The Soldiers
The Soldiers | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Demon Music Group / Warner Bros. Records |
| Members | (Sergeant Major) Gary Chilton (Staff Sergeant) Richie Maddocks (Corporal) Ryan Idzi |
| Website | Official website |
The Soldiers is a singing trio consisting of serving British Army soldiers, whose debut album, Coming Home, was released on 26 October 2009, and who have since continued their singing career whilst remaining full-time army personnel. Signed to CPW Productions Warner Bros. Records, the trio consists of Ryan Idzi, Richie Maddocks and Gary Chilton.
The Soldiers' first national interview was with The Sun, with a free download of the lead song "Coming Home" from the debut album Coming Home. The song was written by Jake Hook, Nick Patrick and Jeff Chegwin. It was delivered as a free download for 48 hours through The Sun website as a promotion for the forthcoming album. Proceeds from the single were donated to The Army Benevolent Fund. The Soldiers were also featured in Big Sing 2009, hosted by Aled Jones from London's Royal Albert Hall, with special guests also including Bryn Terfel, Ruby Turner, Amy Nuttall. The show was broadcast on BBC TV on 25 October 2009.[1]
The Soldiers have released four studio albums, Coming Home (2009), Letters Home (2010), Message to You (2011) and the self-titled The Soldiers (2012) and two compilation album Best of The Soldiers (2011) and Greatest (2013).
Members
[edit]- Sergeant Major Gary Chilton lives in Andover, Hampshire[2] and joined the Army in 1984. He served in the Gulf War and as of November 2010[update] is Band Sergeant Major of the Army Air Corps.
- Staff Sergeant Richie Maddocks was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and attended South Chadderton Secondary School where he played in the school band, and the Jazz band, plus varies lead roles in school plays and concerts. He joined the Army at the age of 16. He is also a Gulf War veteran and as of November 2010[update] is Drum Major of the Minden Band of the Queen's Division.
- Corporal Ryan Idzi (born 1985) was born in Caerphilly, Wales, and is of Polish ancestry. In 2007, he appeared in season 4 of the UK The X Factor, auditioning with "Lean on Me". He reached the "Bootcamp" stages of the competition. A member of the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, he has served in Afghanistan and Iraq as a member of the 20th Armoured Brigade.
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Album Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| Coming Home |
|
4 | |
| Letters Home |
|
10 |
|
| Message to You |
|
11 |
|
| The Soldiers |
|
23 |
- Special album releases
| Album Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| Love Songs |
|
– | Track list
|
| Christmas With the Soldiers |
|
– | Track list
|
Compilation albums
[edit]| Album Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| Best of The Soldiers |
|
– | Track list
|
| Greatest |
|
– | Track list
|
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Chart peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| 2009 | "Coming Home" | — | Coming Home |
| "A Soldier's Christmas Letter" | 65 | ||
| 2010 | "Letters Home" | — | Letters Home |
| 2011 | "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" (with Robin Gibb) |
75 | Message to You |
References
[edit]- ^ "Songs of Praise Big Sing, October 2009". BBC. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
- ^ Family Announcements Retrieved 3/5/21.
- ^ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ a b [1] Archived 24 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
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