Wesley Schultz

Wesley Schultz
Schultz performing on August 2, 2012
Background information
Birth name Wesley Keith Schultz
Born (1982-12-30) December 30, 1982
Origin Ramsey, New Jersey, United States.
Instruments
Years active 2005–present
Website http://www.thelumineers.com
Wesley Schultz

Wesley Keith Schultz (born December 30, 1982)[1] is the guitarist and lead vocalist for the American folk rock band The Lumineers.

Life and career

Schultz grew up in Ramsey, New Jersey,[2] and attended Ramsey High School[3] and the University of Richmond.[4][5] At the time The Lumineers released their first album, their press release highlighted the fact that Schultz, then age 9, had been quoted in a 1992 story in The New York Times.[2] In that story (a profile of Dennis Kobray, who toured elementary schools imitating classical composers as a way to introduce children to classical music), 9-year-old Schultz is quoted as saying: "I spend a lot of time on my drawings and it turns out good 'cause I've been practicing a lot."[6]

Growing up in Ramsey, Schultz's best friend was Josh Fraites.[7] Fraites died of a drug overdose in 2002, at the age of 19.[7] In the wake of Josh's death, Schultz connected with Josh's younger brother Jeremiah Fraites, a drummer, and the two "found solace in music, writing songs and playing gigs around New York."[8] The two toured under various names including Wesley Jeremiah, and released a self-titled EP (including future The Lumineers songs, "Flowers In Your Hair" and "Darlene."

Frustrated by their band's limited success in New York, and struggling with the high cost of living, Schultz and Fraites decided to relocate to Denver, where they could dedicate more time to working on their music and touring.[2] Upon arriving in Denver, they placed a Craigslist ad for a classical cellist.[7][8] Neyla Pekarek responded to their ad and ultimately became the third member of The Lumineers.[7][8] The trio spent the next year playing gigs around Denver and touring nationally at their own expense.[7]

In 2012, The Lumineers released their first album, The Lumineers. Three songs from that album (all co-written by Schultz and Fraites) have charted: "Ho Hey" "Stubborn Love" and "Submarines"

In 2013, the band released a deluxe edition of their self-titled album. It included 5 bonus tracks, over 25 minutes of video footage, and a 28-page booklet.

In 2016 he sang Honey Pie in Beat Bugs episode 12b.

In 2016, The Lumineers released the album, Cleopatra. The songs started being written after the first album, The Lumineers, was released. In the four years following their first album, the songs were being created and developed for Cleopatra.[9]

Songwriting credits

YearArtistSongCo-written withU.S. peak
position		U.K. peak
position
2012The Lumineers"Ho Hey"Jeremiah Fraites3[10]8[11]
2012The Lumineers"Stubborn Love"Jeremiah Fraites70—

References

  1. ↑ Kent, Richard (2012-12-24). "Celeb birthdays for the week of Dec. 30-Jan. 5 | wfaa.com Dallas - Fort Worth". Wfaa.com. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  2. 1 2 3 Staff. "The Lumineers: Chasing Big Dreams Out West", NPR, May 26, 2012. Accessed November 14, 2012
  3. ↑ Mazzola, Jessica. "Lumineers featured on The Colbert Report; Band talks about moving from Ramsey to Brooklyn to Colorado.", Ramsey Patch, July 31, 2013. Accessed October 19, 2017. "Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites, both Ramsey High School grads, answered questions on the show about how the band started out, and why they chose to move to Colorado."
  4. ↑ "Why The Lumineers Don't Eat At T.G.I. Friday's | Your Hub for Southern Culture". Thedailysouth.southernliving.com. 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  5. ↑ Aberback, Brian. "Ramsey's Lumineers Receive Grammy Nods; Acoustic Folk-Pop Band nominated for Best New Artist and Best Americana Album has roots in the borough", Ramsey Patch, December 21, 2012. Accessed October 19, 2017. "'As musicians, you can't concern yourselves with awards and things that are out of your control,' Schultz, a 2001 Ramsey High School grad said.... Schultz said he did not know Jeremiah Fraites well in high school but the two became good friends and songwriting partners after Schultz returned to Ramsey from college."
  6. ↑ Valerie Cruice, "On Tour With a Thoroughly Modern Beethoven", The New York Times, March 15, 1992.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 McDermott, Maeve. "Meet roots rockers The Lumineers", USA Today, June 24, 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 The Lumineers Biography from their website.
  9. ↑ Schultz, Wesley. 29 Apr. 2016. , www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZSGAmEiQgs&t=117s. Accessed 4 Aug. 2018.
  10. ↑ Billboard.com
  11. ↑ Official Chart Company
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