He had piano and violin lessons as a child, and was introduced to the electric guitar aged 14 by a fellow student
He took A-levels in physics, chemistry, and economics. He then went up to the University of Bristol, where he read aerospace manufacturing engineering and sociology
Like his father, he is a pilot and gained his fixed-winged private pilot licence at age 16
He is a former officer in the British Army, he served under NATO during the 1999 Kosovo War.
Whilst he was in the army he would bring along his guitar strapped to the outside of his tank and would sometimes perform for locals and troops
While still in the army, he would write songs during his time off. A backing vocalist and songwriting collaborator suggested he contact Elton John’s manager – he listened to the demo while driving home and, after hearing the track “Goodbye My Lover”, pulled over and called the mobile number written on the CD to set up a meeting.
He removed one letter from his surname so that his stage name was easier to say and spell! (Blount to Blunt)
After he left the military, he rose to fame in 2004 with the release of his debut album Back to Bedlam
He became the first British artist to top the American singles chart in nearly a decade when “You’re Beautiful” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100
His debut album sold over 11 million copies worldwide, topping the UK Albums Chart and peaking at number two in the US – it is one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history
Eight of the songs on the album were featured in television shows, films and adverts.
He appeared on an episode of Sesame Street, singing about triangles to the tune of “You’re Beautiful”
He lives in Ibiza He also owns a chalet in the Swiss Alpine village of Verbier, where he has a ski lift named after him
His hits include: “You’re Beautiful” and “Goodbye My Lover”.
