Andy Partridge
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Andy Partridge (born Andrew John Partridge, on November 11, 1953, in Valletta, Malta) is a founding member, guitarist and chief songwriter of the new wave group XTC. He lives in Swindon, Wiltshire, where he was raised.
As XTC gained popularity, they had been on tour for the bulk of a five-year period ending in 1982 when Partridge, suffering from stress-related illnesses reportedly brought about by his wife throwing out his supply of valium, forced the band to stop touring.
Partridge also serves as the band's de facto art director. Most of XTC's album cover art is predicated on ideas conceived by him. For example, the back cover of Rag and Bone Buffet took shape after Partridge requested "lots of rusty junk" and proceeded to create a mockup of the band members with it.
In addition to his work with XTC, Partridge has released demos of his songs under his own name in the Fuzzy Warbles album series under his APE House Record label. Volumes 7-8 of Fuzzy Warbles are scheduled for release in 2006. He has collaborated (as performer, writer or producer) with numerous artists: a partial list includes Peter Blegvad, Mitch Friedman, John Greaves, The Lilac Time, Thomas Dolby, Duffy, Joan Armatrading, David Yazbek, The Mission, Voice of the Beehive, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Terry Hall, Cathy Dennis and Harold Budd.
Partridge also served initially as the producer for the English band Blur during the recording of Modern Life Is Rubbish, before he was replaced by Stephen Street at the insistence of their record label Food, due to Partridge's lack of "street-cred" with the music press of the period (the same music press were within two years to call XTC "the godfathers" of those very "Brit Pop" bands like Blur & Oasis!).
In 2004, Partridge contributed the song "I Wonder Why the Wonderfalls" as the theme music to the short-lived TV drama Wonderfalls.
Partridge and his ex-wife Marianne have two children, Holly and Harry. Partridge has been in a long-term relationship with Erica Wexler since his divorce.