Timothy James Rice-Oxley (born 2 June 1976) is an English musician, best known for being the keyboardist, singer and songwriter of the pop rock band
Keane. In 2010, he formed a side-project,
Mt. Desolation
Mt. Desolation are an English band formed by Tim Rice-Oxley and Jesse Quin, members of the rock band Keane (band), Keane, as a side-project. Their Mt. Desolation (album), self-titled debut album was released on 18 October 2010.
The live band co ...
, with his Keane bandmate
Jesse Quin
Jesse Joseph Quin (born 3 September 1981) is an English multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer best known as the bass player of the British pop rock band Keane. Jesse also founded and runs an arts centre on an abandoned U.S. Air ...
.
Life and career
Timothy James Rice-Oxley was born in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
to Charles Patrick and Margaret Rice-Oxley. He has a younger brother, Tom, born in 1979. He had piano lessons when he was a teenager but admitted to hating them and never practising pieces because they were all
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
which he found boring. After his parents stopped his lessons, Rice-Oxley developed a liking for piano and so taught himself how to play, mainly because of
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
.
Keane
Rice-Oxley provides live and studio backing vocals for Keane, except for the studio songs ofc "
Sunshine
Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when th ...
", "
This Is the Last Time
"This Is the Last Time" is a song performed and composed by British rock band Keane, released on 22 November 2004 as the fourth commercial single from their debut album, ''Hopes and Fears'' (2004). It was first released with Fierce Panda Reco ...
" (demo version) and "
Your Love" where he sings the lead vocals, as well as some ''
Under the Iron Sea
''Under the Iron Sea'' is the second studio album by the English rock band Keane, released on 12 June 2006. During its first week on sale in the UK, the album opened at number one, selling 222,297 copies according to figures from the Official ...
'' DVD and ''
Perfect Symmetry'' demos.
Compositions
In 2006, Rice-Oxley co-wrote the songs "
Early Winter
"Early Winter" is a song by American singer Gwen Stefani from her second solo studio album, '' The Sweet Escape'' (2006). Written by Stefani and English pianist Tim Rice-Oxley, the song was released in Europe as the album's fifth and final sing ...
", and "The Girl Inside" (unreleased) on
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...
's second solo album, ''
The Sweet Escape
''The Sweet Escape'' is the second studio album by American singer Gwen Stefani. It was released on December 1, 2006, by Interscope Records. Having originally intended to return to No Doubt after her debut solo album, '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby. ...
''. "Early Winter" has been performed by Keane live. The song "
Perfect Symmetry" from the album of the same name is considered by Chaplin to be one of the best Rice-Oxley has written. In 2009, he co-wrote the song "Everything Is Beautiful" for
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
's eleventh studio album, ''
Aphrodite
Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...
''.
Rice-Oxley composed all the songs for the side-project
Mt. Desolation
Mt. Desolation are an English band formed by Tim Rice-Oxley and Jesse Quin, members of the rock band Keane (band), Keane, as a side-project. Their Mt. Desolation (album), self-titled debut album was released on 18 October 2010.
The live band co ...
with
Jesse Quin
Jesse Joseph Quin (born 3 September 1981) is an English multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer best known as the bass player of the British pop rock band Keane. Jesse also founded and runs an arts centre on an abandoned U.S. Air ...
in 2010. That same year Rice-Oxley provided the main vocal in Keane for the first time on the song "Your Love", which appeared on the experimental EP ''
Night Train''. He sang the song live. In 2013, he co-wrote the song "Jump" with
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That.
Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, havi ...
for the latter's solo album, ''
Since I Saw You Last
''Since I Saw You Last'' is the fourth solo studio album released by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. The album was released by Polydor Records on 22 November 2013 in Ireland, and on 25 November in the United Kingdom. It debuted at number ...
''.
In 2016 he co-wrote the song "Magnificent Time" by
Travis.
Mt. Desolation
Mt. Desolation
Mt. Desolation are an English band formed by Tim Rice-Oxley and Jesse Quin, members of the rock band Keane (band), Keane, as a side-project. Their Mt. Desolation (album), self-titled debut album was released on 18 October 2010.
