Joshua Bartholomew (born July 30, 1984), known mononymously as Bartholomew, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He writes and records music with his wife Lisa Harriton under the moniker JoLi. Bartholomew is a co-writer and producer of the Grammy and Oscar nominated song "Everything Is Awesome" from The Lego Movie.

Joshua Bartholomew
Birth nameJoshua Bartholomew Ferber
Born (1984-07-30) July 30, 1984 (age 40)
Pembroke, Ontario, Canada
GenresRock, pop
Occupation(s)Vocalist, singer-songwriter, musician, producer, mixer, recording engineer, composer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, drums, percussion, bass guitar, piano, mellotron
Years active2005–present
Websitewww.bartholomewmusic.com

Early life

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Bartholomew was born in Pembroke, Ontario, and raised on military bases throughout Canada including CFB Petawawa, CFB Valcartier and CFB Borden. Bartholomew began singing at the age of three and cites his parents' extensive record collection as an early influence.[1]

While attending Banting Memorial High School he was given permission to take co-op classes in his home studio where he began recording demos of his songs for school credit,[1] playing all instruments himself. This role remains on most of Bartholomew's studio recordings.

Music career

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Bartholomew's self-titled debut EP was released in 2005. Two songs "What Happened To Our Love" and "IT" gained nationwide radio play on CBC Radio One.[2] [3] CBC Radio One producer Kai Black, CBC host Brent Bambury, singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith and Relient K's Matt Thiessen were among early supporters. In 2006, Bartholomew won[4] [5] the songwriting contest held by Toronto's No. 1 Pop/AC radio station MIX 99.9 FM (CKFM-FM) and toured[6] with Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings. Several labels responded favourably to his debut, but Bartholomew opted to forego a major label deal.

Bartholomew travelled extensively throughout 2006 to 2008 spending extended periods of time in New York City, Los Angeles and Nashville. Most of 2009 and 2010 was spent living in his Airstream trailer in Nashville, writing songs with pop and country artists including Grammy nominated country band Emerson Drive.[7]

In 2008 Bartholomew self-released his first full length record, And So It Begins, a double album with 20 songs to critical acclaim,[8] followed by Heart Headed, a 4 song EP released as a digital download in 2009.

In January 2011, in a video[9] posted on his official website, Bartholomew stated his new record "is a little heavier than what you're used to hearing" and that he had begun working on his new album with several collaborators including: Dave Kushner (Velvet Revolver), Chris Thorn (Blind Melon), Warren Huart (Aerosmith) and Billy Mohler (Smashing Pumpkins). He also announced he was shortening his name from Joshua Bartholomew to Bartholomew. On January 25, 2011, the Joshua Bartholomew Facebook fan page changed to Bartholomew.[10]

Musical style and influence

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Bartholomew is a self-professed Beatles and Led Zeppelin fanatic and has cited Magical Mystery Tour and Led Zeppelin as his favorite albums. In 2006, Bartholomew opened for two of his musical heroes Ron Sexsmith[11] and Bachman-Cummings.[6]

Bartholomew states that The Beatles played a major part in his childhood and considers them to be "the greatest band of all time." Bartholomew has also named producer, Dave Sardy as his most important modern production influence.

Film and television

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In 2013, Bartholomew was cast as musician "Moocher" in Cinnamon Girl: California Dreamin', an original drama series set in the 1960s Laurel Canyon music scene, but the Lifetime network passed on the pilot.[12][13]

Discography

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Year Artist Album Song(s) Notes
2005 Joshua Bartholomew Self-titled All songs Musician, songwriter, producer
2008 Joshua Bartholomew And So It Begins All songs Musician, songwriter, producer
2009 Joshua Bartholomew Heart Headed All songs Musician, songwriter, producer
2009 Delaney Gibson Hurricanes & Forget Me Nots Rain Or Shine Songwriter, Vocals[14]
2011 Emerson Drive Decade of Drive Let Your Love Speak Songwriter[15]
2012 Esthero Everything Is Expensive Over Musician, songwriter, producer[16]
2014 Delaney Gibson Tall Like The Tree Musician, songwriter,[17] Producer[18]
2014 JoLi – Joshua Bartholomew and Lisa Harriton The Lego Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Everything Is Awesome Musician, songwriter,[19] Producer[20]
2014 Tegan and Sara feat. The Lonely Island The Lego Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Everything Is Awesome Remix Musician, songwriter[21]

Awards and nominations

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"Everything Is Awesome" awards and nominations

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References

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  1. ^ a b Poitras, Sandy (July 14, 2006). "Joshua Bartholomew" (PDF). Sideroads. The Aliston Herald. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  2. ^ Phillips, Cameron; Kelly Ryan (January 8, 2006). "Artist of the Week". CBC Radio One. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  3. ^ "Top Ten Requests". Net Radio 100. June 30, 2006. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  4. ^ "MIX 99.9 Songwriting Winner" (PDF). Broadcast Dialogue. January 12, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  5. ^ "Canadian Radio Star Regional Finalists". Canadian Music Week. February 6, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  6. ^ a b Armstrong, Denis (June 27, 2006). "Bachman-Cummings First Time Around". Ottawa Sun. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ "Emerson Drive Announces Partnership with Quarterback Records". January 31, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  8. ^ Brown, Peter J (October 10, 2008). "Toxic Pete". Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  9. ^ "Official Website Video Update". January 24, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  10. ^ "Facebook Fan Page". Facebook. January 25, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  11. ^ "Ron Sexsmith Forum". April 4, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  12. ^ "Cinnamon Girl". IMDb. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  13. ^ "Lifetime Passes On Renee Zellweger's Pilot 'Cinnamon Girl'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  14. ^ "Hurricanes & Forget Me Nots Album Credits". November 17, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  15. ^ "Let Your Love Speak released to radio Feb. 28". January 31, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  16. ^ "Listen To This: Wicked Little Girl!". October 30, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  17. ^ "Tall Like The Tree Official Release". Tumblr. January 28, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  18. ^ "Delaney Gibson Releases New Video for "Stars" – Music News Nashville". November 10, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  19. ^ "SOCAN presents first-ever film & TV No. 1 Song Award to Josh Bartholomew for The LEGO Movie theme". March 11, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  20. ^ "The Lego Movie Soundtrack IMDb". IMDb. January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  21. ^ "SOCAN presents first-ever film & TV No. 1 Song Award to Josh Bartholomew for The LEGO Movie theme". March 11, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  22. ^ "Congrats to our nominees for Original Song". January 15, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  23. ^ "57th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees". December 5, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  24. ^ "Critics' Choice Nominees". December 15, 2014. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  25. ^ "Georgia Film Critics Association: 2014 Awards". January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  26. ^ "International Press Academy". December 1, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  27. ^ "ACCA 2014". February 12, 2015. Archived from the original on November 9, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  28. ^ "DFCS Names 'American Sniper' 2014′s Best Film". January 12, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  29. ^ Feinberg, Scott (November 5, 2014). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards: Gregg Alexander Performs, Glen Campbell Feted". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  30. ^ "Houston Film Critics Society". December 16, 2014. Archived from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  31. ^ Patches, Matt (January 7, 2015). "'Boyhood' is Iowa Critics' Best Picture of 2014". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  32. ^ "Phoenix Film Critics Society". December 16, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  33. ^ "Santa Barbara Film Festival Announces Full Program, Variety Artisans Awards". Variety. January 8, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
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