A former soldier, he is especially known for his songs " You're Beautiful " and " Goodbye My Lover ". After leaving the army, he rose to fame in with the release of his debut album Back to Bedlam , achieving worldwide fame with the singles "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover". His first album had sold over 12 million copies worldwide by December , topping the UK Albums Chart and peaking at number two in the US. Back to Bedlam was the best-selling album of the s in the UK , [ 2 ] and is as of [update] one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history.
Blunt's second album, All the Lost Souls , released in , reached number one in twelve countries. As of , Blunt had sold over 20 million records worldwide. Blunt grew up primarily in St Mary Bourne , [ 13 ] but moved every two years according to his father's military postings around England Middle Wallop , Netheravon , and York as well as Cyprus Nicosia and Germany Soest. He also spent time in Cley-next-the-Sea, where his father owned the Cley Windmill. Blunt was educated at Elstree School [ 14 ] and then Harrow School , [ 15 ] gaining A-levels in physics, chemistry, and economics.
Like his father, he is a pilot and gained his fixed-winged private pilot licence at age Having been sponsored through university on an army bursary, Blunt was required to serve a minimum of four years in the armed forces. He trained at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in intake [ 9 ] [ 19 ] and was commissioned into the Life Guards.
He rose to the rank of captain. Blunt was trained in British Army Training Unit Suffield in Alberta, Canada, where his regiment was posted for six months in to act as the opposing army in combat training exercises. However, a Russian military contingent had moved in and taken control of the airport before his unit's arrival.
Blunt questioned the order and General Mike Jackson , the British commander, refused the order, telling Clark that they were "not going to start World War Three for you". During Blunt's Kosovo assignment, he had taken along his guitar strapped to the outside of his tank and would sometimes perform for locals and troops. A keen skier, Blunt captained the Household Cavalry alpine ski team in Verbier , Switzerland, becoming the Royal Armoured Corps giant slalom champion in Blunt had piano and violin lessons as a child but was introduced to the electric guitar aged 14 at Harrow by a fellow student.
