Guy Chambers (born January
12, 1963 in London) is an English songwriter
and record producer best known for his
long partnership with Robbie Williams.
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Contents
- 1 Biography
- 2 Work
with Robbie Williams
- 3 Recent
Developments
- 4 The
Lemon Trees Discography
- 5 Writer's
Discography
- 5.1 Albums
- 5.2 Singles
- 5.3 Films
- 6 Awards
- 7 External
links
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Biography
Chambers wrote, performed and recorded his first demos at
London's Cockpit Theatre Arts and Music Workshop along with other
songwriter/producers such as Richard Daniel Roman
in the early 80's. It was during this time that he also formed his
first band The Burmoe Brothers which included Marc
Almond in its line up for one track "Skin". After graduating
from the London Guildhall School of Music where he studied composition,
his teachers including George Benjamin,
Chambers went on to tour as a musician with, among others, Julian
Cope and The Waterboys before joining
World
Party in 1986 and co-writing with Karl Wallinger on Bang!,
the band’s most successful album. He also appeared on the Mission's
Carved in Sand, providing the arrangement and keyboards for the song
'Grapes of Wrath'. As a later musical director he would use much of the
Mission's previous crew, among others guitar-tech Jez Webb.
In 1992 Chambers formed his own band ' The
Lemon Trees ' and wrote, produced and performed with them
until they disbanded in 1995. Though the band only released one album,
a second one was completed but not released because the record company
didn't like it. Following the end of The Lemon Trees, Chambers spent
time writing successfully with Cathy Dennis, Bryan
Adams and others until an opportune meeting with Robbie
Williams in January 1997.
Work with Robbie Williams
Chambers collaborated as both songwriter and producer on
Williams' first five solo albums, which all reached No.1 in the UK and
have globally sold over 40 million. Chambers co-wrote many of the music
on Williams' best known tracks, including "Rock
DJ", "Feel", "Millennium",
and "Let Me
Entertain You" and "Angels".
After recording for Williams' fifth solo album “Escapology”
was completed in mid 2002, Chambers and Williams acrimoniously split
amidst demands from Robbie Williams's management that Chambers stop
writing for other artists although it's also been stated that it was
due to Williams demanding a higher percentage of royalties for
songwriting. It was revealed in Williams's book Feel that Chambers was
demanding a ludicrously high royalty hike, leading to the split.
Chambers revealed in a 2005 interview that he and Williams were on
speaking terms again and hinted at possible future collaborations.
Chambers has claimed their songwriting partnership was 50.50, he wrote
most of the music, while Williams' wrote the lyrics and melodies.
However, in the music industry, their songwriting relationship is
widely known as 'Change a word - Claim a third', meaning Chambers was
responsible for nearly all the music, melodies and lyrics with little
intervention from Williams. Williams subsequently started working with
former Duran Duran member Stephen
Duffy for his 2005 album “Intensive Care”. Chambers was not
involved.
For his work with Williams, he won 3 BRITS, 3
Ivor Novello awards, a Q classic
Songwriter award and an MMF best produced record award for “I’ve Been
Expecting You”.
They re-united mid 2007 and are currently in LA together
working on Robbie's upcoming album.
Recent Developments
In recent years Chambers has written and produced material for
a number of different artists, Texas, Will
Young, Rachel Stevens, Andrea
Bocelli as well as working on a number of different film projects such
as Bridget Jones's
Diary, Finding
Nemo and Love
Actually soundtracks and a collaboration with Queen
on their classic track "We Are the Champions" for the
hit movie A Knight's Tale.
He co-wrote and produced four songs for Kylie
Minogue's 2000 album Light Years,
including the single "Kids" (a duet with Williams), Loveboat,
I'm So High and the camp classic "Your
Disco Needs You".
Chambers and American songwriter Kara
DioGuardi co-wrote "Shine" for Hilary Duff's self-titled
album, which charted at #2 in the Billboard 200 chart and reached over
1 million in sales. Other US album collaborations include Ryan
Cabrera's Take It All Away,
"2 Become 1" for Jewel's album 0304
which debuted at #2 in the Billboard 200 chart, and Diana Ross
for whom Guy produced the track ‘Goin’ back for life and love’: The
best of Diana Ross.
"Lemon Love", the debut album from Aslyn was
co-produced by Chambers and Eric Valentine. 2004 saw the release
of Brian
McFadden's debut solo album “Irish Son” which Chambers heavily
contributed to. First single “Real to Me” went
straight in at #1 in the UK.
