Chris Martin Facts
- Chris Martin was born in Exeter, Devon, England, on March 2, 1977.
- Chris Martin is the eldest of five children born to Anthony and Alison Martin.
- Chris Martin obtained a degree in Ancient World Studies from University College London, where he met future Coldplay band members Johnny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion.
- Chris Martin sings and plays piano for Coldplay.
- Chris Martin is a huge fan of the 1980s Norwegian pop group A-ha as well as U2.
- Chris Martin married his wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, on December 5, 2003.
- The couple has two children: Apple Blythe Alison Martin, born May 14, 2004, and Moses Bruce Anthony Martin, born April 8, 2006.
Biography
Martin, the son of an accountant and a teacher, was educated at Sherbourne School in Devon, then, at University College London, where he read Ancient World Studies. Martin met Will Champion, Guy Berryman and Jonny Buckland in the first few weeks at university in the mid-1990s. They became friends and Martin began writing songs with Jonny. Guy liked what he heard and got involved on the bass, and Will set to learning the drums. They were determined to be as good as possible and practiced at every opportunity.
In 1998, the band had a gig at the Manchester Festival In The City, they signed to the Fierce Panda label for the single 'Brothers and Sisters', and then made a deal with Parlophone.
Despite their fame, Coldplay remain fiercely independent and insist on controlling every element of their music and its production. They oversee the artwork, the videos and refuse to have their music used on adverts or films.
The band agrees it has a responsibility to make people aware of international injustice. Martin went to Haiti and Dominican Republic in 2003, to support Oxfam’s campaign to change the rules of world trade. Martin also performed at the launch of the Fair Trade Campaign in Trafalgar Square.
Martin is married to Gwyneth Paltrow, and their first child, Apple, was born in the summer of 2004. In April 2006, Gwyneth gave birth to a baby boy in Los Angeles. The couple named the child Moses.