Jinder (musician)

Jinder was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England, in 1981.

From the late 1990s, Jinder worked sporadically as a solo artist, before forming alternative rock troupe Candlefire with Daniel Minshull, Rick Porter and Mark McComish. The band are best remembered for their UK chart single "Sorrow Spreads Its Wings", released by One Little Indian Records in 2002. The single entered the UK Indie Chart at No. 17, and the mainstream chart at No. 97,[1] dropping out of the top 100 the week after. Following the band's departure from the label in 2003, Jinder left Candlefire to pursue other musical directions. During Jinder's time with Candlefire, he also continued his sporadic solo work, appearing live on a short solo tour and releasing solo recording The Dusty Roads EP. Memorable Candlefire appearances under the management of David Duggan's Mostly Music Management include several UK tours and Candlefire's by-request performance at Coldplay's aftershow party following their Madison Square Garden show in New York City.

In the summer of 2003, Jinder joined forces with fellow singer-songwriter Nick Cull, aka Olas, touring extensively together and releasing the album, The Best Of Days Ahead.[2] as Olas & Jinder on the independent record label FrontSide Records in April 2004.

In 2004, Jinder amicably parted company with Cull and entered the studio to begin recording his debut solo album Willow Park. During this time, Jinder also toured in support of Martin Grech, recording and releasing Road:Live EP, a five-track EP culled from various tapings of shows made during the tour. After nine months of recording, Willow Park,[3] Jinder's first solo album, was released on Folkwit Records in June 2005, drawing critical comparisons with The Blue Nile, Townes Van Zandt and Ryan Adams. The album posted excellent reviews and sales figures considerably higher than expected for a release on a small independent label. 2005 also saw Jinder touring throughout the UK, making 23 festival appearances in the course of over 200 live dates played in support of the album.

In 2006, Jinder kept up his live schedule, and also recorded sophomore solo album, I'm Alive,[4] produced by former Candlefire collaborator Stephen Darrell Smith. Released in May 2006, Willow Park, the album showcased Jinder's understanding of Americana, and displayed a more bluegrass and country/folk influenced direction. I'm Alive garnered even more critical plaudits than its predecessor, also finding extensive support and playlisting at regional radio stations around the UK. The album turned out to be the last that Jinder would record for Folkwit Records, with Jinder amicably parting company with the label in late 2006 to begin establishing Din Of Ecstasy, his own record label.

In early 2007, whilst still in the process of setting up his record label, Jinder reacted to his new freedom to record and release whatever and however he wished. His own challenge was to write, record, package, press and release an entire new album within a day. Twenty Four Hours was soon pressed in greater number, and remains a popular part of Jinder's back catalogue following its Deluxe Edition remastered re-release in 2015 on Din Of Ecstasy.

2007 saw the limited-edition release of The Three EPs, a compilation of Jinder's first three EP releases – The Dusty Roads EP from 2001, Road:Live EP from 2004, and the street-team-only The Years Of Winter EP from 2005. Also included as a bonus track was Jinder's cover of "Always on My Mind", originally taken from a various artists compilation, Eccentric Elvis, released in support of children's hospice charity Julia's House in 2005.

In 2006, following the sessions for I'm Alive, Jinder joined forces with Gavin Wyatt and Simon Johnson to form The Mercurymen. Stylistically influenced by such as Crosby, Stills & Nash, Richard Thompson and John Martyn, but driven by a folk-pop sensibility, the band recorded debut release The Keep Me in Your Heart EP in 2007, which was given a soft release by Flying Sparks Records in October of that year.

In early 2008, The Mercurymen were signed by Sony BMG to their Arista/RCA imprint, and began work on their debut album Postcards From Valonia,[5] which would be Jinder's sixth album, and was scheduled to be released in 2009, but the release never came about, following the band's departure from Sony BMG in November 2008. The band toured extensively in 2008, playing just under 150 shows, including touring with Deacon Blue, Melody Gardot, Level 42, Sinéad O'Connor, along with several festival appearances, including a show at The Tartan Heart Festival at Belladrum, Scotland, and a headline tour of small venues during that summer.[6]

The Mercurymen parted company amicably in July 2009, due in equal part to time constrictions placed upon the group by individual commitments, and the parting of ways from Sony BMG the previous November.

In January 2009, Jinder returned to the studio to complete new album, Nine Cents From Benelux,[7] which was released through Din Of Ecstasy Records on 29 June 2009. On completion of the record, Jinder embarked upon a solo UK tour, sharing a bill with fellow singer-songwriters, Marcus Bonfanti and Lotte Mullan, which saw the three artists playing various venues on the UK roots music circuit.

Following the release of Nine Cents From Benelux, Jinder continued to tour extensively, promoting the album with a UK headline tour and radio broadcasts. Until the release of Crumbs of Comfort in 2012, Nine Cents From Benelux stood as Jinder's best selling solo album, outselling his entire back catalogue 2:1.

