beating is the third live album by Roxy Music and was released on 22 October 1990. It is credited as a recording of a concert in Fréjus, France on 27 August 1982, as part of their tour to promote the band's final studio album, Avalon. The album cover photograph features model Amanda Cazalet.
Bête Noire is the seventh solo studio album by English singer Bryan Ferry, released on 2 November 1987 by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom and by Reprise Records in the United States. It was a commercial and critical success, peaking at No. 9 in the UK and was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
Andrew Mackay is an English musician, best known as a founding member of the art rock group Roxy Music.
Concert Classics is a live album by Roxy Music. All tracks were recorded during the group's "Manifesto Tour" at the Rainbow Music Hall, Denver, Colorado on April 12, 1979. The album was released nineteen years later in February, 1998, and released again in 2001 with two extra tracks, under the name Concerto. Roxy Music had no input to this album as it is not an official Roxy Music release but released under license.
"Re-Make/Re-Model" is a song written by Bryan Ferry that appears as the opening track on Roxy Music's eponymous debut album.
"2HB" is a song written by Bryan Ferry and first recorded by Roxy Music for their 1972 debut album, Roxy Music. Ferry also recorded a version for his 1976 solo album, Let's Stick Together.
More than This: The Best of Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music is a 1995 compilation album covering Roxy Music and the solo career of the group's lead singer, Bryan Ferry. The name of the album is taken from the song "More than This" from the 1982 Roxy Music album Avalon.
Neil Terrence Hubbard is a British guitarist who has performed with Juicy Lucy, The Grease Band, Bluesology, Joe Cocker, Roxy Music, Kokomo, Alvin Lee, B.B. King, Kevin Rowland, Dexys Midnight Runners, Bryan Ferry and Tony O'Malley, and played on the original 1970 concept album Jesus Christ Superstar.
In Your Mind is the fourth solo studio album by English singer and songwriter Bryan Ferry. It was his first solo album of all original songs.
Live is a double live album by English art rock band Roxy Music, released in 2003. Their fourth official live album, it contains performances from a variety of venues on their 2001 reunion world tour, and represents the entire set list from those concerts. Live was packaged in a Digipak case.
Taxi is the eighth solo studio album by English singer Bryan Ferry, released in March 1993 by Virgin Records, over five years after the late 1987 release of his previous album Bête Noire. It was first released in Japan on 10 March, before being released in the UK on 22 March and then in the US in April. This was Ferry's third solo album since the second demise of Roxy Music in 1983, ten years earlier. The album was a commercial and critical success, peaking at No. 2 in the UK, it was certified Gold by the BPI.
Mamouna is the ninth solo album by Bryan Ferry, released on Virgin Records first on 31 August 1994 in Japan and then on 5 September in the UK. It was Ferry's first album of original material in seven years and he spent six years writing and recording it, under the working title Horoscope. The album peaked at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart.
Alfonso "Fonzi" Thornton is an American vocalist, songwriter, producer and vocal contractor. In a career spanning 40 years, Thornton has sung backing vocals for top artists across many genres of music. His vocal credits can be found on the recordings of Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, Mick Jagger, Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music, Chic, Diana Ross, Garth Brooks, Ray Charles, Mariah Carey, Steely Dan, David Bowie, Robert Palmer, Patti LaBelle, Al Jarreau, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Phoebe Snow, Scritti Politti, Bette Midler, Lady Gaga and many others. In 2008, Thornton joined the musical entourage of Aretha Franklin as backing vocalist and vocal contractor and continued to accompany her in concert, on recordings and TV until her death in 2018.