Early life and career

Joseph was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and after spending some of his childhood in New Zealand moved to England in his teens.^[2] After attempting to pursue a career in London, Joseph moved to Newquay, Cornwall after the birth of his first child.^[2]

In Cornwall, Joseph continued his career in music and played in a variety of bands such as Eli Bowen and The Rhythm Doctors. As a solo artist, Joseph played with an acoustic guitar and a piano, occasionally accompanied by a band. He finished recording an EP in 2006, "All Substance and No Style", and after a number of live performances in London attracted record label interest. He toured widely in the UK and made several appearances at music festivals including Glastonbury with the Rhythm Doctors in 2004.^[3]

Atlantic Records and Tales of Grime and Grit (2007–2008)

He signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2007. Soon after, Joseph released his debut, digital only EP. Q magazine made its lead track, "Patience", its track of the day in late April.^[4] An 8-track version of his debut album Tales of Grime and Grit was released for download on 3 June 2007. The album was released on 9 July, preceded by the lead single, "Tales of Grime and Grit", on 2 July. The second single, a revamp of "Blankets", was released on 24 September.^[5] Recording of the album took place at St Merryn Airfield studios in Cornwall, and was produced by the London-based record producer, Paul Reeve.^[6]

On 24 June 2007, Joseph played at the Glastonbury Festival on Stage 1 (left field).^[7] He has also supported a variety of large acts, including Funeral for a Friend, Paulo Nutini, and more recently David Gray.

Post-Atlantic career and Both Sides of The Coin (2008–2009)

In mid-February 2008, Joseph announced on his Myspace page that he had opted to leave Atlantic Records, citing differences in opinion for the release of his second studio album, as the main motivation behind the decision. Joseph's criticism of the attitude fostered by major record labels was vehement, stating that he had been perceived as 'an asset, basically like a car tyre, and if they wanted to, they could melt me down and turn me into condoms!'.^[8]

Joseph retreated to his garden shed with an assortment of musical instruments to start the recording of his second album, Both Sides of The Coin. Each instrument played in the recordings – including guitars, drums, banjo, accordion, and harmonica – was played by Joseph. Limited space forced Joseph to move them into his shed one instrument at a time. By the end of the summer of 2008, Both Sides of The Coin was completed. It was sold on tour in the winter of 2009, then released widely in February 2009.

Pip Productions and Shoulder to the Wheel (2009–2011)

Joseph started work on his third studio album in late 2009 and released early demos of potential tracks through his Myspace page. Shoulder to the Wheel was released in February 2010 through his own independent record label, Pip Productions. In October of the same year, Joseph secured a management deal with ACP Recordings, who also handle David Gray, Spiritualized, and Damien Rice.^[9] Shoulder to the Wheel was thus allowed a wider download release in November 2010, with 'Orchard for an Apple' being chosen as the lead single. The album peaked at number 8 on the iTunes singer-songwriter chart, and Joseph has been touring extensively post-release.^[10] A single mix of 'Orchard for an Apple', featuring new backing vocals and instrumentation, was played on BBC Radio 2 by Alex Lester. Lester announced that the single was due for release on 3 January 2011, coinciding with Joseph's birthday.^[11][12] The song has also had airplay on Steve Wright's daytime Radio 2 show. In December 2010, the song was added to the BBC Radio 2 Playlist, where it remained for three weeks.

Joseph embarked on an extensive tour of Shoulder to the Wheel throughout 2011 and early 2012, playing at various venues across the UK including a gig at the Union Chapel, Islington, supporting Foy Vance.

Brother (2012–2016)

Joseph started work on his fourth studio album shortly after losing a close friend in 2010; he credits this loss as a great influence on the making of the record in a YouTube video released in June 2012.^[13] In January 2012, Joseph announced on his website that the record had been completed and a release date was approaching.^[14]

Joseph recorded Brother in The Church Studios, London, being the first of his productions since Tales of Grime and Grit to be recorded with a full band in a studio setting. The one-word title symbolizes "companionship, community, and closeness." The album underwent a limited release in the UK on 9 October 2012,^[15] and a wider digital release on iTunes and Spotify on 25 March 2013.^[16]

William the Conqueror (2017–)

Joseph's current project is a three piece band called 'William the Conqueror', alongside friends and previous collaborators Harry Harding (drums) and Naomi Holmes (bass).^[17] After signing to Loose,^[18] their first album, Proud Disturber of the Peace, was released in August 2017. The band marks a new direction for Joseph, having been described by critics as 'Southern rock with a British twist'. Joseph describes the band as a reaction to his previous work, going in a direction that his teenage self would have appreciated.

The second William the Conqueror album, Bleeding on the Soundtrack, was released in 2019, followed by a UK tour in May 2019, which included a live session for Ricky Ross on his BBC Radio Scotland programme, Another Country.

On 24 November 2019 William The Conqueror played a session for Cerys Matthews on BBC 6 Music.

The third album of the trilogy, Maverick Thinker, was recorded in Los Angeles, at Sound City Studios, in 2020. Recording was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic but the album was completed, with assistance from producer Joseph Lorge. After signing to Chrysalis Records, the album was released on 5 March 2021, preceded by the singles "Wake Up", "Quiet Life" and "Move On".

Solo albums

William the Conqueror albums