Richard Hughes (musician)

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Richard Hughes
Birth name Richard David Hughes
Born September 8, 1975 (1975-09-08) (age 32)
Flag of England Gravesend, Kent, England
Genre(s) Piano rock
Occupation(s) Musician
Instrument(s) Drums
Live backing vocals
Years active 1995-present
Associated acts Keane

Richard David Hughes (born 8 September 1975, in Gravesend, Kent) is the drummer for the English piano rock band Keane.

[edit] Biography

Hughes attended Tonbridge School where he was friends with Tim Rice-Oxley and Dominic Scott. At the age of 17, he learned to play the drums, and when Scott and Rice-Oxley formed a small covers band in 1995 he was invited to join as drummer. They later invited present vocalist Tom Chaplin to join the band, although Hughes initially objected, later stating, "The idea of giving someone who's already the loudest person you know a microphone was not something that I was particularly keen on."

Hughes then went to university at University College London where he received a degree in Geography. He took a job as a secretary at the BBC in order to support himself and the band while they lived and practised in a flat on Upper Clapton Road in London. He also had a job as a supply teacher for a short time.

After touring with U2 in 2005, he changed his style of drumming because Larry Mullen Jr. told him that he would damage his back if he continued to play as he did.