Fran Healy (musician)

Early life

Although born in Stafford, England, Healy grew up in Glasgow, Scotland – his parents' hometown. His mother had moved back to Scotland after divorcing her husband. Healy has said that both his mother and his grandmother were major influences on him as a child. Healy attended Holyrood Secondary School in Glasgow. An avid supporter of Glasgow Celtic.

As a young child at primary school, he was awarded a book of Rabbie Burns poems and a certificate "For Outstanding Singing Abilities" after singing the old Scottish song "Westering Home" while dressed in a kilt. However, Healy showed no further interest in singing until his teens. His obsession with song writing began to take shape when he got his first guitar in 1986 at the age of 13, having seen Roy Orbison perform his hit Pretty Woman on The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross. First songs played on the guitar were old rock'n'roll numbers like "Johnny B. Goode" and "Three Steps to Heaven" by Eddie Cochran. His first complete song was written about the Headmaster of his school, Peter Mullen entitled "Mr. Mullen Blues", with a sample lyric: "...and there was Pete Mullen, with his pie and beans. It was then I smelled it, it filled the room. Then some wee bugger lit a match and the whole place went Ka-BOOM...Where's your tie boy, Pick up that can. Get in line girl, do you understand...Cause his name is big Pete Mullen...And he's a man". He performed it at the school talent show but failed to move judges. He then played in several school bands.

Travis

In 1991, Neil Primrose, the drummer of Glasgow band Glass Onion, asked Healy if he would like to audition for the band; their previous singer, Catherine Maxwell, had just left the band. Healy joined the band on the same day he enrolled at the Glasgow School of Art. This band soon changed their name to Travis, named after the main character in the Wim Wenders movie Paris, Texas.

Travis' first single, "All I Want to Do Is Rock", was written by Healy while on a visit to Millport on Great Cumbrae, a small island in the Firth of Clyde. Going there with the sole intention of composing the best song he had ever written, Healy surprised even himself when the track was born. In spite of Healy's success as a songwriter since, he is without formal musical training. As the band has risen to prominence, Healy has continued to be Travis' main songwriter, as well as the band's main spokesman and most recognisable member.

Travis has twice been awarded British album of the year at the annual BRIT Awards, and is credited as having paved the way for British bands such as Coldplay and Keane. Travis have released eight studio albums, beginning with Good Feeling in 1997.

Other musical activities

Although Healy predominantly plays guitar, he has also been known to write and perform with piano.

In 2010 Healy released the solo album Wreckorder, which featured Paul McCartney on bass and Neko Case.

He appeared on the BBC's last night of the proms celebrations in Scotland on 10 September 2011 in the Caird Hall in Dundee.

He co-wrote the song "Here With Me" from The Killers' 2012 album Battle Born.

Influences

In interviews, Healy has talked of being influenced by songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney and Graham Nash (of The Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young fame). Healy has since played with both McCartney and Nash.

Praise

Healy's songwriting has been praised by Paul McCartney, Elton John and Noel Gallagher. In 2005, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin called himself "a poor man's Fran Healy".

Activism

Healy is a part of the movement Make Poverty History and has, alongside his band, played at the Live 8 concerts in both London and Edinburgh. He has also participated in Band Aid 20's re-recording of Do They Know It's Christmas? – Healy and friend Nigel Godrich also playing roles in its organization.

He has so far made two trips to Sudan with the Save the Children Organization, for which he has just launched the biggest ever global campaign to help the ten million children who die unnecessarily each year to survive.

Healy has also taken part in and been a speaker at several anti-war demonstrations against the Iraq War.

Personal life

Since 1996, Healy has been in a relationship with German photographer and former make-up artist Nora Kryst. Their first child, a son named Clay Kryst, was born in March 2006. After living in London for twelve years, the family moved to Berlin in February 2008, but still own a flat in London. Healy also has an apartment in SoHo, New York City.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Healy made the haircut "hoxton fin" famous.

In January 2008, it was announced that Healy would curate a new talent compilation for Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.

In 2010, as a way to thank Paul McCartney for playing on his album, Healy and Nora Kryst both became vegetarian, and agreed to raise their son that way as well; McCartney is a long time advocate of vegetarianism.

Healy is a keen runner, having been a member of the Glasgow athletics club Bellahouston Harriers in his youth, and took part in the Berlin Relay Marathon in 2012.

At the 2005 general election, Healy was reported to be a supporter of the Liberal Democrats. In a 2013 interview, speaking of an earlier interview in which he appeared to criticise Alex Salmond, he said "I certainly came across as pro-Labour but the truth is I'm not pro-anyone."

Equipment

Discography

Studio albums

Featured singles