Peter Bruntnell

Peter Bruntnell
Born	(1962-01-26) 26 January 1962 (age 62) Wellington, New Zealand
Origin	Kingston upon Thames, England
Genres	Alternative country, country rock
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Loose, Almo Sounds, Slow River, Manhaton Records, Domestico Records

Peter Bruntnell (born 26 January 1962) is a British singer-songwriter born in Wellington, New Zealand.^[1]

Biography

Bruntnell's family is originally from Wales; His family moved to New Zealand when his father, Owen Bruntnell, was sent to work at the British High Commission in Wellington for four years. They returned to the UK when Bruntnell was a year old, and settled in Kingston upon Thames.^[2] His great great uncle was Australian politician Albert Bruntnell who emigrated from Wales in 1888. Bruntnell also lived in Vancouver, Canada for a time.^[1] In the early 1990s, Bruntnell returned to the UK and formed the band Milkwood, although he soon reverted to solo work and recordings with Matt Backer and Felix Harper as the Peter Bruntnell Combination.^[1] He was signed by Almo Sounds, who issued his debut album, Cannibal, in 1995.^[1] He recorded a second album for Almo, Camelot in Smithereens (1997), before moving to the Slow River label for his 1999 album Normal for Bridgwater.^[1] The album was highly recommended by VH1's Bill Flanagan^[3] and by Rolling Stone's John Luerssen,^[4] and helped to establish Bruntnell with American audiences.^[5] The album was recorded with the help of musicians from Son Volt, a band with whom he has toured regularly in the United States.^[6][7]

In 2013, Loose Music released Bruntnell's Retrospective album, featuring music from all of his albums to date. The album was preceded by a single and accompanying video of a re-recording of the song "Played Out",^[8] featuring Rumer.

Musical style

Bruntnell's music is often referred to as Americana, although it has also been described as country rock and alternative country.^{[7][9][10][11]}

Discography

Albums

• Cannibal (1995), Almo Sounds – The Peter Bruntnell Combination
• Camelot in Smithereens (1997), Almo Sounds
• Normal for Bridgwater (1999), Slow River
• Ends of the Earth (2002), Black Porch – The Peter Bruntnell Combination
• Played Out (2004), Loose Music/Vinyl Junkie
• Ghost in a Spitfire (2005), Loose Music/Vinyl Junkie
• Peter and the Murder of Crows (2008), Loose Music
• Black Mountain U.F.O. (2011), Manhaton Records
• Ringo Woz Ere (2012), Domestico Records
• Retrospective (2013), Loose Music
• Nos Da Comrade (2016), Domestico Records
• Live in the Firth (2017), Domestico Records
• King of Madrid (2019), Domestico Records
• Journey To The Sun (2021), Domestico Records
• "Houdini and the Sucker Punch" (2024), Domestico Records

Singles

• "I Will, I Won't" (1995), Almo Sounds – The Peter Bruntnell Combination
• "Astronaut" (1996), Almo Sounds – The Peter Bruntnell Combination
• "Have You Seen That Girl Again" (1997), Almo Sounds
• "Camelot in Smithereens" (1997), Almo Sounds
• "Saturday Sam" (1997), Almo Sounds
• "By the Time My Head Gets to Phoenix" (1999), Slow River
• "Played Out (featuring Rumer)" (2013), Loose Music

References

1. Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 649
2. "Peter Bruntnell – The Triste Interview", triste.co.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2010
3. Flanagan, Bill (2001) "Suggested Sounds of Summer", CBS, 10 June 2001. Retrieved 19 September 2010
4. "Everclear, "Nutty Professor II" Lead New Releases^{[dead link‍]}", Rolling Stone
5. "Album: Peter Bruntnell Ends Of The Earth^{[dead link‍]}", The Independent, 7 March 2003. Retrieved 19 September 2010
6. Armonaitis, Dan (2009) "Son Volt kicks up some 'Dust' and moves forward", GoUpstate.com, 19 November 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2010
7. Maffeo, Lois (2000) "Peter Bruntnell Normal for Bridgwater", CMJ New Music Monthly, September 2000. Retrieved 19 September 2010
8. "Peter Bruntnell announces career-spanning retrospective, re-records classic track with Rumer". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
9. Sweeting, Adam (2003) "Peter Bruntnell Borderline, London", The Guardian, 26 April 2003. Retrieved 19 September 2010
10. Crowley, Michael (2002) "Peter Bruntnell: No Mad Dogs For an Alt-Country Englishman", The Washington Post, 18 September 2002, p. C5
11. Wilson, MacKenzie "The Peter Bruntnell Combination Biography", AllMusic. Retrieved 19 September 2010

External links

• Official Peter Bruntnell website