Andy Partridge
Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who founded the rock band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writing and singing about two-thirds of the group's material. While the band were a formative punk group, Partridge's music drew heavily from 1960s songwriters, and his style gradually shifted to more traditional pop, often with pastoral themes. The band's only UK top 10 hit, "Senses Working Overtime" (1982), was written by Partridge.
Andy Partridge | |
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Partridge on XTC's Drums and Wires tour playing Toronto's Music Hall, February 1980 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andrew John Partridge |
| Also known as | Sir John Johns, Sandy Sandwich |
| Born | 11 November 1953 Mtarfa, Malta |
| Origin | Swindon, Wiltshire, England |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | Virgin, CBS, Geffen, Cooking Vinyl, Idea, Ape House |
| Website | ape |
Partridge is sometimes regarded as the "godfather" of Britpop. Since the 1980s, he has worked, written with, or produced for many other recording artists—efforts which include collaborative albums with Peter Blegvad, Harold Budd and Robyn Hitchcock. From 2002 to 2006, Partridge's APE House record label released several volumes of his demos and songs as part of the Fuzzy Warbles album series. Beyond music, he is a graphic illustrator, toy soldier hobbyist, and designer of board games.