Celebrating 10 years
By Jennie Watters
Blake has been on quite a journey for the past ten years! Named for the poet William Blake, this dashing “boy band” of classical music has gone through some changes over the years, all the while releasing some thrilling albums and touring the world. Let us take you through the highlights.
From left to right:
Dominic Tighe – Baritone
- Oliver (Ollie) Baines – Tenor
- Jules Knight – Baritone
- Stephen Bowman – Bass-baritone
- Humphrey Berney – Tenor (joined in 2009)
2007
The members of the group connect for the first time, via social media! As Jules put it, “Ollie and I were choristers at Winchester Cathedral and we’d kept in contact. Ollie was studying at Guildhall School of Music and I was trying to be an actor but we both carried on singing and thought it would be a good idea to put a group together. I’d seen Dom in a play and we knew of Stephen because the classical music circuit is quite small so we contacted them through Facebook.” Shortly after, the four get signed by Universal and six months later they’ve already recorded their first album! The track list is a winning blend of classical and light pop music that includes Jerusalem, God Only Knows (by the Beach Boys) and a rousing rendition of Swing Low Sweet Chariot. The album tops both the classical and pop charts in the U.K. and sells 100,000 copies within the first three weeks.
2008
Their debut album, “Blake,” wins the “Album of the Year” Classical Brit award in May! The new quartet quickly follows their initial success by recording “And So It Goes.” Their sophomore effort continues to build on their use of soothing harmonies and classical technique, but it also includes more pop song covers than the first. The title song was originally sung by Billy Joel and other tracks include Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol) and Closest Thing to Crazy (Katie Melua.) Blake tops the charts once again and begins touring internationally, traveling to Australia and Japan. The boys connect with their fans not only through their music but also through humor as well, making the concert experience all-around entertaining.
2009
Dominic Tighe leaves the group to pursue his acting career. He goes on to get parts in BBC movies and in an Andrew Lloyd Webber play, “The Aspects of Love,” where he falls in love with Katherine Kingsley (whom he later marries). Blake adds a fantastic new singer, tenor Humphrey Berney, to their group. They record their third album, “Together,” this time not through Universal, but on their own independent label, Blake Records. It is once again a success, and the band ends the year with a sold-out tour in Scandinavia.
2010 – 2011
The World of Wildlife Fund selects Blake’s song Beautiful Earth as its anthem. The boys are proud to represent the organization’s conservation efforts. Blake performs twice at Buckingham Palace for the royal family. On William and Kate’s wedding, Blake dedicates the song All of Me to the couple (this is not referring the John Legend song of the same title, which they actually go on to cover at a later date.)
2012
Their fourth album is the last time Blake will record as a quartet. “Start Over” is even more contemporary than their previous crossover music, with the boys drawing inspiration from the Bee Gees and Boyz II Men. In fact, their single So Happy ends up being the first time a classical group is featured on the BBC’s Pop Radio 2 playlist. Some hardcore fans are a bit disappointed by this departure but others love Blake’s new sound which makes for a perfect summertime listen.
2013 – 2014
Jules quits Blake to become a regular on a TV medical drama called Holby City. The remaining members rework their harmonies and find that they can create a similar blend even with just the three of them and decide to remain a trio. The title of their new release is “In Harmony” and it’s a return to their earlier style of more classically oriented music. This album also features duets with Camilla Kerslake, Rebecca Newman and Rachelle Ann Go.
2015
This year, Humphrey releases a solo project, a collection of lullabies called “Slumberland.” Part of his motivation is to honor the sister he tragically lost ten years prior. “I think part of this album was wanting to do something on my own in memory of Rose. I remember sitting at the piano and singing Moon River with her.” Humphrey performs Moon River here simply and earnestly with a gentle piano accompaniment. Other highlights include Hushabye Mountain, River Lullaby, When You Wish Upon a Star and Lullaby for a Stormy Night. The adorable cover art which adorns “Slumberland” was lovingly created by Humphrey’s wife Charlotte Taylor (who is a fashion designer.) Humphrey’s other reason for singing these songs was because he realized so few men record lullabies. In babysitting his cousin’s son and singing for his niece and nephew, he has seen how music is an important part of caring for children. He hopes that this will be a good album for fathers to sing along to.
2016
The trio loan their voices to a seasonal offering called “A Classic Christmas” and have their own Christmas Special on BBC1 with Dame Shirley Bassey. They had met her six months prior at Bassey’s 70th birthday party. “Ollie mentioned singing a Christmas song together, and I said I’ve never done a Christmas song before!” she later told the Daily Mirror. Sales from their Christmas album go to the children’s charities Variety and Noah’s Ark Hospice. Blake has over the years supported many charities, among them CancerResearch, MIND, The Royal British Legion, The War Widows Association, and more.
2017 – 2018
As you can see, this band boasts of a long list of achievements since their humble beginnings ten years ago. They have performed over 700 concerts across Europe, Russia, China, the United States and more! The trio released yet another studio album this year, Blake’s SEVENTH studio album to date, which is full of lush arrangements, choral accompaniment and of course the beautiful harmonies their fans know and love.
The album reached No.1 in the Classical charts!
We at Classical Crossover Magazine wish Ollie, Stephen and Humphrey success in their future endeavors, and hope they will continue to delight audiences for many more years! We would also like to thank former members of Blake, Jules and Dom, for helping to make this wonderful group what it is today.