Following an extended period of seclusion in 2010 and 2011 spent writing the followup to Nine Cents From Benelux and starting a family, Jinder announced in March 2012 that his eighth album was completed, and would be released as a limited edition digipak CD via his website on 2 April 2012, before seeing a major international release via Mighty Village/Universal on 11 June. However, Crumbs Of Comfort,[8] whilst a resounding success on an artistic and critical level, sold poorly upon release and proved to be Jinder's last release for Universal, with 2012 becoming the first year in 12 years without a major Jinder tour, the artist opting to take a six-month sabbatical to regroup, get well and focus on his young family following the disappointment of Crumbs Of Comfort.

Subsequently, however, the album gained momentum through word of mouth and, in the four years following its release, overtook Nine Cents From Benelux in sales to become Jinder's best selling solo release.

Crumbs of Comfort contains Jinder's best known song, "Keep Me In Your Heart",[9] which was later recorded by classical crossover group Elysium III (2010),[10] Aled Jones (2014) and The Kondoors in 2015, with a re-recording of the song by Jinder in collaboration with producer The Atlas featuring in international hit movie Fisherman's Friends in 2019.

The album also features 'Let My Love Be Your Shelter', a cover of which featured on TV star Nick Knowles' UK Top 20 album 'Every Kind Of People'[11] in 2018.

In January 2013, a press release claimed that The Mercurymen were to return to live and studio work following a four-year hiatus. A short six-date reunion tour was booked and the band played to sold out audiences across the UK, debuting new material and playing the highlights of their previous releases Postcards From Valonia and The Keep Me in Your Heart EP. The band are currently on hiatus once more but remain "open minded" to future collaborations.

In late 2014, it was announced via Jinder's social media platforms that a new album was in the final stages of mixing and is scheduled for release in the new year. The first Jinder album recorded to tape, Traditional Dark[12] was released in February 2015 through Din Of Ecstasy Records, the first self-produced Jinder album since Willow Park, with Jinder recording all vocals and instruments on the album himself, with the exception of the drums, provided by Ryan Halsey.

The songs from the album display a far darker and more intense aspect than those from the relatively pastoral Crumbs Of Comfort, with songs such as the minimal "Stations In The Valley" offering a harrowing oblique narrative on the Syrian refugee crisis, and the visceral rock of single "Boil The World" marrying ancient Hopi Indian prophecies with 21st Century apocalyptica.

In October 2015, Din Of Ecstasy digitally re-released Jinder's entire back catalogue in deluxe edition format. All records were digitally remastered and feature over 50 previously unheard bonus tracks. The biggest scoop of the reissues campaign was the release of the "lost" album Brother Flower-Jinder Sings The Songs Of Townes Van Zandt.[13] Recorded in 2006 but never released, the album has attained almost mythical status amongst Jinder's following. The masters were found during the archiving process for the reissue campaign, and a decision to release the album was taken to put an end to the circulation of several poor quality bootleg versions of the LP.

The albums reissued were:

In December 2016, Jinder announced the release of a Christmas single (a stark reworking of Bill Fay's "Pictures Of Adolf Again", a standalone release which was not featured on the subsequent album) and the impending arrival of a new album in mid-2017. The title of the new album was announced as 'Jinder Presents...KINGSIZE BLACKFOOT',[14] via Jinder's social media outlets in April 2017, with the album release date slated as 17 July 2017, following the release of the first single from the album, 'Brother Can You Spare A Dime' on 22 May 2017.

The album received extensive support at radio, with the I.B.B.A making it album of the month in September 2017, and over 150 radio stations worldwide playlisting tracks from the record.

During early sessions for forthcoming eleventh album The Silver Age, Jinder took the decision to remix and remaster 2015's album, Traditional Dark. Restoring the analogue warmth and sparkle from the original tapes that was lost during a troubled mastering process for the original release, Jinder added subtle instrumental flourishes, reinstated the track "Waiting For The Sun" that was left off the first release of the album, and oversaw the mastering process to ensure that the album sounded as originally intended. The new version of the album was released digitally on 8 March 2019.

In late 2018, it was announced that a new version of Jinder's best known song "Keep Me In Your Heart", re-recorded by Jinder in collaboration with producer The Atlas, was to be featured in the film, Fisherman's Friends,[15] which was released in March 2019. The film peaked at No.2 on the UK Box Office Chart and, subsequently, at No.1 on the UK DVD Chart. The new version of "Keep Me In Your Heart", taken from the film, was released by Mighty Village/Universal in March 2019, peaking at No. 30 in the UK Singles Chart.

In Summer of 2019, Jinder announced via Social Media that he was midway through recording a new album, titled 'The Silver Age', with producer Pete Millson. After a highly successful crowdfunding campaign to raise the required funds to complete the album, the first single from the record, 'Overthinkers Anonymous', was released to universal acclaim in Summer 2019. Peaking at No.14 in the UK download charts for iTunes, 'Overthinkers...' was a bold departure from Jinder's folk and roots stylings, and presented a new direction of muscular, '80s style synth-driven pop/rock.

