Jonny Greenwood facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jonny Greenwood
Greenwood in 2022
Background information
Birth name	Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood
Born	(1971-11-05) 5 November 1971 (age 53) Oxford, England
Genres	Alternative rock electronica art rock experimental rock
Occupations	Musician composer
Instruments	Guitar keyboards ondes Martenot bass
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Nonesuch XL Parlophone WEA Trojan Sanctuary Capitol Lakeshore

Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood (born 5 November 1971) is an English musician and composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist and keyboard player for the rock band Radiohead. He has also written music for many films. Many music magazines, like Rolling Stone, have called him one of the greatest guitarists ever.

Jonny Greenwood is a talented musician who plays many instruments. He is especially known for playing the ondes Martenot, which is an old electronic instrument. He also uses electronic music tools like programming, sampling, and looping. He even writes his own music software. In Radiohead, he helps turn Thom Yorke's song ideas into finished pieces. Greenwood is the only member of Radiohead who had formal classical music training. He has written music for orchestras like the London Contemporary Orchestra.

Greenwood released his first solo music, a soundtrack for the film Bodysong, in 2003. He started working with director Paul Thomas Anderson in 2007, creating music for his films. He was nominated for an Oscar for his music in Phantom Thread (2018) and The Power of the Dog (2021). He has also worked with Middle Eastern musicians. In 2021, Greenwood started a new band called The Smile with Thom Yorke.

Early Life and First Band

Jonny Greenwood was born in Oxford, England, on 5 November 1971. His older brother, Colin Greenwood, plays bass in Radiohead. When Jonny was a child, his family listened to music like Mozart's horn concertos and musicals. He also listened to rock bands like the Beat and New Order.

Greenwood started playing the recorder when he was four or five. He later learned the viola and joined a youth orchestra. He said this helped him understand how an orchestra should sound. As a child, he also enjoyed programming computers and making simple games. He liked getting close to how computers really worked.

Starting On a Friday

Jonny and Colin Greenwood went to Abingdon School. There, they formed a band called On a Friday with Thom Yorke (singer), Ed O'Brien (guitarist), and Philip Selway (drummer). Jonny was the youngest member and the last to join. He first played harmonica and keyboards. He soon became the lead guitarist.

At first, Jonny played his keyboard with the sound turned off because the last keyboard player was too loud. No one in the band noticed! Thom Yorke even told him his playing added an "interesting texture." Jonny secretly learned to play chords at home. Then, he slowly started turning his keyboard up.

Music Career Highlights

Early Success with Radiohead

In 1991, the members of On a Friday moved back to Oxford. Jonny Greenwood started studying psychology and music at Oxford Brookes University. But he left after his first term. This was because On a Friday signed a record deal with EMI. They changed their name to Radiohead and released their first album, Pablo Honey, in 1993.

Radiohead became famous early on with their first song, "Creep". Rolling Stone magazine said that Greenwood's strong guitar playing made Radiohead special. It showed how important he would be in pushing the band's sound forward.

Growing Fame with The Bends and OK Computer

Radiohead's second album, The Bends (1995), made them very popular with music critics. Greenwood said it was a "turning point" for the band. He said it felt like they had made the right choice to be a band. While touring, Greenwood hurt his hearing. He started wearing ear protection during some shows.

Radiohead's third album, OK Computer (1997), was highly praised. It showed off Greenwood's lead guitar skills on songs like "Paranoid Android". For the song "Climbing up the Walls", Greenwood wrote a part for 16 string instruments. They played notes that were very close together, inspired by the composer Krzysztof Penderecki.

New Sounds with Kid A and Amnesiac

Radiohead's albums Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001) had a very different sound. They used influences from electronic music, classical music, and jazz. Greenwood used a modular synthesizer to create the drum rhythm for "Idioteque". He also played the ondes Martenot on several songs.

For "How to Disappear Completely", Greenwood created a string section by recording his ondes Martenot many times. The orchestra musicians found his music hard to play at first. But the orchestra leader encouraged them to try his "naive" ideas. Greenwood also arranged strings for other songs on Amnesiac. For Radiohead's sixth album, Hail to the Thief (2003), Greenwood started using a music program called Max. He used it to change the band's playing.

Solo Work and Orchestral Music

In 2003, Greenwood released his first solo music. It was the soundtrack for the film Bodysong. This music mixed guitar, jazz, and classical styles.

In 2004, Greenwood wrote his first piece for an orchestra, called Smear. It was played by the London Sinfonietta. In 2005, he helped organize a concert with the London Sinfonietta. He also played two Radiohead songs with Thom Yorke at this concert.

In May 2004, Greenwood became a composer-in-residence for the BBC Concert Orchestra. This meant he would work closely with them. He wrote "Popcorn Superhet Receiver" (2005) for the BBC. This piece was inspired by radio static and the music of Krzysztof Penderecki. Greenwood won Composer of the Year from BBC Radio 3 for this work.

