Hugh Alan Cornwell (born 28 August 1949), is an English musician and songwriter, best known for being the vocalist and guitarist for punk/new wave group, The Stranglers between 1974–1990.

Career

Hugh Cornwell in 2006

Cornwell was born in London, England in 1949 - growing up in Tufnell Park and Kentish Town - and attended William Ellis School in Highgate, where he was friends with Richard Thompson, later a member of Fairport Convention. In the late 1960s, having obtained a degree in biochemistry from Bristol University, he embarked on postgraduate research post in Lund University, southern Sweden. Not long after his arrival he formed a band, Johnny Sox.

Cornwell did not complete his doctorate and returned to the UK, in 1974. Soon after, he formed The Stranglers with Jet Black, Hans Warmling and Jean Jacques Burnel. Warmling departed the band and was replaced by Dave Greenfield who joined in 1975 after answering an advertisement placed in the Melody Maker. By 1977 they had secured a recording contract with the United Artists record label and become the highest selling band on the UK punk scene and had a big number of hit singles and albums.

By the time Cornwell reached his thirties, the British punk scene had died down and he was prompted to start a solo career in case the Stranglers broke up. He recorded his first album away from the group, Nosferatu, in collaboration with the Captain Beefheart's Magic Band's drummer, Robert Williams, in 1979.

Shortly before his 41st birthday Cornwell decided that the band could go no further artistically, especially after covering the song '96 Tears' that year. He recorded the albums 10 and Saturday Night/Sunday Morning before leaving after sixteen years in the band. He described life with the Stranglers as brilliant, but he felt he had a dark coat over him. His biographical writing attest to many conflicts within the band, particularly between Cornwell and Burnel.

Since leaving The Stranglers his solo career has continued. He has released several solo albums including Wolf (1988) produced by Ian Ritchie, Wired (1993), Guilty (1997), Hi Fi (2000), Footprints in the Desert (2002), Mayday (2002), In the Dock (2003), Beyond Elysian Fields (2004) and in 2006 a live album in two forms; People Places Pieces as a triple CD box set, accompanied by a simultaneously released mass-market highlights disc, Dirty Dozen. Wired, Guilty and Hi Fi were released under different names, and with slightly different track listings, in the U.S. Beyond Elysian Fields was initially released by Track Records in the UK, followed by Invisible Hands Music in the rest of the world, with expanded artwork.

Books

Cornwell has also written three books. "Inside Information" (1980) tells of the time he spent in Pentonville prison for drug possession; "The Stranglers - Song by Song" guides the reader through all of The Stranglers catalogue; whereas "A Multitude of Sins" (2004), is his autobiography.

Trivia

A fan of cricket, Cornwell appeared on the 'Jamie Theakston Cricket Show' on Radio Five Live in 2001. He played a live acoustic version of "(Get) A Grip (On Yourself)" with the then England batsman and guitarist Mark Butcher. Cornwell has subsequently become a player with Bunbury Cricket Club.