Biography
Who is Vashti Bunyan?
Early life and education
Jennifer Vashti Bunyan was born in South Tyneside in 1945. She is the youngest of three children born to Helen Webber and John Bunyan. Her family moved to London when she was only six months old.
During the early 1960s, she attended the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art at Oxford University. She was expelled from the school in 1964. This happened because she chose to focus on writing songs and learning the guitar instead of her art studies.
Musical beginnings in the 1960s
At age 18, Vashti visited New York City and became inspired to become a musician after hearing Bob Dylan. In 1965, she signed with Andrew Loog Oldham and released the single Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind. This track featured guitar work by Jimmy Page.
She followed this with the single Train Song in May 1966. In 1967, she appeared in the documentary Tonite Let's All Make Love in London. She also provided vocals for the group Twice as Much on their 1968 album, That's All.
The first album and hiatus
After traveling to the Scottish highlands and the island of Berneray, Vashti Bunyan recorded her first LP. Produced by Joe Boyd, the album Just Another Diamond Day was released on Philips Records in December 1970. The record received warm reviews but had very low sales.
Feeling discouraged, she left the music industry in 1971. She spent the next thirty years raising her three children with Robert Lewis. During this long gap, her debut album slowly became a highly sought-after record among collectors.
Musical return and later career
The re-release of her debut album in 2000 sparked a second phase of her career. She recorded guest vocals for Glen Johnson in 2002 and appeared on a Devendra Banhart album in 2004. She also contributed to an Animal Collective EP in 2005.
In 2005, she released her second album, Lookaftering, which was produced by Max Richter. Vashti Bunyan also toured North America in 2006. Later, she collaborated with novelist Rodge Glass in 2007 and provided vocals for Anthony Reynolds' solo debut, British Ballads.
Birthday and age
Vashti Bunyan was born on March 2, 1945, which makes Vashti 81 years old today. That birthday falls under the Pisces sign. Vashti shares the date with 58 other famous people.
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