Nigel Pulsford | |
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Birth name | Nigel Kenneth Howard Pulsford |
Born | Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales | 11 April 1961
Origin | London, England |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1979–present |
Nigel Pulsford (born 11 April 1961) is a British musician, and the original guitarist of the alternative rock band Bush. [1]
Pulsford was born in 1961 in Newport, Monmouthshire, and grew up with two sisters, Angela and Jan. (Angela would later play violin on certain Bush songs, as well as on one of Cyndi Lauper's albums.)
Pulsford attended Fairfax Academy in Sutton Coldfield and the University of Bradford in Bradford, West Yorkshire before dropping out with the intent of playing in a rock band.[ citation needed ]
In 1979, aged 18, Pulsford was involved in various bands with friend Neil Crossley. [2] Performing in pubs and bars in Lancaster, [2] the groups played rhythm and blues, power pop, and what Pulsford termed "fake jazz". [2]
In the 1980s, Pulsford joined a female-fronted funk band called Taming The Outback. [2] Influenced by James White and the Blacks, [2] Pulsford didn't enjoy his tenure in the band, [2] but remained a member for over a year because of a relationship with the group's manager. [2]
Puslford took a year of from music in the mid-1980s, which he stated in 1999 was due to being "fed up with being in crap bands". [2] In 1987, Pulsford formed a group called The Charms, who performed a single concert in High Wycombe supporting Thee Hypnotics. [2] Shortly thereafter, Pulsford joined the band King Blank, who released two studio albums, The Real Dirt (1988) and King Blank to the Ian Lowery Group (1989). [2] After a 1990 promotional tour of the United States, inclusive of a performance at CBGB, New York, [2] King Blank had dissolved by 1991. [2]
In 1992, Pulsford met Gavin Rossdale in a London club and they discovered a mutual appreciation for several musical groups and artists. They formed a band called Future Primitive and were joined by bassist Dave Parsons and drummer Robin Goodridge and managed by Joe Oliver. Shortly thereafter the band was renamed Bush. Pulsford was the band's lead guitarist.
Bush released their debut album, Sixteen Stone , in 1994. The album went six times platinum, riding the strength of the grunge movement and such hit singles as "Comedown," "Glycerine," "Machinehead," "Little Things," and "Everything Zen." They achieved further success with three more albums and hit singles such as "Swallowed," "Greedy Fly," "The Chemicals Between Us," "Letting the Cables Sleep," and "The People That We Love."
Pulsford released a solo album in 1999 entitled Heavenly Toast on the Paradise Road. All material on the album was written by Pulsford.
In 2002, after the release of the album Golden State , Pulsford took a break from touring with the band while his wife was pregnant. He was replaced by Chris Traynor temporarily and his future in the band became the subject of much speculation among fans. Rossdale later confirmed that he intended to make the next Bush album with Traynor and said that Pulsford had quit the band. [3]
Despite Rossdale affirming that he wanted to continue Bush with Traynor, the band went on an indefinite hiatus following the end of the "Golden State" tour. Rossdale later formed Institute with Traynor. Backtracking on his previous assertion that Bush could continue without Pulsford, Rossdale stated that he started a new band because he didn't want to dilute everything Bush had accomplished by changing members. [4]
Since the breakup of Bush, Pulsford has spent time with his family. However, he has remained musically active recording in his home studio and producing other artists' work. In 2008 he was working with British alternative rock group Furlined as a producer and occasional guitarist. [5] Pulsford also worked with singer Emma Holland on her second album, and in 2012 produced the debut album by London singer/songwriter Dave Giles, entitled "Love, Life, Loss And Tea", released on 28 October 2012. In addition to working with other artists, Pulsford has expressed his intent to release another solo album. [6]
In June 2010 Bush's return was announced and Chris Traynor, who had played with Gavin Rossdale since Bush ended, was installed as the band's new lead guitarist. Pulsford was joined by bassist Dave Parsons in turning down the opportunity to rejoin the band.
Nigel Pulsford married his wife Judith Rose on 20 July 1996. He has three children. They currently live in Bath, UK.
Gavin McGregor Rossdale is an English musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Bush. He helped form Bush in 1992; on the band's separation in 2002, he became the lead singer and guitarist for Institute and later began a solo career. He resumed his role in Bush when the band reunited in 2010. In 2013, he received the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement.
Bush are an English rock band formed in London in 1992. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Gavin Rossdale, lead guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist Corey Britz, and drummer Nik Hughes.
Sixteen Stone is the debut studio album by English rock band Bush, released on 6 December 1994 by Trauma and Interscope Records. It became the band's most popular album, peaking at number four on the US Billboard 200 and boasting numerous successful singles. "Comedown" and "Glycerine" remain two of Bush's biggest hits to date, each reaching number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Comedown", "Machinehead", and "Glycerine" were the three songs from the album to enter the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number thirty, number forty-three, and number twenty-eight, respectively. The album was certified 6× Platinum in the United States by the RIAA on 16 April 1997.
