Richard Ashcroft and then attended Winstanley College, where he met Nick McCabe. His teachers referred to him as "the cancer of the class", though one member of staff recalled him being "incredibly intelligent". Ashcroft was an avid football player, playing junior football for Wigan Athletic. For some time Ashcroft wanted to be a professional football player, idolising George Best, but as he grew older he lost interest in this, turning to music instead. Ashcroft formed The Verve (originally just Verve) in 1990 with McCabe, Jones, and Salisbury. The band signed to Hut Records and became well known for their appetite for both
Richard Ashcroft September and subsequent teasers "Born To Be Strangers" and "That's When I Feel It." The LP debuted at #4 on the UK album charts. Ashcroft is married to Kate Radley, a former member of Spiritualized. They married in 1995 and it was years before it was publicly revealed that the pair had married. Together, they have two sons: Sonny, born in 2000, and Cassius, born in 2004. The family lives in Taynton, Gloucestershire. Ashcroft is a Manchester United fan, and is an avid regular. He was in attendance for the 1999 Champions League Final, where he saw United win 2–1