Working with artists from the swaggering and brash
Robbie Williams to the elegant and heartfelt
Andrea Bocelli, the multi-talented
Guy Chambers has proven himself to be a beneficial right-hand man. After finishing his composition studies in 1985 at the London Guildhall School of Music,
Chambers toured as a member of
Julian Cope's band. Joining
the Waterboys on the road was next, and when
Karl Wallinger left the band to form
World Party,
Chambers followed and contributed his writing to the band's 1993 album,
Bang! His own band,
the Lemon Trees, struggled along from 1993-1995 before dissolving and returning
Chambers to the role of contributor, but this time with much more high-profile artists. Writing songs for
Cathy Dennis and Bryan Adams introduced him to the world of high-profile pop, and eventually,
Robbie Williams.
Chambers was to write, produce, and play a variety of instruments on the first five albums from
Williams, a massively successful series of releases that were to sell 30 million units worldwide along with being graced with three prestigious
Ivor Novello awards and a Q magazine Classic Songwriter award for
Chambers himself. Writing and production for
Texas,
Andrea Bocelli,
Hilary Duff,
Ryan Cabrera, and
Diana Ross followed as well as contributions to the Bridget Jones' Diary, Finding Nemo, and Love Actually soundtracks.
Brian McFadden's 2004 debut solo album,
Irish Son, found
Chambers as involved as he was with the
Williams albums, but he was still able to find time that year to collaborate with
Natasha Bedingfield,
Delta Goodrem, and
Beverley Knight on their releases. A year later he was the musical director for the benefit mega-concert Live 8's Murrayfield, Edinburgh stage, while also contributing to
Charlotte Church's pop debut,
Tissues and Issues,
Jamie Cullum's album
Catching Tales, and the television show Rockstar INXS. ~ David Jeffries