Harriet Wheeler
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Harriet Wheeler | |
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| Born | June 26, 1963 Reading, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | University of Bristol |
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Harriet Ella Wheeler (born June 26, 1963) is an English singer and songwriter most famous for her work in alternative rock band the Sundays. She is a co-founder of the band along with her husband and guitarist/co-songwriter David Gavurin. [1]
Early life and education
Born in Reading, England, Wheeler is the daughter of an architect and a teacher.[2] In the late 1980s, she attended University of Bristol with a major in English literature,[1] performing a few times with English indie pop band Jim Jiminee, formerly named Cruel Shoes.[3]
The Sundays
While at the University of Bristol, Wheeler met and fell in love with David Gavurin, who was studying Romance languages.[1] Upon graduating, the pair were living together and, collecting unemployment checks, spent their time writing music. In 1988, after sending demo tapes to clubs across London and receiving multiple bids for them to sign on with various labels, Wheeler and Gavurin along with newly added members Paul Brinley (bass guitar) and Patrick Hannan (drums) formed a band and decided on “the Sundays,” signing on with Rough Trade Records.[1]
The Sundays received critical acclaim for all three of their albums—Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (1990); Blind (1992); and Static & Silence (1997)—for their dreamy, indie-alternative rock sound, Wheeler most notably garnering attention for the unique quality of her voice.[1] The years-long gaps in their discography have much to do with Wheeler's self-given label of being a perfectionist.[1] Every song released by the Sundays was written by Wheeler and Gavurin, except for their cover of the Rolling Stones’ "Wild Horses."[4][5]
Upon the release of their second album, Blind, the Sundays embarked on their second U.S. tour. The tour was cut short due to homesickness and exhaustion[1], and in the time to follow, Wheeler and Gavurin married and built a studio in their North London home for ease of songwriting and performing. Soon after, in February of 1995, Wheeler gave birth to a daughter, Billie, and would from then on shift her focus more toward her family, writing and singing in their home studio.[4][6] 1997’s Static & Silence would be the last album release for the Sundays to date before they would go on an indefinite hiatus, and after which Wheeler and Gavin had their second child.[4]
Current activity
In a C86 Show Podcast episode released on August 18, 2020, former the Sundays drummer Paul Hannan revealed that Wheeler and Gavurin “never stopped making music,” but that the recordings may never be released.[7] Presently, Wheeler and Gavurin and their children still live in London, maintaining the low-key profile they valued when the Sundays were still active.[8][9]
Lasting reputation
The Sundays never achieved mainstream popularity, mostly drawing an audience of college students and those who identified with the indie-alternative scene. Mainstream popularity, however, was not a goal for Wheeler.
What most people who have come into contact with the Sundays' music notice and fixate on is Wheeler's voice. Wheeler's voice has been described as "angelic," "transcendent," "like nothing on earth."[10] These sentiments are echoed even today in comments under their music videos such as "Here's Where the Story Ends" and their cover of "Wild Horses." Wheeler's voice has also inspired popular contemporary artists; Filipino-English indie singer-songwriter Beabadoobee told Elle Singapore that Wheeler's voice has "the most perfect voice to ever exist" and that she draws much inspiration from Wheeler for her own vocal style.[11] Beabadoobee has also performed a cover of the Sundays' "Here's Where the Story Ends."[12]
As a self-proclaimed perfectionist, Wheeler emphasized the sound of a musical act over the visuals in an interview with Scholastic's Science World.[13] What resonates with fans of Wheeler and the Sundays today is, along with her voice, the timelessness and mood of Wheeler's lyrics, in both their written and sung forms.[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Brennan, Carol. "Contemporary Musicians". archive.org. Gale Cengage. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ↑ Tortorici, Frank. "The Sundays' Harriet Wheeler". VH1. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ↑ "C86 Show - Indie Pop | Delphi Newman - Baby June, Jim Jiminee, The Box Brothers and Vital Disorder". Podbean. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Obuchowski, David. "Searching for the Sundays". Longreads. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ↑ "Harriet Wheeler: Discography". Discogs. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Sundays: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ↑ "C86 Show - Indie Pop | The Sundays special with Patrick Hannan". Podbean. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ↑ Pitluk, Adam. "As the Heavens Shudder". American Way. American Airlines. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Grogan, Cindy. ""Whatever Happened To The Sundays?"". CultureSonar. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ↑ Roberts, Chris (3 September 1988). "The Sundays Live at The Falcon". Melody Maker. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ↑ Thang, Farisia. "beabadoobee Wants You To Know She's Not A Poet". ELLE Singapore. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ↑ "Here's Where The Story Ends — Beabadoobee (The Sundays Cover)". YouTube. SiriusXM. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ↑ Sevin, Francelia. "Tuesday afternoon with the Sundays". EBSCOHost. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
External links
This article "Harriet Wheeler" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.