FROM rock legends to the brains behind iconic movie soundtracks, North Yorkshire is home to a lot of musical talent.  

Not only have they made an impression on their local community, but some of them have gone on to have international fame and recognition.

Others on the list you might have listened to before, never realising that they are locals.

Jonny Hooker of York based record label Young Thugs believes the music scene in the region is "vibrant and diverse".

He added: "There are so many great artists in our region- and this encompasses bands with raw talent through to those starting to make a waves on the national and international stage."

Jonny added that York band Bull is one to look out for in the future- maybe they will feature in a famous musicians article in years to come.

Here are four musicians you might not have realised were from the region- did we miss any off the list? Let us know in the comments.

Asking Aleksandria

Danny Worsnop (middle) comes from the East Riding of Yorkshire (Instagram/@askingalexandria)

Fans of modern rock will recognise this York band, who formed in 2006- one of their most famous songs s ‘The Final Episode’, which has over 56 million views on the music vide director’s YouTube channel.

Lead singer, Danny Worsnop, was born in Beverley- he even attended Howden School.

However, he didn’t stay in the region for long and moved to the USA in 2009.

John Barry

York Press: Composer John Barry (Ian West/PA)Composer John Barry (Ian West/PA)

To look at John Barry, you might not recognise his face- but you’ve probably heard some of his music.

Barry composed 11 scores for James Bond movies as well as many other iconic movies; he won academy awards for Born Free, The Lion in Winter, Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves.

This talented man actually originated from York and he lived in Fulford House (now the Pavilion Hotel) with his family.

John went to Bar Convent School and later to St Peter’s where he began to learn musical instruments and the art of composing.

Tragically, he died of a heart attack in 2011 but is survived by his wife, Laurie and his four children.

A York Civic Trust plaque has been  placed on the wall of the Pavilion Hotel in Fulford- have you ever noticed it while walking around the area?

Utah Saints


(Instagram/ @utahsaints)

Utah Saints are a two man electronic music group who have links to Harrogate.

Jez Willis and Tim Garbutt make up the group, producing popular tracks ‘What Can You Do For Me’ ‘Something Good’ and ‘Believe In Me’.

According to the official UK charts, they have had eight UK top 40s.

Before finding global fame and climbing the charts, the duo met as music promoters and DJs for the Mix Nightclub in Harrogate.

Arthur Brown

Whitby-born Arthur Brown is know for his theatrical performances and eccentric music.

He created the rock group The Crazy World of Arthur Brown- the original band also included Vincent Crane, Drachen Theaker and Nick Greenwood.

(Facebook/Arthur Brown)

Fire is a popular song that reached number one in the UK charts back in 1968- the psychedelic group even appeared on Top of The Pops.

Arthur has even been busy during lockdown, recording a cover of The Animals’ 1965 hit House of The Rising Sun to raise money for a coronavirus hardship fund.