Following the success of 'Overthinkers...', followup single 'The Train to the Sky', an uptempo Stax-influenced romp with a deceptively melancholy edge, met a more muted response, eventually reaching No.62 with some regional radio support. Third single from the album, the moving orchestral ballad 'I Still Believe', fared much better, peaking at No.42 and selling consistently well, dipping in and out of the charts for six weeks. Garnering comparisons to The Blue Nile and Harry Nilsson, 'I Still Believe' has become widely regarded amongst fans as a masterpiece, and Jinder's very best work.

The album, 'The Silver Age', was released in February 2020, and has, to date, been Jinder's best received solo record, selling respectably despite the entire UK and European tour for the album being cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis.

In July 2020, Jinder announced via social media that a brand new album, titled ‘Almanac for the Failing Days’, would be released via Din Of Ecstasy on 7 August. Arriving less than six months after ‘The Silver Age’, with no single release and just a twenty second teaser video of the track ‘Peace is Here’ leaked prior to release, the album was initially something of a mysterious entity.

In the press release, Jinder stated "producer Pete Millson and I doubled down during the Covid-19 crisis, and created a musical document of the world disintegrating around us". Some of the ten songs from the album were premiered during Jinder's livestream concerts during lockdown in Spring 2020, including ‘Settle Down’, ‘Kamloops, BC’ and ‘Shawcross’, a chilling character portrait of prolific serial killer Arthur Shawcross .

Thematically, 'Almanac...' stands apart from the big, questing pop music of predecessor 'The Silver Age', and sees Jinder focusing on often lengthy narrative songs married to the lean, powerful arrangements by producer Pete Millson.

Canadian act The Tragically Hip are a notable influence on 'Almanac...', most obviously on the track 'Canada's Band', which directly references late Hip frontman Gord Downie, and 'Yer Life in Rain'.

Closing track 'Trust, Josephine' continues the dark theme of 'Shawcross', telling the story of the Anastasia Yeshchenko murder case, from the perspective of Oleg Sokolov, the man convicted of her killing.

Jinder – The Dusty Roads EP (CD EP, self released, 1999)

Candlefire – The Low Sun EP (CD EP, self released, 2001)

Candlefire – Sorrow Spreads Its Wings (CD single, One Little Indian, 2002)

Olas & Jinder – Something (CD single, FrontSide Records, 2003)

Olas & Jinder – The Best of Days Ahead (Album, FrontSide Records, 2004)

Jinder – Road:Live EP (CD EP, Din Of Ecstasy, 2004)

Jinder – Willow Park (Album, Folkwit Records, 2005)

Jinder – The Years of Winter EP (CD EP, Fanclub only release, 2005)

Jinder – I’m Alive (Album, Folkwit Records, 2006)

Jinder – The Three EPs (Compilation album, Din Of Ecstasy, 2007)

Jinder – Twenty Four Hours (Album, Din Of Ecstasy, 2007)

The Mercurymen – Keep Me in Your Heart EP (CD EP, Flying Sparks Records, 2007)

The Mercurymen – Postcards from Valonia (Album, Arista/Sony BMG, 2008)

Jinder – Nine Cents from Benelux (Compilation album, Din Of Ecstasy, 2009)

Jinder – TOTPRIP (Promo only CD single, Mighty Village/Universal Records, 2011)

Jinder – Recycle Michael (Promo only CD single, Mighty Village/Universal Records, 2012) No.52 ITunes singles

Jinder – Heartbeats & Little Feet (Promo only CD single, Mighty Village/Universal Records, 2012)

Jinder – Keep Me in Your Heart (Promo only CD single, Mighty Village/Universal Records, 2012)

Jinder – Crumbs Of Comfort (Album, Mighty Village/Universal Records, 2012)

Jinder – Boil The World (Download single, Din Of Ecstasy, 2015)

Jinder – Traditional Dark (Album, Din Of Ecstasy, 2015)

Jinder – Brother Flower – The Songs Of Townes Van Zandt (Album, Din Of Ecstasy, 2015)

Jinder - Pictures of Adolf Again (Download single, Din Of Ecstasy, 2016)

Jinder – Brother Can You Spare A Dime? (Download single, Din Of Ecstasy, 2017)

Jinder – Presents...Kingsize Blackfoot (Album, Din Of Ecstasy, 2017)

Jinder – Traditional Dark:The Director’s Cut (Album, Din Of Ecstasy, 2019)

The Atlas Ft. Jinder – Keep Me in Your Heart (Download single, Universal Records, 2019) No.30 UK singles

Jinder – Overthinkers Anonymous (Download single, Din Of Ecstasy, 2019) No.14 iTunes singles

Jinder – The Train to the Sky (Download single, Din Of Ecstasy, 2019) No.62 iTunes singles

Jinder – I Still Believe (Download single, Din Of Ecstasy, 2019) No.41 iTunes singles

Jinder – The Silver Age (Album, Din Of Ecstasy, 2020)

Jinder – Almanac for the Failing Days (Album, Din Of Ecstasy, 2020)

• Official website