Colin Greenwood
The steady, melodic heartbeat of Radiohead, whose inventive bass lines anchor the band's experimental soundscapes.
Born 1969 (age 57)·English bassist·Birthday: June 26·Generation X
Biography
Colin Greenwood didn't just join a band; he helped build a sonic universe. Born in Oxford in 1969, he and his younger brother Jonny were among the founding members of the group that would become Radiohead. While often the quietest presence on stage, his role was foundational. Greenwood's bass playing evolved from the driving post-punk lines of 'Creep' to the complex, textured grooves of albums like 'Kid A' and 'In Rainbows,' where he often traded his bass guitar for electronic instruments and double bass. His approach is less about flash and more about serving the song's emotional architecture, providing the crucial link between Phil Selway's rhythms and the band's expansive melodic layers. Offstage, he is known as the band's archivist and a devoted bibliophile, running a bookshop with his wife. In an ensemble of avant-garde thinkers, Colin Greenwood remains the essential, grounding force.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Colin was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Colin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Colin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- As a core member of Radiohead, he has contributed to multiple albums that have fundamentally shaped alternative and experimental rock.
- His adaptive bass work was key to the band's successful transition from guitar-driven rock to electronic and orchestral textures in the late 1990s.
- Played on and co-wrote songs for the landmark albums 'OK Computer' and 'In Rainbows,' both of which won Grammy Awards.
- He performed on the soundtrack for the film 'There Will Be Blood,' composed by his brother Jonny Greenwood.
Did You Know?
He worked in a record shop and as a librarian before Radiohead achieved international fame.
Greenwood is an avid reader and co-owns the bookshop 'The Bookshop By The Sea' in Suffolk.
He is the oldest member of Radiohead.
He plays the upright bass, notably on the song 'The National Anthem' from the album 'Kid A.'
“I'm just the bass player. I turn up and try and play the right notes at the right time.”
