Northamptonshire has many claims to fame, from its ties to US presidents to its role in the Gunpowder Plot.

But in more recent history, it is home to one of English rock’s best-known singers.

Thom Yorke is best known as the frontman of the band Radiohead, which formed in Oxfordshire in the 90s and went on to become one of the most successful modern rock bands of all time.

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But few Northamptonshire residents will know the 53-year-old is from our county.

Born on October 7, 1968, Thomas Edward Yorke began life in Wellingborough.

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His family moved around a lot when he was young, but he finally settled in Oxfordshire in 1978 and it was there that he met his bandmates.

Although Yorke has done a lot of solo work, his career with Radiohead is what he is known for. The original members were Yorke, Ed O’Brien, Philip Selway and brothers Colin and Jimmy Greenwood.

After meeting, the boys started playing together in the 1980s under the name “On a Friday”, and in the second half of the decade they signed a recording contract with Island Records.

However, this was put on hold so they could all complete their university degrees, and Thom Yorke, who studied English and fine art at the University of Exeter, said it helped him enormously in his future creative work.

But after graduation, they signed with Parlophone and changed their name to Radiohead, garnering attention with their 1993 debut single, “Creep”, which would become one of their biggest hits.

Yorke’s rise to fame took a toll on his mental well-being, prompting him to move to the Cornish coast following the release of the band’s third album, ‘OK Computer’.

After his recovery, Yorke and the band released eight studio albums together, sold over 30 million albums and won six Grammys.

They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2019.

Although the group no longer performed together, Yorke undertook numerous side projects and solo work.

With bandmate, Johnny Greenwood, he formed band The Smile, which paid off at Glastonbury’s virtual stream last year.

Yorke’s solo work is primarily electronic and he has been nominated for awards for this as well.

He has composed soundtracks for theater productions and been involved in collaborations with some of the biggest names in music including Pink Floyd, REM and Bjork.

Outside of the music world, Yorke has been a prominent campaigner against climate change and has called for Third World debt cancellation and nuclear disarmament.

Yorke would still live just across the border in Oxfordshire.

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