Other album releases that year included Natasha Bedingfield’s
debut album Unwritten,
Geri
Halliwell's third solo album Passion,
Delta
Goodrem’s second album Mistaken
Identity and Beverly
Knight's “Affirmation”. Chambers and Beverley wrote 4 tracks
for the album including the hit single ‘Come As You Are’. Beverley also
performed her own accapella version of the Robbie
Williams track ‘Angels’ at this year’s Live 8 at
Murrayfield, Edinburgh where Chambers was Musical Director.
‘Tears And Rain’ was written by James
Blunt and Chambers and features on Blunt's outstanding debut
album ‘Back to Bedlam, one of 2005’s most successful albums which to
date has sold over a million copies.
The Isis Project, a French language
album featuring lyricist Keren Ann and vocalist Sophie Hunter is Chambers’s own
personal project, written as an eighteenth birthday present for his
daughter Isis while she was four at the time. Track ‘L’onde Amere’ also
features on Keren Ann’s latest album ‘Nolita’. Released by Sleeper
Music 13th June 2005 It is anticipated that EMI Records’/ Angel Music
will be re-releasing the album internationally in Jan/Feb 2006.
Charlotte Church's debut
album ‘Tissues and Issues’ features 3 co-written tracks: “Confessional
Song”, “Let’s Be Alone” and ‘Casulty Of Love”. Chambers collaborated
with Jamie Cullum's for his most
recent album ‘Catching Tales’ on two tracks, “London Skies” and “Oh
God”.
Guy Chambers collaborated with Enrique
Iglesias to write the ballad "First Day Of My Life". It was translated
into Italian and recorded by Andrea Bocelli as the lead single
from his first pop album. The English version of the song was recorded
by Melanie
C and became a smash #1 hit throughout Europe. Chambers
collaborated with Iglesias for many other songs but none have yet been
recorded.
Chambers worked in LA with legendary band INXS for the first
studio album after the death of Michael
Hutchence ‘SWITCH’, released on 29th December 2005.
Chambers is currently collaborating with Big
Brother 7 (UK) winner Pete Bennett on his forthcoming album.
He also worked with Tina Turner. There may be an album of
new material in 2008.
Recently, Chambers worked with Darren
Hayes to co-write "Who Would Have Thought?", a track that will be
released on Hayes' forthcoming album This Delicate Thing
We've Made, scheduled for release on 23rd
August 2007. This song was released on Darren Hayes's Myspace, prior to
the album release on the 9th April 2007 along with an associated
animation clip for the song.
He is also working with Gareth Gates.
Worked also with Joss Stone on a song called "Flower
Child"
Chambers is currently in Los Angeles working with Robbie
Williams on his future albums.
The Lemon Trees Discography
Album:
- Open Book (Oxygen Records/MCA -
1993)
Singles include:
- Love Is In Your Eyes (Oxygen Records/MCA -
1992) #75
- The Way I Feel (Oxygen Records/MCA -
1992)#62
- Let It Loose (Oxygen Records/MCA -
1993) #55
- Child Of Love (Oxygen Records/MCA -
1993)#55
- I Can't Face The World (Oxygen Records/MCA -
1993) #52
Writer's Discography
- 30 Gold / Platinum certified albums
- 19 Top 10 singles
- 6 No.1 singles
- 12 No. 1 albums
Albums
Tracks featured on the following albums:
- Darren Hayes's This Delicate Thing
We've Made (2007)
- Beverley Knight's Music
City Soul (2007)
- Melanie C's This Time
(2007)
- Ross Copperman's Welcome to
reality (2007)
- Axelle
Red's Jardin Secret
(2006)
- Stefy's
The Orange Album
(2006)
- Patrizio Buanna's Forever
Begins Tonight (2006)
- Laura Michelle Kelly's The Storm Inside
(2006)
- Erin Boheme's What
Love Is (2006) #17 USA Bilboard Jazz Charts
- Beverley Knight's Voice
(2006)
- INXS's
Switch
(2005) #17 USA Bilboard 200
- Melanie C's Beautiful
Intentions (2005 re-release)
- The Isis Project (2005)
- Jamie Cullum's Catching
Tales (2005)
- Keren
Ann's Nolita
(2005)
- Charlotte Church's Tissues
and Issues (2005)
- James Blunt's Back
To Bedlam (2005)
- Aslyn's
Lemon
Love (2005)
- Beverley Knight's Affirmation
(2004)
- Brian McFadden's Irish Son
(2004)
- Natasha Bedingfield's Unwritten
(2004)
- Delta Goodrem's Mistaken
Identity (2004)
- Hilary Duff's Hilary
Duff (2004)
- Andrea Bocelli's Andrea
(2004)
- Kylie Minogue's Ultimate
Kylie (2004)
- Jessica Simpson's In
This Skin (2004)
- Speedway's Save
Yourself (2004)
- Busted's A Present for Everyone
(2003)
- Texas' Careful What You Wish For
(2003)
- Melanie C's Reason
(2003)
- Skin's
Fleshwounds
(2003)
- Jewel's 0304
(2003)
- Rachel Stevens' funkydory (2003)
- Nick Lachey's SoulO
(2003)
- Will Young's From Now
On (2002)
- BBMak's
Into Your Head
(2002)
- Diana
Ross' Love & Life
(2001)
- Kylie Minogue's Light
Years (2000)
- Unamerican's
Unamerican
(2000)
- Tom Jones' Reload
(1999)
- The Waterboys' The Live
Adventures of the Waterboys (1999)
- World Party's Egyptology
(1997) #3 UK, #83 US
- Cathy Dennis's Am I The
Kinda Girl? (1996)
- World Party's Bang!
