Green Gartside
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Green Gartside
| image = Green Gartside of Scritti Politti live at Brixton Academy (cropped).jpg
| caption = Gartside performing live
at Brixton Academy, 2014
| image_size =
| birth_name = Paul Julian Strohmeyer
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1955|6|22}}
| death_date =
| origin = Cardiff, Wales
| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar}}
| genre = {{hlist|New wave|post-punk|synthpop|blue-eyed soul|post-disco{{cite web|url=http://oneweekoneband.tumblr.com/post/127475777164/scritti-politti-wood-beez-pray-like-aretha|title=One week, one band|access-date=14 September 2017}}|pop-funk{{cite news| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/446m/| title= Scritti Politti Absolute Review Compilation. Released 2011.| first= Matthew| last= Horton 2011| access-date= 15 January 2020}}|boogie}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|musician}}
| years_active = 1977–1991; 1999–present
| label = {{hlist|Rough Trade|Warner Bros.|Virgin}}
| current_member_of = Scritti Politti
}}
Green Gartside (born Paul Julian Strohmeyer; 22 June 1955){{Cite news | url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article699472.ece | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615131957/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article699472.ece | url-status=dead | archive-date=15 June 2011 | title=It's getting easier being Green | first=Stephen | last=Dalton | newspaper=The Times | date=4 August 2006 | access-date=4 August 2010 }}{{better source needed|reason=no longer at that location|date=June 2023}} is a Welsh singer, songwriter and musician. He is the frontman of the band Scritti Politti.
Early life
Gartside was born on 22 June 1955{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ItD2DwAAQBAJ&dq=Green+Gartside+22+June+1955&pg=PT149 |title=Berkmann's Pop Miscellany: Sex, Drugs and Cars in Swimming Pools |last=Berkmann |first=Marcus |date=3 June 2021 |publisher=Little, Brown Book Group |isbn=9781408713846 |page= }} in Cardiff, Wales, to a "Cup-a-Soup salesman dad and a hairdresser / secretary / whatever mum". His childhood was not always happy, with the family, which included a sister, having to move every twelve months or so because of his father's job. The family ended up "living all over [Wales], from Bridgend to Newport to Ystrad Mynach".{{cite web| url= http://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/showbiz/scritti-polittis-green-gartside-cracking-1845508|title=Scritti Politti's Green Gartside on cracking under the pressures of fame |first= Nathan |last= Bevan |date=13 March 2011|work= Wales Online| via= walesonline.co.uk| publisher= Media Wales Ltd| access-date=1 February 2015}} His father died while he was a child and his widowed mother married her boss, a solicitor from Newport named Gordon Gartside, from whom he adopted his new surname. Gartside recalls, "The 'Green' bit came about because I didn't like the fact there were two other Pauls in my class and I wanted something different. So I just chose something random after listening to a Captain Beefheart album where all the musicians were named odd things like Zoot Horn Rollo. I thought having a made-up name was well cool".
Gartside attended Croesyceiliog Grammar School in Cwmbran. At the age of 14, he formed a branch of the Young Communist League, along with his schoolfriend and future Scritti Politti bassist Nial Jinks.{{Cite web| url= http://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/showbiz/scritti-polittis-green-gartside-returns-2029855 |title= Scritti Politti's Green Gartside returns to Newport for the Busk on the Usk Festival| first= David| last= Owens| website= Wales Online| via= walesonline.co.uk| publisher= Media Wales Ltd| date=28 June 2012| access-date=30 November 2016}}{{cite book |last1=Butt |first1=Gavin |title=No machos or pop stars: when the Leeds art experiment went punk |date=2022 |publisher=Duke University Press |location=Durham |isbn=9781478023234 |lccn=2021050347|page=78}} He later completed a foundation course in Art at Newport Art College. and formed a band called Heads of the Valleys.
