Will Champion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Will Champion | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Background information | ||
| Born | July 31, 1978 Southampton, England |
|
| Genre(s) | Alternative rock | |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer, Musician | |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, Vocals | |
| Label(s) | Parlophone, Capitol | |
| Associated acts |
Coldplay | |
William Champion (born 31 July 1978) is the drummer of the band Coldplay.
Champion was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England where his father, Timothy Champion, is professor of archaeology at the University of Southampton. Having two teacher parents led him to be musically inclined. As a youth, his musical influences included Tom Waits and traditional Irish folk music. He grew up playing guitar, but also had experience on the piano, bass, and tin whistle. Before joining Coldplay, he performed in a band called Fat Hamster.
Champion studied anthropology at University College London, where he met his future bandmates and formed Coldplay, despite having no experience on the drums. The multi-instrumentalist picked up the drums quickly and earned fulltime duties on the band. According to lead singer Chris Martin, "Will is like a human jukebox, he's more a guitarist than a drummer. Me and Will used to sit on the stairs at our halls of residence and he'd know more songs than anyone. You name it, he'd play it."
In Autumn 2004, Champion and Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman guested on a-ha keyboardist Magne Furuholmen's first solo album, Past Perfect Future Tense.
Will was the first Coldplay member to marry: He married Marianne Dark, a teacher, in 2003. Their first child, a girl called Ava, was born on April 14th, 2006.
[edit] Drum Kit
As of X&Y, Will uses Yamaha Drums with Zildjian Cymbals, comprising:
- 22"x16" Bass Drum
- 14"x5" Snare Drum
- 12"x10" Rack Tom
- 16"x16" Floor Tom
- Zildjian 14" 14" K Hi-Hats
- Zildjian 18" A Custom Crash
- Zildjian 19" K Dark Crash Thin
- Zildjian 22" K Custom Ride
- Zildjian 5A wood Drumsticks
[edit] References
- Roach, Martin (2003). Coldplay: Nobody Said It Was Easy. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-9810-8.
[edit] External links
| Coldplay |
| Chris Martin | Jonny Buckland | Guy Berryman | Will Champion |
| Ken Nelson |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio Albums: Parachutes | A Rush of Blood to the Head | X&Y |
| Lives and EPS: Safety EP | Brothers & Sisters EP | The Blue Room EP | Trouble Live EP | Live 2003 |
| Singles: "Ode to Deodorant" | "Brothers & Sisters" | "Shiver" | "Yellow" | "Trouble" | "Don't Panic" | "In My Place" | "The Scientist" | "Clocks" | "God Put a Smile upon Your Face" | "Speed of Sound" | "Fix You" | "Talk" | "The Hardest Part | "What If" | "White Shadows" |
| Tours |
| A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour | Twisted Logic Tour |
