Christopher Rees (born 2 May 1973,

Llanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carma ...

, South Wales, UK) is a musician, singer-songwriter, music producer.

Career

Rees started his music career by touring the United States in 1994, having developed his guitar playing and songwriting talents at

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. Rees released the 'Kiss Me Kill Me' EP via FFvinyl in 2001, receiving a Welsh Music Award nomination for 'Best Male Solo Act' two years running in 2002 and 2003. He supported former

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singer

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various sty ...

during a 2001 UK tour. He established the Red Eye Music label with fellow musician Dave Stapleton in 2003 and released his debut album 'The Sweetest Ache' in October 2004. The album received widespread critical acclaim for its musical ambition and dramatic intensity. In Oct 2004 he became the first act ever to perform at The Houses Of Parliament, Port Cullis House as part of Fergal Sharkey's Live Music Forum. The Sweetest Ache also earned him the title of Best Male Solo Artist at The Welsh Music Awards 2004. His second album Alone on a Mountain Top (The Ty Bach Twt Sessions) was released in June 2005. It had support from

MOJO Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

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and

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on BBC Radio 2 as well as opening the doors to international touring. The album was distributed throughout Canada, Benelux and New Zealand where Rees toured. The third album by Christopher Rees 'Cautionary Tales' was released on 3 September 2007. The album garnered critical acclaim throughout the UK and Europe, radio play on BBC Radio 2 (

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, Bob Harris). The single Bottom Dollar (Featuring

Victoria Williams Victoria Williams (born December 23, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. Diagnosed with multi ...

) hit Number 2 in the MOJO Playlist in October 2007 (Issue 167). It also opened the door to some wider touring activities including appearances at

The Green Man Festival The Green Man Festival is an independent music, science and arts festival held annually in mid-August in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. Green Man has evolved into a 25,000 capacity week long event, showcasing predominantly live music (in particular ...

, End of the Road Festival and supports slots with

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and Texas Country singer

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. Rees appeared at music festivals such as North By North East in Toronto, Canada and South By South West Music Festival in Austin, Texas. Rees released his fourth album 'Devil's Bridge' on 11 May 2009. He was invited to tour nationwide with performers including

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, Steve Earle,

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and

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. Rees released his 5th album 'Heart on Fire' in May 2011. The album was partly recorded in Austin, Texas with The South Austin Horns. Rees released his 6th album, 'Stand Fast' on 18 February 2013. The album features the song 'Alright Squires' – a tribute to Welsh singer

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. His 7th album 'The Nashville Songs' was released 30 June 2017.

Discography

Singles

*"Kiss Me Kill Me EP" (2001) *"Bottom Dollar" (2007) *"What Walks Outside My Window" (2009) *"Sparks Flying" (2011)

Albums

*''The Sweetest Ache'' (2004) *''Alone on a Mountain Top (The Tŷ Bach Twt Sessions)'' (2005) *''Cautionary Tales'' (2007) *''Devil's Bridge'' (2009) *''Heart on Fire'' (2011) *''Stand Fast'' (2013) *''The Nashville Songs'' (2017)

Awards

*2004 – Best Male Solo Artist – Welsh Music Awards *2011 – MOJO Honours List – New Voice Award (Shortlist)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rees, Christopher 1973 births Living people 21st-century Welsh male singers Welsh singer-songwriters Welsh guitarists People from Llanelli Musicians from Cardiff Alumni of Cardiff University 21st-century British guitarists British male singer-songwriters