Chris Cheney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chris Cheney
Performing at Nibe Festival 2009, in Denmark
Background information
Birth name	Christopher John Cheney
Born	(1975-01-02) 2 January 1975 (age 50) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Rockabilly punk rock alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter producer
Instruments	Vocals guitar bass guitar
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Dew Process Deck Cheese Adeline EastWest EMI Modular Rapido Independent
Associated acts	Runaway Boys The Living End The Wrights Me First and the Gimme Gimmes The Matchsticks

Christopher John Cheney (born 2 January 1975) is an Australian rock musician. He is also a songwriter and record producer. Chris is best known as the main guitarist, songwriter, and lead singer for the rockabilly band The Living End. He started the band in 1994 with his school friend Scott Owen.

Chris Cheney wrote many popular songs for The Living End. These include ""Second Solution" / "Prisoner of Society"" (1997) and "White Noise" (2008). In 2004, Chris joined a supergroup called The Wrights. They released a cover of "Evie" by Stevie Wright. Chris won the Song of the Year award at the 2009 APRA Music Awards for "White Noise."

About Chris Cheney

Chris's Early Life

Chris Cheney was born on January 2, 1975. He grew up in Wheelers Hill, a suburb near Melbourne, Australia. When he was five, he saw the American rock band Kiss perform. This was his first rock concert.

Chris went to Jells Park Primary School and then Wheelers Hill Secondary College. He later studied jazz music. He started playing guitar at age six. He taught himself by listening to AC/DC songs. A big influence on his music was Brian Setzer from the band Stray Cats.

Family and Life Changes

In September 2001, Chris was in a car accident. He hurt his right leg and needed surgery. He could not play guitar for six months while he recovered. His future wife, Emma, was also in the car but had only minor injuries.

Chris married Emma in 2005. They have two daughters, Charlie Bella (born 2006) and Scarlett Lyric (born 2008). In 2010, Chris and Emma opened their own recording studio called Red Door Sounds. In 2011, Chris's father, Noel, passed away. Later that year, the Cheneys moved to Los Angeles, California. Chris said that life there was like everyday life, just in a different country. In 2020, Chris and his family moved back to Melbourne.

Chris Cheney's Music Journey

Starting in Music

Chris Cheney met Scott Owen at primary school. They began playing music together in 1992. Their first band was called The Runaway Boys. They named it after a Stray Cats album. The band played cover songs by Stray Cats and The Clash.

The Runaway Boys played their first paid show in Richmond. They soon had regular performances at the Corner Hotel. They had a few different drummers during this time.

The Living End Band

In 1994, Chris and Scott started writing their own songs. They formed a new band called The Living End with drummer Joe Piripitzi. They released two EPs, Hellbound (1995) and It's for Your Own Good (1996). The second EP included their first radio song, "From Here on In."

In 1996, The Living End supported Green Day on their Australian tour. This helped them get their music played on the radio. Later that year, Travis Demsey became their new drummer. In 1997, their EP Second Solution / Prisoner of Society became very popular. It reached number 4 on the Australian music charts. It was the best-selling Australian single of the 1990s.

On October 12, 1998, The Living End released their first album, The Living End. It went to number 1 on the album charts. The band became famous worldwide. They played at big festivals like Warped Tour in the United States. Chris wrote many more hit songs for the band.

In 2006, Chris felt like he needed a break from the band. He was having trouble writing new songs. But he soon started writing again. In 2008, The Living End released the popular song "White Noise." Their album of the same name came out that month. In 2011, their sixth album, The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating, reached number 3.

Chris's Solo Music

In March 2022, Chris Cheney announced his first solo album. It was called The Storm before the Calm and was released on June 17, 2022. He also released the song "California" from the album. Later, he released "Football Team" and "Corner Shop." Chris also went on an Australian tour to support his album.

Other Music Projects

Chris has played with many other musicians. In 2003, he performed with You Am I at the Big Day Out festival. In 2004, he joined the supergroup The Wrights. They performed a song called "Evie" at the ARIA Music Awards. Other famous musicians were in this group too.

In 2005, Chris sang a duet with Sarah McLeod on her song "Private School Kid." He also joined Green Day on stage to play "I Fought the Law." Chris was a guest on the TV show RocKwiz in 2005. He sang with Chrissy Amphlett. In 2006, he played in another supergroup called The Wrongs.

In 2009, Chris performed with his childhood heroes, the Stray Cats. He played four songs with them on their Australian tour. He also took part in concerts celebrating The Beatles' White Album.

In 2010, Chris recorded two solo songs. One was a cover of Crowded House's "Distant Sun." The other was a Christmas song called "Street Parade." He also produced music for the band Celadore. In October 2011, he was a guest on RocKwiz again. He performed with Suzi Quatro.

In 2017, Chris filled in for a guitarist on tour with the band "Me First and the Gimme Gimmes." In 2019, he wrote a song called "I Won't Let You Down" for Jimmy Barnes' album. In 2021, Chris formed a rockabilly band with Jimmy Barnes and Slim Jim Phantom. In March 2023, Jimmy Barnes announced a new supergroup called The Barnestormers. Chris Cheney is part of this band. Their self-titled album was released on May 26, 2023.

Chris's Music Gear

Chris Cheney mainly plays a Gretsch White Falcon guitar. He uses special effects like distortion. He even has his own special Gretsch guitars. When he tours, Chris brings about six guitars. He uses four main guitars and the others are backups. He plays through Wizard Modern Classic amplifiers.

Guitars Chris Uses

• Chris Cheney Signature G6126TCC
• Gretsch White Falcon 6136
• Gretsch White Falcon 6136 (from the 1990s)
• Gretsch 6120SSLVO ('06 Model)
• Gretsch 6116TVP "Power Tenny" (2006 Model)
• Gretsch 6118 Double Anniversary
• Other Gretsch and Gibson guitars

Chris Cheney's Music Releases

Solo Albums

Albums with The Living End

• The Living End (1998)
• Roll On (2000)
• Modern Artillery (2003)
• State of Emergency (2006)
• White Noise (2008)
• The Ending Is Just the Beginning Repeating (2011)
• Shift (2016)
• Wunderbar (2018)

Awards and Nominations

Jack Awards

Chris Cheney has won several Jack Awards:

• Best Lead Guitarist – 2004, 2005, and 2007
• Best Male – 2006

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are given out every year for music achievements.