British Male Pianists

Path-breaking British composer, pianist, and conductor Benjamin Britten was known for his fine operas such as Peter Grimes and the War Requiem. He also created countless orchestral works and is known for his long professional partnership with tenor Peter Pears, a collaboration that led to the formation of the Britten-Pears Foundation.

Legendary Scottish singer-songwriter, bassist, and composer Jack Bruce gained international fame with the British rock band Cream and released iconic tracks such as I Feel Free. He also performed as part of the jazz fusion group the Tony Williams Lifetime. In 2006, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

One of the most popular rock keyboardists of the progressive rock genre, Rick Wakeman soared to fame as part of the band Yes and later had an equally successful solo career. He had ditched his initial dream of becoming a pianist to start his career as a session musician.

Jools Holland is an English singer, composer, pianist, bandleader, and television presenter. He came into prominence in the mid-1970s, when he became part of the rock band Squeeze. His popularity increased when he co-presented the popular music TV show The Tube from 1982 to 1987. Jools Holland is also known for his collaborations with famous artists like Sting and Bono.

Dhani Harrison is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and composer. Best known as the son of George Harrison, Dhani started his career by assisting his father record his final album, Brainwashed. He then went on to form his own band called Thenewno2. Dhani Harrison also established himself as a composer, scoring music for TV shows like Good Girls Revolt and Outsiders.

Jack Savoretti is a British musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved popularity in 2015, when he released his fourth studio album, Written in Scars, which peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart. In 2019, Jack Savoretti released his sixth album Singing to Strangers, which became his first album to peak at number one on the UK Albums Chart.

Evgeny Kissin is a Russian-born composer and concert pianist. He is renowned for his renditions of the works of great musicians like Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Over the course of his illustrious career, Evgeny Kissin has won many prestigious musical awards, such as the Grammy Awards, Triumph Award, and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Award.

Declan McKenna went from being a high-school drop-out to winning the 2017 BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year Award. He gained fame with his chartbusting debut single, Brazil, which criticized the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He has also participated in major music festivals, such as Coachella and Glastonbury.

James Righton is an English musician credited with co-creating the new rave band Klaxons. Apart from releasing albums and singles, James Righton also works on creating music for films and theatre. In 2015, he scored music for a short film titled William. In 2018, he scored for a comedy-drama feature film titled Benjamin.

English composer, pianist, and Hammond organ player Jon Lord is remembered for his fiery performances as the keyboardist of the rock band Deep Purple. Trained in classical piano, he also received a drama school scholarship, which he ditched to focus on music. He was posthumously named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Georg Solti was an operatic and orchestral conductor. He is best remembered for his association with opera companies in London, Frankfurt, and Munich. He also worked with the popular Chicago Symphony Orchestra where he served as a music director for a long time. Solti became the subject of a 1987 biographical TV documentary titled This Is Your Life.

One likened to legendary musician Jimi Hendrix, Scottish rock guitarist and singer Stuart Adamson was a founder member of the Scottish punk rock/new wave band Skids. He later formed the rock band Big Country. He hanged himself to death in a Hawaiian hotel at age 43.

Albert Lee is an English guitarist best known for his hybrid picking and fingerstyle technique. Renowned for his technical virtuosity and his speed of playing, Lee was named the Best Country Guitarist by Guitar Player magazine on five consecutive occasions. At the 2017 UK Americana Awards, Albert Lee was awarded the prestigious Trailblazer Lifetime Achievement Award.

Experimental musician John Cale is best known as the co-founder of the rock band The Velvet Underground. The son of a coal miner father, he later developed a love for music that earned him a scholarship to the University of London. Prescribed opiates for his bronchial issues, he later struggled with addiction.

Born to Holocaust survivors, Hungarian-born pianist Andras Schiff began learning the piano at age 5. He is now best known for his interpretations of legends such as of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. His numerous awards include a Grammy. He was also knighted for his achievements.

The son of a British Army officer, comedian and musician Neil Innes had begun training in the piano and the guitar since childhood. Part of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band, he wrote the hit single I’m the Urban Spaceman. He is also remembered for his collaboration with the Monty Python team.

Georgie Fame is an English jazz and R&B musician. Fame, who started his career in the 1960s, is still going strong and often works with contemporaries like Bill Wyman, Van Morrison, and Alan Price. He is perhaps best known for his association with the British rhythm and blues group, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames.

Russ Ballard is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He came into prominence when he became part of the rock band Argent, where he performed as the guitarist and lead singer. As a songwriter, Russ Ballard is credited with writing hit songs like So You Win Again, Since You Been Gone, and Liar.

Known as the African Mahler for his bi-racial ethnicity, British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor ruled the music scene of the early 20th century. Throughout his illustrious career, he taught music, judged contests, and created many choral and orchestral works. He was best known for the Longfellow trilogy, based on The Song of Hiawatha.

Michael Nyman is an English pianist, musicologist, librettist, filmmaker, and composer of minimalist music. He is best known for scoring music for several films directed by Peter Greenaway during the 1980s. Michael Nyman is also credited with writing numerous operas, such as Letters, Riddles and Writs, Facing Goya, and Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs. 

Best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers, James Dean Bradfield is also known for his solo singles such as An English Gentleman. He has also collaborated with the likes of Tom Jones and Patrick Jones. He is married to the band’s PR agent, Mylène Halsall.

Jona Lewie is a British singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his 1980 hits, Stop the Cavalry and You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties. Jona Lewie is also known for his albums, Alias Jona Lewie, Heart Skips Beat, and Optimistic. 

A legend of Celtic music, Phil Coulter was the best-selling Irish music artist of his time. Starting his career as a songwriter for various artists, he later teamed up with songwriter Bill Martin to write hits such as Puppet on a String. He also penned a theme for the Irish rugby team.

Tony Hatch is an English composer best known for composing music for television and musical theatre. He also works as a pianist, arranger, songwriter, and producer. Some of his best known works include compositions for TV series like The Doctors, Emmerdale Farm, and Neighbours. In 2013, Tony Hatch was made an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Ian Stanley is a British musician, record producer, and songwriter. He is best known for his association with the pop rock band Tears for Fears, where he was one of the most important members during the 1980s. Ian Stanley played a key role in the creation of the band's successful album Songs from the Big Chair.

Johann Baptist Cramer was an English pianist, music publisher, and composer of German origin. The son of Wilhelm Cramer, Johann studied under Muzio Clementi and went on to become one of the greatest pianists of his time. Renowned for its technical perfection, Johann Cramer's playing style earned praises from popular pianists around the world, including Ludwig van Beethoven.