Jonny Greenwood
A Radiohead guitarist who reshaped rock's sonic palette and became a daring, Oscar-nominated film composer.
Born 1971 (age 55)·English musician·Birthday: November 5·Generation X
Biography
Born in Oxford, Jonny Greenwood was a restless musical mind from the start, studying viola and playing in youth orchestras before co-founding Radiohead. As the band's lead guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, his role expanded far beyond riffs; he became the architect of their unsettling, textured sound, deploying ondes Martenot, modular synths, and orchestral arrangements. This sonic curiosity blossomed into a second, parallel career in film scoring, where his collaborations with director Paul Thomas Anderson, from 'There Will Be Blood' to 'The Power of the Dog,' are marked by dissonant strings and percussive intensity. Greenwood has forged a unique path, proving that the experimental edge of art-rock and the emotional weight of classical composition can be one and the same.
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.
Jonny was born in 1971, 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 Jonny Was Born
The biggest hits of 1971
#1 Movie
Fiddler on the Roof
Best Picture
The French Connection
#1 TV Show
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Jonny's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1971Born
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1976Started school
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1984Became a teenager
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Could drive
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
1989Could vote
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1992Turned 21
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2001Turned 30
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 40
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 50
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 55 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the lead guitarist and principal sound innovator for the globally influential rock band Radiohead.
- Received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score for his work on 'The Power of the Dog' (2021).
- Composed the critically acclaimed scores for multiple Paul Thomas Anderson films, including 'There Will Be Blood' and 'Phantom Thread.'
- Named one of the greatest guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.
Did You Know?
He is a trained viola player and played in the Thames Vale Youth Orchestra.
He is one of the few rock musicians to master and regularly use the ondes Martenot, an early electronic instrument.
He composed a piece for the Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, who later conducted it.
He turned down a place at a university to study music to continue with Radiohead.
““The best music is music that proposes a model for living that is better.””
