Chris Martin
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- For the New Zealand cricketer, see Chris Martin (cricketer)
Chris_Martin.jpg
Chris Martin (born March 2, 1977) is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and pianist of the band Coldplay.
He was born in Devon, England, and attended Sherborne public school, followed by University College London (UCL), where he gained a first in Ancient World Studies. His mother was a teacher and his father was an accountant. He married actress Gwyneth Paltrow on December 5, 2003. Their daughter, Apple Blythe Alison Martin, was born on May 14, 2004.
As a solo artist, Martin has written songs for a variety of acts including "Gravity" (Embrace) and "See It In A Boy's Eyes" (Jamelia). Martin has also collaborated with artists like Ron Sexsmith, Faultline, The Streets, and Ian McCulloch. He also sung a part of the vocals for the Band Aid 20 single, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" at the end of 2004.
Martin and Coldplay guitarist Jon Buckland made cameo appearances in the film Shaun of the Dead.
Martin has been particularly outspoken on issues of Fair Trade. He has done a great deal of campaigning for the charity Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign. He personally travelled to Ghana and Haiti to study the effects of unfair trade practices. When performing, he usually has variations of "Make Trade Fair" or an equal sign written on his left hand.
Martin has been somewhat active in politics. He was a vocal critic of President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq. Martin was a vocal supporter of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, most notably during his acceptance speech for the 2004 Grammy Awards Record of the Year, accepting for "Clocks".
Equipment list
On the A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour[1] (http://www.coldplay.com/content/ezine/documents/ezine7.pdf):
Amps
- 2 x Fender 'Hotrod' DeVille Combos
Guitars
- Martin Acoustics
- Fender Telecaster Deluxe x 2
- Rickenbacker 360 12 String
- Gibson 335
Pedals
- Boss DDL
- Boss TU2
Pianos
- Yamaha GT20 Piano
- Kawai MP9000
External links
- Official site (http://www.coldplay.com)
- Chris Martin @ Make Trade Fair (http://www.maketradefair.com/en/index.php?file=dumped_chris.htm)