PJ Harvey

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Lore & Background

Polly Jean Harvey was born on 9 October 1969 in Bridport, Dorset, the second child of Ray and Eva Harvey. Her parents owned a quarrying business on Ham Hill and she grew up on the family farm in Corscombe. During childhood, she attended Beaminster School, where she received guitar lessons from folk singer-songwriter Steve Knightley. Her parents introduced her to music including blues, Captain Beefheart and Bob Dylan, and counted Ian Stewart among their oldest friends. As a teenager, Harvey learned saxophone and joined an eight-piece instrumental group, Bologne, run by composer Andrew Dickson, and was also a guitarist with folk duo the Polekats. In July 1988, Harvey became a member of Automatic Dlamini, a band based in Bristol formed by John Parish. She provided saxophone, guitars and backing vocals, and travelled extensively, including performances in East and West Germany, Spain and Poland. She left in January 1991 to form her own band with former bandmates Rob Ellis and Ian Oliver. Harvey named the trio PJ Harvey, and they released the debut single 'Dress' in October 1991, which received mass critical acclaim. The trio's debut studio album Dry followed in March 1992, and their major label debut Rid of Me was released in May 1993. The trio disbanded after that, and Harvey continued as a solo artist. Since 1995, Harvey has released a further ten studio albums with collaborations from various musicians including John Parish, Rob Ellis, Mick Harvey, and Eric Drew Feldman, and has worked extensively with record producer Flood. She has received a BAFTA Award, eight Brit Award nominations, eight Grammy Award nominations, and two further Mercury Prize nominations. Rolling Stone awarded her 1992's Best New Artist and Best Singer Songwriter, and 1995's Artist of the Year. She was awarded for Outstanding Contribution to Music at the NME Awards. In the 2013 Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to music.

Reader's Guide

PJ Harvey's significance lies in her sustained critical acclaim and influence as a solo artist emerging from the early 1990s alternative rock scene. Her debut album Dry (1992) was cited by Kurt Cobain as his sixteenth-favourite album ever in his posthumously published Journals. Her follow-up Rid of Me (1993) was described by Rolling Stone as 'charged with aggressive eroticism and rock fury.' Harvey's career is marked by her ability to reinvent her sound across multiple albums, collaborating with a consistent set of musicians including John Parish, whom she has called her 'musical soulmate.' Her two Mercury Prize wins—for Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000) and Let England Shake (2011)—make her the only artist to have received the prize twice. Her work has been recognized with numerous award nominations and honors, including an MBE for services to music. Harvey's early training in multiple instruments and her experience in Automatic Dlamini shaped her as a performer, and her visual arts background has influenced her public image through collaborations with photographer Maria Mochnacz.

Did You Know?

• Harvey's debut single 'Dress' was voted Single of the Week in Melody Maker by guest reviewer John Peel, who admired 'the way Polly Jean seems crushed by the weight of her own songs.'
• The PJ Harvey Trio's debut performance was at a skittle alley in Charmouth Village Hall in April 1991, and during the first song they cleared the hall—only about two people remained.
• Harvey wrote to the American rock band Slint after they printed a request for female singers on the sleeve of their 1991 album Spiderland, but Slint broke up before the album was released.
• Rolling Stone named Harvey Best New Artist and Best Singer Songwriter in 1992, and Artist of the Year in 1995.
• Harvey was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to music.