Film Scores and In Rainbows

Greenwood wrote the music for the 2007 film There Will Be Blood, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. This soundtrack won several awards. Rolling Stone called it "a sonic explosion that reinvented what film music could be."

In March 2007, Greenwood put together a collection of reggae songs called Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller. Radiohead released their seventh album, In Rainbows, in October 2007. They famously let people pay what they wanted for it. Greenwood said Radiohead was reacting to how people were downloading music for free.

More Film Music and The King of Limbs

In 2010, Greenwood showed a new song called "Doghouse". He later used it for the Japanese film Norwegian Wood.

Radiohead's eighth album, The King of Limbs (2011), used special sampler software that Greenwood wrote. By 2011, Radiohead had sold over 30 million albums. That year, Greenwood wrote the music for the film We Need to Talk About Kevin.

In 2012, Greenwood wrote the music for Paul Thomas Anderson's film The Master. That same year, Greenwood and Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki released an album together. It included Penderecki's old songs and Greenwood's "Popcorn Superhet Receiver," plus a new song by Greenwood.

Collaborations and A Moon Shaped Pool

Greenwood wrote the music for Anderson's film Inherent Vice (2014). In 2014, Greenwood played with the London Contemporary Orchestra. He performed music from his films and new songs.

He also performed with Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur and his band. Greenwood said Tzur's music was "celebratory" and like gospel music. In 2015, Greenwood, Tzur, and producer Nigel Godrich recorded an album called Junun in India. They only used Indian musicians and instruments from the area. The recording was made into a documentary film by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Radiohead's ninth album, A Moon Shaped Pool, came out in May 2016. It featured strings and choir vocals arranged by Greenwood.

Recent Work: Phantom Thread and The Smile

Greenwood wrote the music for Anderson's 2017 film Phantom Thread. It was nominated for an Oscar. He also wrote music for the film You Were Never Really Here that year. In 2019, Greenwood showed his new song "Horror Vacui" for violin and 68 string instruments.

Radiohead was put into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. Greenwood did not go to the event. He said he didn't care much about such awards. In September 2019, Greenwood started his own record label, Octatonic Records. It releases classical music by solo artists and small groups.

For the film The Power of the Dog (2021), Greenwood played the cello like a banjo. He also used software to control a player piano. This soundtrack earned him another Oscar nomination. He also wrote music for the film Spencer (2021).

In 2021, Greenwood started a new band called The Smile with Thom Yorke and drummer Tom Skinner. Greenwood said it was a way for them to make music during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The Smile released their first album, A Light for Attracting Attention, in May 2022. They then started a world tour.

In June 2023, Greenwood and Israeli musician Dudu Tassa released an album of Middle Eastern love songs called Jarak Qaribak. Greenwood said they tried to imagine what the band Kraftwerk would have done if they were in Cairo in the 1970s. He said he wanted to show musicians from the Middle East working together.

In January 2024, The Smile released their second album, Wall of Eyes. In May, Greenwood's new song "X Years of Reverb" was played. It's an eight-hour piece for church organ. In July, The Smile had to cancel their tour because Greenwood was sick. He later said he was recovering and focusing on film music. The Smile's third album, Cutouts, was released in October 2024.

How He Makes Music

Guitar Style

Greenwood playing bowed guitar

Greenwood is Radiohead's lead guitarist. He is known for his strong and powerful playing. Guitar.com said his playing on Radiohead's first album was an "exciting mix of sounds." In the 1990s, Greenwood developed a hand injury. He had to wear a brace on his arm.

Greenwood says he doesn't like guitars being "admired or worshipped." He sees them as a tool, like a typewriter. He also said he doesn't like guitar solos very much. He finds it more interesting to write music that doesn't stay too long.

For most Radiohead songs, Greenwood uses a Fender Telecaster Plus guitar. This guitar helps him make a "punchy" sound. For softer songs, he uses a Fender Starcaster. He sometimes plays his guitar with a violin bow. For his solo shows and with The Smile, he uses a Gibson Les Paul. For bass, he plays a Fender Precision Bass.

Greenwood often uses effect pedals to change his guitar sound. For example, he uses a DigiTech Whammy pedal to change the pitch of his guitar. He also uses a delay effect to create repeating sounds. His main amplifiers are a Vox AC30 and a Fender 85.

Many music magazines have called Greenwood one of the greatest guitarists. In 2010, NME named him one of the best living guitarists. Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest guitarists in 2023.

Ondes Martenot

Greenwood performing on an ondes Martenot in 2010

Greenwood is a famous player of the ondes Martenot. This is an early electronic instrument. You play it by moving a ring along a wire, which makes sounds like a theremin. He first used it on Radiohead's 2000 album Kid A. It can be heard on songs like "The National Anthem" and "How to Disappear Completely".

Greenwood became interested in the ondes Martenot when he was 15. He heard Olivier Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphony. He said he wanted to play an instrument that sounded like singing, and the ondes Martenot was the closest. Since the instrument is no longer made, Greenwood had a copy made for touring.