In the mid-1970s, Gartside moved to England to study Fine Art at Leeds Polytechnic.{{Cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/scritti-politti/614113|title=Scritti Politti|publisher=iTunes|access-date=12 September 2017}}
Career
File:Green Gartside (Scritti Politti) – Records stand for themselves (1985).mp3
While at art school in Leeds in 1977, Gartside formed the post-punk band Scritti Politti{{cite web| url= http://www.gold.ac.uk/news/homepage-news/filmproducerlordputtnamanddesignermargarethowelltobehonouredbygoldsmiths.php| title= Film producer Lord Puttnam and designer Margaret Howell to be honoured by Goldsmiths |publisher= Goldsmiths, University of London| work= gold.ac.uk| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150223073642/http://www.gold.ac.uk/news/homepage-news/filmproducerlordputtnamanddesignermargarethowelltobehonouredbygoldsmiths.php/| archive-date= 23 February 2015 |access-date= 15 January 2020}} with schoolmate and friend Nial Jinks and art school friend Tom Morley. After Gartside and Morley had left Leeds Polytechnic, they moved to London, later securing a recording contract with Rough Trade Records who released Scritti Politti's debut studio album Songs to Remember in September 1982. However, subsequent Scritti Politti studio albums featured Gartside with different personnel, with Gartside being the only constant member of the group. In 1983, Gartside provided guest vocals on Eurythmics's cover version of the Sam & Dave song "Wrap It Up" from their second studio album Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).
As Scritti Politti, Gartside and New Yorkers keyboardist David Gamson and drummer Fred Maher released the band's second studio album Cupid & Psyche 85 in June 1985. The album included hits "Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)" (to the music video for which Michael Clark lent his contemporary dance); "Absolute" (the music video being based on William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream);{{cite web |title=Happy Birthday, Green! |website=Oh by the Way |date=22 June 2014 |url= http://ohbythewayblog.blogspot.com/2014/06/happy-birthday-green.html |access-date=7 October 2019}} "The Word Girl"; "Perfect Way"; and "Hypnotize". Released on Virgin Records, it reached number 5 in the UK and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for 100,000 copies sold. It was produced by Scritti Politti and Turkish-born Arif Mardin who coincidentally had also produced Aretha Franklin, one of Gartside's musical influences.
Released in June 1988, Scritti Politti's third studio album Provision was a UK top 10 success, though it only produced one UK top 20 hit single, "Oh Patti (Don't Feel Sorry for Loverboy)". After releasing a couple of non-album singles in 1991, as well as a collaboration with B.E.F., Gartside became disillusioned with the music industry and retired to South Wales for more than seven years.{{cite book
| first = David
| last = Roberts
| year = 1998
| title = Guinness Rockopedia
| edition = 1st
| publisher = Guinness Publishing Ltd
| location = London
| page = [https://archive.org/details/guinnessrockoped0000unse/page/378 378]
| isbn = 0-85112-072-5
| url-access = registration
| url = https://archive.org/details/guinnessrockoped0000unse/page/378
}}
In the early to mid-1990s, Gartside lived alone in a secluded cottage in Usk, Monmouthshire, spending his time listening to hip hop, playing darts and drinking beer at his local pub The Nags Head Inn. He returned to music-making in the late 1990s, releasing a new studio album, Anomie & Bonhomie, in 1999 (which included various rap and hip hop influences).
In 2006, another new studio album was released by Gartside, the stripped-down White Bread Black Beer by Scritti Politti, which returned to the more experimental era of the band's history. He also returned to touring,{{cite web |title=Pop legend plays first gig for 26 years |url= https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2006/jan/09/popandrock |work= The Guardian |date= 9 January 2006 |access-date=7 October 2019}} including his first ever tour of the United States with his band Scritti Politti.[http://www.brooklynvegan.com/scritti-politti/ Scritti Politti's First Ever U.S. Tour Dates] by B.V. Staff, BrooklynVegan, 27 September 2006.
In 2012, Gartside, who has suffered from recurring stage fright that prevented Scritti Politti from touring for many years, performed several songs by folk rock singer Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention as part of a tribute called The Lady in several UK cities.