Institute was an American rock band featuring Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale. The band's only album, Distort Yourself, was released on September 13, 2005.
The Science of Things is the third studio album by British band Bush, released on 26 October 1999, through Trauma Records. It is the last Bush album released through Trauma and features many electronic music influences. The album peaked at number eleven on the US Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.
Distort Yourself is the only studio album by American rock band Institute, led by then-former Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale. Released on September 13, 2005, through Interscope Records, the album was co-produced by Helmet frontman Page Hamilton. The album also produced the single "Bulletproof Skin."
Deconstructed is a remix album by British band Bush, released on 11 November 1997, through Trauma Records. It did not feature any new material but was a collaborative effort between the band and various producers working in the electronic genre of music to remix some of the band's previously released songs. "Mouth " was released as a single in 1997 and became a minor hit, due largely in part to it being featured prominently in both the trailer and the 1997 film An American Werewolf in Paris.
John William Lowery, best known by the stage name John 5, is an American guitarist. His stage name was bestowed on him in 1998 when he left David Lee Roth's solo band and joined the rock band Marilyn Manson as their guitarist, taking over for Zim Zum. Still going by the name John 5, Lowery became the guitarist for Rob Zombie in addition to his continued collaborations with musical artists across many genres. In 2022, John 5 left Rob Zombie and became the touring lead guitarist for Mötley Crüe.
Golden State is the fourth studio album by the British rock band Bush, released on 23 October 2001 through Atlantic Records. It is the last Bush album to feature Nigel Pulsford and Dave Parsons on guitar and bass, respectively. Bush would not release another studio album again until ten years later with The Sea of Memories. The liner notes of Golden State cite the album in memory of Ian Lowery, founder of Folk Devils. In the documentary Making Of Golden State, the title is revealed as being inspired by the Golden State Freeway, which Gavin Rossdale used to use to get home.
The Best of '94–'99 is a greatest hits double album by British rock band Bush. Disc one consists of the band's hit songs, while disc two is their performance at Woodstock '99. The collection omits their singles "The People That We Love" and "Inflatable" from Golden State, due to lack of licensing rights.
Chris Traynor is an American musician, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bush since 2001. Prior to Bush, he started in the post-hardcore scene with Fountainhead and Orange 9mm. “I got a publishing and record deal when I was nineteen, just super young.” Traynor had an on and off stint with Helmet while overlapping his Gavin Rossdale based projects of Bush, Institute, and Gavin Rossdale's solo album. Traynor played in two bands with his partner Sibyl Buck, Champions of Sound and High Desert Fires.
Folk Devils were an English 1980s post-punk ensemble born of the Notting Hill, West London music scene.
"Bonedriven" is a song by the British rock band Bush, released on 16 April 1997. It is the third single from the band's second album Razorblade Suitcase (1996). It followed the band's hit singles "Swallowed" and "Greedy Fly." "Bonedriven" and "Cold Contagious" are the only Bush singles from 1994–1999 not to be included on the band's 2005 greatest hits compilation, The Best of '94–'99, apparently excluded in favor of two additional tracks from the band's remix album Deconstructed that were not released as singles.
Wanderlust is the debut solo album by Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale. It is his first studio album since Institute's Distort Yourself in 2005. Rossdale's initial working title for the record was This Place is on Fire, now the moniker for the release's a cappella coda piece. The lead single, "Love Remains the Same," was released digitally on April 1, 2008.
David Guy Parsons is a British rock musician who is best known as the original bassist for English grunge band Bush.
"Inflatable" is a song by alternative rock band Bush and the final single from their fourth album Golden State. "Inflatable" could not be included on future compilations such as The Best of '94–'99 due to lack of licensing rights.
Man on the Run is the sixth studio album by the British rock band Bush, released on 21 October 2014, through Zuma Rock Records. It marks the band's second studio album to be recorded under its current incarnation, which reformed in 2010 after an eight-year hiatus and released The Sea of Memories in 2011. The album release in 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the band's debut album, Sixteen Stone.
Black and White Rainbows is the seventh studio album by British alternative rock band Bush, released on 10 March 2017, through Zuma Rock Records and Caroline International. It is the follow up to the band's 2014 album, Man on the Run, and is the third featuring the lineup of Gavin Rossdale, Robin Goodridge, Chris Traynor and Corey Britz. It is the last album to feature longtime drummer Robin Goodridge, the only member other than Rossdale who had played on every album dating back to their 1994 debut Sixteen Stone which launched the band's career. He was also the only longtime member to rejoin Bush after their hiatus from 2002 to 2010.
The Kingdom is the eighth studio album by English rock band Bush. It was originally scheduled to be released in May 2020 but it was later pushed back to a release date of 17 July 2020. The band released two singles prior to the album, the first being "Bullet Holes" which was released in May 2019 and featured in the film John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, and the second single off the album was "Flowers on a Grave" and was released one year later in March 2020.
Ian Lowery was an English vocalist and poet who fronted several bands, including The Wall, Ski Patrol, Folk Devils, and King Blank, as well as recording as a solo artist.