The live band co ...
is an alt-country side-project that Rice-Oxley formed with bassist
Jesse Quin
Jesse Joseph Quin (born 3 September 1981) is an English multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer best known as the bass player of the British pop rock band Keane. Jesse also founded and runs an arts centre on an abandoned U.S. Air ...
. The band also consists of members of
Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons is a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007. The band currently consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums), Ted Dwane (vocals, bass guitar, double bass), and Ben Lovett (vocals, key ...
,
The Killers
The Killers are an American rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingd ...
and
The Staves
The Staves are an English indie folk trio of sisters Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor from Watford, Hertfordshire, England.
Career
The Staves began performing together at open-mic nights in Watford hosted by a local pub, The Horns. ...
. Mt. Desolation released their
self-titled debut album on 18 October 2010. The band toured the UK and Ireland in September 2010 and the US and Canada in October 2010.
The band's second album, ''
When the Night Calls
''When the Night Calls'' is the second studio album by English alternative country duo Mt. Desolation. This is the second album by the side project of the band Keane's Tim Rice-Oxley and Jesse Quin.
Track listing
* All tracks written by Ti ...
'', was released on 25 May 2018. It was followed by a short tour of the UK in June 2018.
Personal life
Rice-Oxley lives in
Polegate
Polegate is a town and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England, United Kingdom.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It ...
, East Sussex.
He has two daughters, Lilac and Anna.
Reportedly, the effects of touring took their toll on Tim's marriage to Jayne, and they split up in 2012 after seven years of marriage.
Keane – Back to Battle
1066times.com. 20 August 2015
Awards
Rice-Oxley won an Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century.
He was born into a musical ...
Award for Songwriter of the Year in May 2005.
Discography
With Keane
;Studio albums
:* ''Hopes and Fears
''Hopes and Fears'' is the debut studio album by the English alternative rock band Keane. It was released on 10 May 2004 in the United Kingdom and topped the UK Albums Chart upon release. It was the second best-selling British album of 2004, ...
'' (2004)
:* ''Under the Iron Sea
''Under the Iron Sea'' is the second studio album by the English rock band Keane, released on 12 June 2006. During its first week on sale in the UK, the album opened at number one, selling 222,297 copies according to figures from the Official ...
'' (2006)
:* '' Perfect Symmetry'' (2008)
:* '' Strangeland'' (2012)
:* ''Cause and Effect
Causality (also referred to as causation, or cause and effect) is influence by which one event, process, state, or object (''a'' ''cause'') contributes to the production of another event, process, state, or object (an ''effect'') where the cau ...
'' (2019)
;EPs
:* '' Retrospective EP1'' (2008)
:* '' Night Train'' (2010)
:* '' Retrospective EP2'' (2010)
:* ''Retroactive – EP1'' (2019)
;Compilations album
:* ''The Best of Keane
''The Best of Keane'' is the first official compilation album by British group Keane. It was released on 11 November 2013 through Island Records. The album contains all of the singles from the band's first four studio albums, ''Hopes and Fears' ...
'' (2013)
With Mt. Desolation
;Studio albums
:*''Mt. Desolation
Mt. Desolation are an English band formed by Tim Rice-Oxley and Jesse Quin, members of the rock band Keane (band), Keane, as a side-project. Their Mt. Desolation (album), self-titled debut album was released on 18 October 2010.
The live band co ...
'' (2010)
:*''When the Night Calls
''When the Night Calls'' is the second studio album by English alternative country duo Mt. Desolation. This is the second album by the side project of the band Keane's Tim Rice-Oxley and Jesse Quin.
Track listing
* All tracks written by Ti ...
'' (2018)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rice-Oxley, Tim
1976 births
Alternative rock pianists
English male guitarists
Male bass guitarists
English male singer-songwriters
English rock pianists
Keane (band) members
English keyboardists
Living people
Alumni of University College London
Musicians from Oxford
People from Battle, East Sussex
Ivor Novello Award winners
People educated at Tonbridge School
Musicians from Kent
Male pianists
21st-century English bass guitarists
Mt. Desolation members
People from Polegate