Biography
Richard Neville Dobson known professionally as Ritchie Neville (born 23 August 1979, in Solihull, Birmingham, England) is a singer most noted for being a member of UK boy band Five. Neville attended the private Bromsgrove School in Worcestershire and was taught by the legendary Mike Perry.
Neville was born to musical parents and at the age of four, after engaging in activities that often involved singing and acting with his friends, Neville joined the church choir. Whilst growing up, Richard's musical tastes began to centre around grunge - identifying with many rock bands including Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden. He started his own group bizarrely named 'Anal Beard', whose style included the then typical baggy clothes and long hair. Finally, the lure of the stage brought him to London, where, in 1997 at the age of 17, he saw an advertisement in the national newspaper The Stage, asking for young male singers to audition for a new boy band with "attitude and edge". He and four others, who had during the audition arranged themselves into a group, were subsequently picked and later became Five.
In 1999, he dated actress and singer Billie Piper, for a year, then the couple split.
Since Five's break-up in late 2001, Neville has made occasional appearances as a TV presenter, guest, actor and reality show celebrity contestant. He made a brief foray back into music with his own rock band in early 2003.
In September 2006, four of the five original band members of Five announced they were reuniting - minus bandmate Sean Conlon. The band began recording their first album since their breakup in 2001, but disbanded once again in 2007.
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