Ed Kowalczyk
| Ed Kowalczyk | |
|---|---|
 Ed Kowalczyk performing at Parkenfestivalen 2011, Bodø, Norway |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edward Joel Kowalczyk |
| Born | July 16, 1971 |
| Origin | York, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative rock, post-grunge, hard rock |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter-guitarist |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Radioactive, Epic, Sony, V2 |
| Associated acts | Live |
| Website | www.edkowalczyk.com |
Edward Joel Kowalczyk (born July 16, 1971)[1] is an American musician, and the former lead singer of the band Live. Since leaving Live in 2009, he has launched a solo career. His first album, Alive, was released worldwide in June and July 2010.
Contents |
Live [edit]
Ed Kowalczyk was the lead singer and primary songwriter for the band Live.
In 2009, he left the band and the other three members issued a statement detailing what they felt were inappropriate actions by Kowalczyk.[2] Kowalczyk is being sued by the band, seeking damages and an injunction against using the name "Live".[3]
Solo career [edit]
Following his departure from Live, Kowalczyk recorded a solo album, Alive, which was released in 2010.
Collaboration with other musicians [edit]
Kowalczyk has worked with musicians Stuart Davis and Glen Ballard and singers Anouk, Neneh Cherry, Adam Duritz of Counting Crows and Shelby Lynne. He featured on the song "Evolution Revolution Love," from the 2001 Tricky album Blowback. He collaborated with Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth (ex-Talking Heads, then performing as The Heads) on the song "Indie Hair" from their 1996 album No Talking, Just Head.
Political activities [edit]
Kowalczyk performed John Lennon's "Imagine" with Slash in 2003 at "Peace on the Beach," a rally to protest the coming War in Iraq.[4] In 2008 he appeared in a video with will.i.am from The Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Scarlett Johansson and Nick Cannon, supporting US Presidential candidate Barack Obama and appeared at campaign rallies for Obama with will.i.am.
Acting [edit]
He appeared in the David Fincher film Fight Club as a waiter, his only film acting credit to date.[1]
Personal life [edit]
Kowalczyk is married and has three daughters. He announced the birth of his third daughter, Cecilia, on April 14, 2011. He grew up in York, Pennsylvania in a family of Polish descent and attended William Penn Senior High School in the York City School District, where he met the other three members of what would become Live. His father was a teacher at the local High School (Northeastern).
His younger brother Adam Kowalczyk, who is also a musician, toured with Live from 1999 to 2009, playing rhythm guitar and providing backing vocals.
Discography [edit]
- Solo albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [5] |
AUS [6] |
BEL (FL) [6] |
NED [6] |
||
| 2010 | Alive | 166 | 42 | 27 | 4 |
- Solo singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Alt. |
AUS | NED | |||
| 2001 | "Evolution Revolution Love" (Tricky featuring Ed Kowalczyk & Hawkman) | 35[7] | — | 79[8] | Blowback |
| 2010 | "Grace" | — | 100 | — | Alive |
| "Stand" | — | — | — | ||
Songs in TV [edit]
- "Evolution Revolution Love" (Tricky featuring Ed Kowalczyk) was used in the NBC series The West Wing in the episode "Manchester (Part 1)".[9]
- "The Great Beyond" was included on the soundtrack of the 2011 film Killing Bono.[10]
References [edit]
- ^ a b "Edward Kowalczyk IMDb entry" IMDb
- ^ Michael Alan Goldberg, "No Lead Singer Bonus For You, Ed Kowalczyk!" Make Major Moves Blog, philadelphiaweekly.com - December 7, 2009
- ^ "Live Sue Former Frontman Ed Kowalczyk". Rolling Stone. July 19, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ "IMAGINE (Slash)" YouTube
- ^ Rhett, What Went Wrong?…Live Drone - November 2, 2010
- ^ a b c "Chart History for Alive" dutchcharts.nl
- ^ Tricky - Blowback > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles Allmusic
- ^ "Dutch Chart History for Evolution Revolution Love" dutchcharts.nl
- ^ "Soundtrack details for West Wing episode Manchester (part 1)" IMDb
- ^ Jagernauth, Kevin "Killing Bono Soundtrack To Feature Song By Pre-U2 Group The Hype" indieWire - February 23, 2011
External links [edit]
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- 1971 births
- 20th-century American singers
- 21st-century American singers
- Alternative rock singers
- American alternative rock musicians
- American baritones
- American bloggers
- American Christians
- American male singer-songwriters
- American rock singers
- American rock singer-songwriters
- Live (band) members
- Living people
- Musicians from Pennsylvania
- People from York, Pennsylvania
- V2 Records artists
