Harriet Wheeler
Encyclopedia
Harriet Wheeler is the lead singer of the 1980s/1990s alternative rock
band
, The Sundays
.
, near Henley-on-Thames
, Oxfordshire
, the daughter of an architect
and a teacher
. She was enrolled as an English literature
student at Bristol University when she met David Gavurin. The two shared a common passion for music, and despite little musical training, released demos
to various clubs
in London
(although Wheeler had sung in a band called Jim Jiminee
before meeting Gavurin).
, with "equally low-key pals Paul Brindley and Patrick Hannan to fill the bass and drum slots." They decided upon the name by default as it was the only one they could all agree on. The Sundays performed their first show in August 1988.
Their debut album, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, was released in 1990. Rolling Stone
reviewer Ira Robbins called it "an alluring slice of lighter-than-air guitar pop, a collection of uncommonly good songs graced by Harriet Wheeler's wondrous singing." The album sold over half a million copies around the world.
The band released their second album, Blind, in 1992, and it also sold nearly half a million copies, giving the band another gold record. Wheeler's vocals received the lion's share of praise. One reviewer wrote, "Her singing is fluttery, mischievous, and full of unexpected, perverse flashes of tenderness."
In February 1995, Wheeler and Gavurin had their first child, a daughter named Billie. Parenthood prolonged the recording of their third album, but they eventually released Static & Silence in 1997. While some critics said The Sundays sounded exactly the same as before, Kevin Raub of Ray Gun
, who called their first two albums "inherently boring", called Static and Silence "the band's most solid effort to date."
Two years after the release of Static & Silence, Wheeler and Gavurin had their second child, a son named Frank in 1999.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, The Sundays
The Sundays
The Sundays were an English alternative rock band. The band formed in the late 1980s and released three albums in the 1990s.-Career:The band's beginnings came with the meeting of Harriet Wheeler and guitarist David Gavurin at university. Wheeler had played gigs with 'Cruel Shoes' an early...
.
Early years
Wheeler grew up in Sonning CommonSonning Common
Sonning Common is a village and civil parish the Chiltern Hills west of Henley-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire. It is on the B481 road between Reading, Berkshire to the south and Nettlebed to the north.-History:...
, near Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, the daughter of an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. She was enrolled as an English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
student at Bristol University when she met David Gavurin. The two shared a common passion for music, and despite little musical training, released demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
to various clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(although Wheeler had sung in a band called Jim Jiminee
Jim Jiminee
Jim Jiminee was an Indie Pop band in the late 1980s in England. While active they released 1 LP and 3 EP vinyl records.-History:Jim Jiminee was founded in September 1986, releasing their first EP "Do It on Thursday" in 1987 with Cat & Mouse Records...
before meeting Gavurin).
The Sundays
Wheeler and Gavurin were the core of a popular alternative band, The SundaysThe Sundays
The Sundays were an English alternative rock band. The band formed in the late 1980s and released three albums in the 1990s.-Career:The band's beginnings came with the meeting of Harriet Wheeler and guitarist David Gavurin at university. Wheeler had played gigs with 'Cruel Shoes' an early...
, with "equally low-key pals Paul Brindley and Patrick Hannan to fill the bass and drum slots." They decided upon the name by default as it was the only one they could all agree on. The Sundays performed their first show in August 1988.
Their debut album, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, was released in 1990. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
reviewer Ira Robbins called it "an alluring slice of lighter-than-air guitar pop, a collection of uncommonly good songs graced by Harriet Wheeler's wondrous singing." The album sold over half a million copies around the world.
The band released their second album, Blind, in 1992, and it also sold nearly half a million copies, giving the band another gold record. Wheeler's vocals received the lion's share of praise. One reviewer wrote, "Her singing is fluttery, mischievous, and full of unexpected, perverse flashes of tenderness."
In February 1995, Wheeler and Gavurin had their first child, a daughter named Billie. Parenthood prolonged the recording of their third album, but they eventually released Static & Silence in 1997. While some critics said The Sundays sounded exactly the same as before, Kevin Raub of Ray Gun
Ray Gun (magazine)
Ray Gun was an American alternative rock-and-roll magazine, first published in 1992 in Santa Monica, California. Led by founding art director David Carson, Ray Gun explored experimental magazine typographic design. The result was a chaotic, abstract style, not always readable, but distinctive in...
, who called their first two albums "inherently boring", called Static and Silence "the band's most solid effort to date."
Two years after the release of Static & Silence, Wheeler and Gavurin had their second child, a son named Frank in 1999.