(1993)
- World Party's Goodbye
Jumbo (1990)
- Robbie Williams' Greatest Hits
(2004) #1 UK, 5 x Platinum
- Robbie Williams' Live
At Knebworth (2003) #1 UK, 2 x Platinum
- Robbie Williams' Escapology
(2002) #1 UK, 6 x Platinum
- Robbie Williams' Swing When You're Winning
(2001) #1 UK, 8 x Platinum
- Robbie Williams' Sing When You're Winning
(2000) #1 UK, 8 x Platinum
- Robbie Williams' I've Been Expecting You
(1998) #1 UK, 10 x Platinum
- Robbie Williams' Life
Thru A Lens (1997) #1 UK, 8 x Platinum
Singles
- "Afterglow" by INXS (2006)
- "Pretty Vegas" by INXS (2005) #9 Australia
- "First Day Of My Life" by Melanie
C (2005) #1 Germany, #1 Switzerland, #1 Spain, #1 Portugal,
#2 Austria
- "Come As You Are" by Beverley
Knight (2004) #9 UK
- "Real To Me" by Brian McFadden (2004) #1 UK, #1
Ireland, #1 Denmark, #1 Norway, #2 Sweden, #4 Finland, #54 Australia
- "Irish Son" by Brian McFadden (2004) #6 UK
- "Out Of The Blue" by Delta Goodrem (2004) #9 UK, #1
Australia
- "Together We Are One" by Delta
Goodrem (2006) #2 Australia
Robbie Williams
- "Sexed Up" (2003)
- "Something Beautiful" (2003) #3 UK
- "Come Undone" (2003)
- "Feel" (2002) #1 UK
- "Something Stupid" (1998)
- "Eternity"/"The
Road To Mandalay" (2001) #1 UK
- "Let Love Be Your Energy" (2001) #10 UK
- "Supreme" (2000) #4 UK
- "Kids" (2000) #2 UK
- "Rock DJ" (2000) #1 UK
- "She's The One"/"It's Only Us" (1998)
- "Strong" (1999) #4 UK
- "No Regrets" (1998) #4 UK
- "Millennium"
(1998) #1 UK
- "Let Me Entertain You" (1998) #3 UK
- "Angels" (1997) #4 UK
- "South Of The Border" (1997) #10 UK
- "Lazy Days" (1997) #8 UK
- "Old Before I Die" (1997) #2 UK
Films
- Kinky Boots (2005)
- Fantastic Four (2005) "Always Come Back
To You" - Ryan Cabrera
- Love Actually (2003) "I'll See It
Through" - Texas
- Finding Nemo (2003) "Beyond The Sea" Robbie
Williams
- Bridget Jone's Diary (2001) "Have You
Met Miss Jones?", "Not Of This Earth" - Robbie
Williams
- A Knight's Tale (2001) "We Are the
Champions" Robbie Williams
- Bend It Like Beckham (2002) "Dream The
Dream" Shaznay Lewis
- Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
(1998) "Man Machine" Robbie Williams
- Nobody Someday (2002) "Nobody Someday" Robbie
Williams
- Mean Machine (2001) "Let Me Entertain
You" Robbie Williams
Awards
- 3 Ivor Novello Awards
- 3 BRIT Awards
- Q Classic Songwriter Award
- MMF Best Produced Record Award
External links