In 2015, Gartside was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Goldsmiths, University of London.
He has been a regular stand-in presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music.{{cite web |work=Guy Garvey's Finest Hour |title= Green Gartside sits in |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03mk2mj |publisher= BBC|access-date=7 October 2019}}{{cite web |work=The Tom Robinson Show |title= Green Gartside sits in |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07blhpr |publisher= BBC |access-date=7 October 2019}}
Gartside has also worked with Miles Davis,{{cite web |title=Interview: Green Gartside |url= https://www.thelastmiles.com/interviews-green-gartside/ |website=The Last Miles |access-date=7 October 2019}} Chaka Khan,{{cite web |title=Pop legend plays first gig for 26 years |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2006/jan/09/popandrock |website=The Guardian |date=9 January 2006 |access-date=7 October 2019}} Eurythmics, Elvis Costello,{{cite web |title=Pop music: My dinner with Derrida |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/pop-music-my-dinner-with-derrida-1106689.html |website=The Independent |date=15 July 1999 |access-date=7 October 2019}} Shabba Ranks, Mos Def,{{cite web |title=Do Remember: Scritti Politti, Mos Def & Lee Majors – Tinseltown To Boogie Down |url=https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2015/04/do-remember-scritti-politti-mos-def-lee-majors-tinseltown-to-boogie-down-remix-audio/ |website=Ambrosia for Heads |access-date=7 October 2019}} Meshell Ndegeocello,{{cite web |last1=Derrik |first1=Mathis |title= Behind Blue Eyes |url= https://www.laweekly.com/behind-blue-eyes/ |website=LA Weekly |date=26 January 2000 |access-date=7 October 2019}} Kylie Minogue,{{cite web |title=Album: Kylie Minogue |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-kylie-minogue-78216.html |website=The Independent |date= 14 November 2003 |access-date=7 October 2019}} Robyn Hitchcock,{{cite web |title=Scritti Politti's Green Gartside plays Nick Drake tribute dates |url=https://www.roughtraderecords.com/news/scritti-polittis-green-gartside-plays-nick-drake-tribute-dates |website=Rough Trade Records |access-date=7 October 2019}} Manic Street Preachers,{{cite web |title=Behind the Manic Street Preachers' new Welsh assembly: The collaborators who made Futurology possible |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/james-dean-bradfield-manic-street-7372276 |website=Wales Online |date=5 July 2014 |access-date=7 October 2019}} Tracey Thorn,{{cite web |title=Album: Tracey Thorn, Tinsel and Lights (Strange Feeling) |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-tracey-thorn-tinsel-and-lights-strange-feeling-8429919.html |website=The Independent |date= 22 December 2012 |access-date=7 October 2019}} and Robert Wyatt (on Songs to Remember).
In 2020, Gartside released a solo single on Rough Trade Records, which featured cover versions of "Tangled Man" and "Wishing Well"{{Cite web|url=https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/green-gartside/tangled-man|title=Green Gartside – Tangled Man – 7"|website=Rough Trade}} by folk singer Anne Briggs.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{commons category-inline}}
- [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/scritti-politti-mn0000838875/biography Green Gartside/Scritti Politti biography at AllMusic]
- {{discogs artist}}
- {{IMDb name|1881349}}
- {{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/may/26/popandrock.shopping9 | access-date=13 March 2009 | title=Hearts and flowers | first=Simon | last=Reynolds | date=26 May 2006 |work=The Guardian |location=UK }}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gartside, Green}}
Category:Welsh male singer-songwriters
Category:Welsh male songwriters
Category:Musicians from Cardiff
Category:Welsh people of German descent
Category:Scritti Politti members
Category:Alumni of the University of Wales, Newport
Category:Alumni of Leeds Beckett University
Category:People educated at Croesyceiliog Grammar School
Category:Welsh new wave musicians
Category:British male new wave singers
Category:Communist Party of Great Britain members
Category:Young Communist League of Britain members
Category:20th-century Welsh male singers
Category:21st-century Welsh male singers