Dave Rowntree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dave Rowntree
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Rowntree with Blur at Wembley Stadium in 2023
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| Born |
David Alexander De Horne Rowntree
8 May 1964 Colchester, Essex, England
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| Occupation |
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| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) |
Paola Marra
(m. 1994, divorced) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Cooking Vinyl |
David Alexander De Horne Rowntree (born 8 May 1964) is an English musician, politician, and lawyer. He is most famous as the drummer for the rock band Blur.
Besides music, Rowntree has had a busy career. He served as a local politician on the Norfolk County Council from 2017 to 2021. He also ran for a seat in the UK Parliament as a candidate for the Labour Party in 2010 and 2024.
Contents
Early life and education
David Rowntree was born in Colchester, England, on 8 May 1964. His parents were both musical. His mother, Susan, played the viola. His father, John, was a sound engineer for the BBC.
David went to the Gilberd School in Colchester. On weekends, he studied percussion at the Landermere Music School. He even played percussion with his father in a brass band called the Colchester Silver Band. After school, he studied Computer Science. He started his career as a computer programmer for the Colchester local council.
Music career
Blur
David Rowntree played in bands with Graham Coxon when they were growing up. In 1989, Coxon introduced Rowntree to Damon Albarn. Albarn was forming a new band. Rowntree joined them and moved to London. With Alex James joining too, the band became known as Blur. They signed with Food Records, which was part of EMI.
Beagle 2 Mars mission
Rowntree has always been fascinated by space. In 1998, he got involved with the Beagle 2 Mars mission. This project aimed to send a lander to Mars to look for signs of life.
Rowntree and fellow Blur member Alex James supported the mission. They had visited NASA in Houston and noticed many British scientists working there. They wanted to support space research happening in the UK. They helped promote Beagle 2, which attracted support from artists and businesses. The UK Government and the European Space Agency (ESA) also agreed to help fund the project.
The Mars Express mission, carrying Beagle 2, launched in June 2003. It had a special song written by Blur. This song was meant to be played from Mars when the lander arrived. It also carried an artwork by Damien Hirst. Sadly, Beagle 2 lost contact with Earth. But ten years later, it was found on Mars' surface by a NASA orbiter! Rowntree proudly said, "we got the first music on Mars."
Radio and podcasts
In 2014, Rowntree became a presenter for the radio station XFM (now Radio X). He had a regular show on Sunday nights. He played songs by different artists and talked about "nerdy" topics like Mars.
Rowntree also hosts The Dave Rowntree Podcast Show on Spotify. He discusses music and other interesting subjects with his friend, "researcher George."
Solo career
In November 2021, Rowntree signed a deal to release his first solo music. He said he wanted to make an album that felt like tuning through radio stations. Each song would tell a story about a turning point in his life.
His first solo song, "London Bridge," came out on 5 July 2022. His first solo album, Radio Songs, was released on 20 January 2023.
Film and animation
Animation
Dave Rowntree is also a computer animator. He owned an animation company called Nanomation for eleven years. His company worked on advertisements and TV shows. He also directed two series of an animated show called Empire Square. This show first appeared on TV in 2005.
Film and television music
Rowntree also creates music for films and TV shows. He helped compose the music for the 2018 documentary Bros: After the Screaming Stops. He also worked on the BBC series The Capture (2019) and Netflix's science fiction series The One (2021).
Legal and political career
Law
When Blur took a break in 2006, Rowntree decided to study law. He trained to become a solicitor. He worked in the criminal law department of a law firm in London. In 2017, he received an honorary doctorate in law from Greenwich University. This means he was recognized for his achievements in law.
Politician
Rowntree has been a strong supporter of the Labour Party since 2002. He ran for local council seats several times. In 2017, he was elected as a county councillor for the University ward in Norwich. He served on the Norfolk County Council until 2021. He stepped down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying he hoped to get involved again later.
In 2024, Rowntree was chosen to run for Parliament in the Mid Sussex area. His campaign focused on improving housing and town centers.
Political views
Rowntree is against the death penalty. He supports Amicus, a charity that helps people facing the death penalty in the United States. In 2014, he was one of 200 public figures who signed a letter against Scottish independence.
He has also spoken out against prosecuting people who share music files online. He is part of the Open Rights Group, which works to protect digital rights in the UK.
Other interests
Rowntree got his full pilot's licence in 1995. He also has a licence for amateur radio (ham radio). His callsign, which is like a special ID for radio users, is M0IEG.
Personal life
In 1994, Dave Rowntree married Paola Marra. They later divorced in the early 2000s.
See also
In Spanish: Dave Rowntree para niños
