Chris Wolstenholme is an English bassist and backing vocalist for the award-winning rock band Muse . With their distinctive musical style and dramatic live performances, the trio (featuring lead singer Matt Bellamy and drummer Dominic Howard) are considered one of the best live acts. The band is also known for their heavy use of electronic instruments and Wolstenholme often uses touchscreen controllers built into his instruments to create some of the intricate guitar pieces. Chris became the songwriter for the band’s album The Second Law in which he spoke about his past experiences with alcoholism. However, he has been clean since his early 30s and has been happily married to Caris Ball since 2018.

Born name

Christopher Tony Wolstenholme

nickname

Chris, Prost

Sun sign

Protect

Place of birth

Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

nationality

training

Chris attended Teignmouth Community College in Devon in the early 1990s.

occupation

Musician, Multi-instrumentalist

family

• Father – unknown
• Mother – unknown
• Siblings – Unknowns

Manager

His band Muse has been represented by the artist management company Q-Prime Management since 2014.

Genre

Alternativer Rock, Progressiver Rock, Art Rock, Hard Rock, Electronica, Space Rock

instruments

Bass Guitar, Vocals, Drums, Keyboards, Guitar, Harmonica, Vibraphone, Synthesizer

labels

• Maverick Records
• Taste media
• Warner Records
• Mushroom Records
• East West Records
• Dangerous Records
• Atlantic Recording Corporation
• Helium 3

To build

Athletic

Height

185,5 cm

weight

79 kg or 174 lbs

girlfriend/spouse

Chris dated –

1. Kelly Wolstenholme (2003-2016) – Chris married his first wife Kelly on December 23, 2003. Together they are parents to 6 children – Alfie (born July 7, 1999), Ava-Jo (born December 31, 2001), Frankie (born August 26, 2003), Ernie (b. October 20, 2008), Buster (b. November 4, 2010) and Teddi Dorothy Wolstenholme (b. January 5, 2012). However, after almost 13 years of marriage, they decided to separate and divorced in 2016.
2. Caris Ball – After his divorce in 2016, Chris finally started dating Caris Ball, who used to work as his family secretary. The guitarist confirmed their relationship on Instagram in 2018 and the couple tied the knot on December 1, 2018. The wedding took place at the luxurious Somerley House in Hampshire, England, the day before Chris turned 40. The wedding was attended by band members, Matt Bellamy and Dominic Howard. Bellamy gifted the groom a custom-made Manson CW-1 bass guitar for both occasions.

race/ethnicity

White

hair colour

Hellbraun

eye color

hazel

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

Multiple tattoos on his body including the names of all his 6 children

brand promotion

Chris has endorsed the following brands –

• The Curries (Wedding Photographs)
• Knot & Pop (Hochzeitsplaner)
• Palais Blumen

The song Knights of Cydonia by his band Muse was used to support the video game Halo 5: Guardians .

Known for

As the bassist for the rock band Muse since their inception in 1994

First album

As part of Muse, his debut album Showbiz was released in 1999.

First TV show

In June 2000, Chris made his TV show debut as part of Muse on the BBC’s Top of the Pops music chart show .

Chris Wolstenholme favorite things

• Country – Australia
• Growing Up Bands – Nirvana , Pumpkin Smashing , Sonic Youth , Rage Against the Machine
• Band – Rage Against the Machine

Chris Wolstenholme Facts

1. He met bandmates Matt Bellamy and Dominic Howard in Teignmouth, Devon, where he grew up. The band was formerly called Rocket Baby Dolls but later changed to Muse in 1994.
2. He first played with the post-punk band Feste Strafe as a drummer. At Matt and Dominic’s urging, he took bass lessons and joined them as the band’s bass player.
3. Chris has all his children’s names tattooed on his body. First, he got his eldest son Alfie’s name tattooed in Japanese. Daughter Ava-Jo’s name is engraved on his left arm and Frankie is written in Japanese characters on his back. Ernie’s name is written in Arabic letters on his forearms. He tattooed Buster’s name next to a baby wearing boxing gloves. Most recently, he honored his youngest child, Teddi, by tattooing her name with a bird.
4. He also had his ex-wife Kelly’s name written on his forearms next to Ernie’s name in September 2009. However, after their divorce in 2016, he covered up the tattoo.
5. He is a huge football fan and supports his hometown club, Rotherham United , also known as The Millers.
6. Chris has two dogs – Kevin and Rufio. He also owns a pet lizard named Ronson.
7. He became the unofficial third member of rock band Moriaty in 2014. He played bass on their single Bones which was released in 2015.
8. Chris had revealed in an interview with The Times in 2010 that he had had a prolonged drinking problem. In the article, he described himself as a rampaging alcoholic and had mentioned that his situation became so extreme that he often vomited blood. It was only after his band members gave him an ultimatum that he checked himself into rehab. At the time, the band was in the middle of recording their fifth album, The Resistance .
9. Also, one of his main motives for getting sober was that his father, who was an alcoholic, died at the age of 40 from excessive drinking. Not wanting to repeat his father’s story, Chris decided to get help.
10. He contributed 2 songs, Save Me and Liquid State on his band’s next album The Second Law (2012). He drew inspiration from his personal experiences with alcoholism to write these songs.
11. Chris grew up listening to the ’60s rock band Status Quo. Once, when he was young, he had the opportunity to do one of their sound checks.
12. Unfortunately, his role model Rick Parfitt, the guitarist for Status Quo, passed away in 2016 while working on his debut solo album End of the Line. Chris stepped in to complete the bass and dual rhythm guitar track of the song Fernliebe from the album, which was released posthumously in 2018.
13. On 25 September 2008, Chris and other members of Muse received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Plymouth for their decades of contribution to music.
14. Visit his band’s official website @ muse.mu.
15. Follow Chris Wolstenholme on Twitter and Instagram.