Other Instruments and Sounds

Greenwood plays many instruments. These include piano, viola, cello, glockenspiel, harmonica, recorder, organ, banjo, and harp. He enjoys trying to play instruments he isn't very good at. He said he enjoys playing glockenspiel with Radiohead as much as guitar.

He created the rhythm for "Idioteque" using a modular synthesizer. He also used sounds he found, like a television and a radio, in some songs. He has a "home-made sound machine" that uses small hammers to hit things like yogurt cartons and bells.

Music Software

Greenwood started using a music programming language called Max. He found it exciting to create his own sound effects from scratch. He used Max to make the processed piano sound on "Glass Eyes" and his special "stutter" guitar effect. He also used Max to write software for sampling sounds on Radiohead's album The King of Limbs.

Songwriting Approach

Greenwood is the only member of Radiohead with classical music training. He sees his role in Radiohead as an arranger. He helps make Thom Yorke's ideas into full songs. He said he is the most impatient member of Radiohead. He would rather have records come out more often, even if they are "90 percent as good."

Greenwood has helped write many Radiohead songs. These include "Just", "My Iron Lung", and parts of "Paranoid Android". For his film music, Greenwood tries to use instruments that fit the time period of the story. For example, he used a 1960s Japanese guitar for the Norwegian Wood soundtrack.

Influences

Greenwood's music is influenced by many styles. These include jazz, classical, rock, reggae, hip-hop, and electronic music. He likes jazz artists like Lee Morgan and Miles Davis. He also admires the band Can. Greenwood said the guitarist who influenced him most was John McGeoch from the band Magazine.

He first heard Olivier Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphony when he was 15. He became "obsessed" with it. Messiaen was his first connection to classical music and still influences him. Greenwood also admires composers like Krzysztof Penderecki, György Ligeti, and Steve Reich. He has performed Reich's guitar piece Electric Counterpoint.

Personal Life

Greenwood is married to Sharona Katan, an Israeli artist. They met in 1993 when Radiohead played in Israel. Her artwork appears on some of Greenwood's album covers. Katan says their family is Jewish. They have a mezuzah in their home and celebrate Jewish holidays.

Greenwood and his family live in Oxford, England, and in Italy. In 2023, Greenwood started selling olive oil from his farm in Italy. Greenwood is red–green color blind.

Discography

Collaborative Albums

Soundtracks

Compilations

EPs

Appearances

• 1992 – Blind Mr. Jones, "Crazy Jazz" – harmonica
• 1999 – Pavement, Terror Twilight – harmonica on "Platform Blues" and "Billie"
• 2002 – Bryan Ferry, Frantic – guitar
• 2006 – Thom Yorke, The Eraser – piano on title track
• 2009 – Dudu Tassa – Basof Mitraglim Le'Hakol
• 2010 – Bryan Ferry, Olympia – guitar'
• 2011 – We Need to Talk About Kevin – score
• 2014 – Steve Reich, Radio Rewrite – "Electric Counterpoint"
• 2016 – Frank Ocean, Endless – string arrangement
• 2016 – Frank Ocean, Blonde – string arrangement
• 2021 – Licorice Pizza (Official Motion Picture Soundtrack) – "Licorice Pizza"
• 2023 – The Pretenders, Relentless – string arrangement for "I Think About You Daily"
• 2024 – Dudu Tassa & The Kuwaitis, Dudu Tassa & The Kuwaitis (2024 Reissue) – "Eshrab Kasak Withana (Live)"

Concert Works

• 2004 – smear for two ondes Martenots and chamber ensemble of nine players
• 2004 – Piano for Children for piano and orchestra (withdrawn)
• 2005 – Popcorn Superhet Receiver for string orchestra
• 2007 – There Will Be Blood live film version
• 2010 – Doghouse for string trio and orchestra
• 2011 – Suite from 'Noruwei no Mori' (Norwegian Wood) for orchestra
• 2011 – 48 Responses to Polymorphia for 48 solo strings, all doubling optional pacay bean shakers
• 2012 – Suite from 'There Will Be Blood' for string orchestra
• 2014 – Setting Up Arrows for string ensemble of 7 players
• 2014 – Water for two flutes, upright piano, chamber organ, two tanpura & string orchestra
• 2015 – 88 (No 1) for solo piano
• 2018 – Three Miniatures from 'Water' for violin, piano, 2 tampuras, and cello/bass drone
• 2019 – Horror vacui for solo violin and 68 strings
• 2024 – X Years of Reverb for organ

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Greenwood performing with Radiohead in 2006

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  Greenwood performing with the London Contemporary Orchestra in Geneva, 2015

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  Greenwood performing at the BBC Proms in London, 2019

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  Greenwood (left) performing with The Smile in January 2022

See Also

In Spanish: Jonny Greenwood para niños

• List of Old Abingdonians