The Verve The Verve The Verve were an English rock band formed in Wigan in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound with their debut LP "A Storm in Heaven", by the mid-1990s the band had released several EPs and three albums. It also endured name and line-up changes, break-ups, health problems, drug abuse and various lawsuits. The band's commercial breakthrough was the 1997 album "Urban Hymns", one of the best-selling albums in UK Chart history. The
Ernie Ashcroft Ernie Ashcroft Ernest J. Ashcroft (28 February 1925 – May 1985), also known by the nickname of "Ernie", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coach of the 1950s and 1960s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and British Empire XIII, and at club level for Wigan (Heritage № 465), and Huddersfield, as a , or , i.e. number 1, 2 or 5, or, 3 or 4, and coached at club level for Huddersfield and Warrington. Ernie Ashcroft was born in Wigan, Lancashire, England, and he died aged