Richard Paul Ashcroft (born September 11 1971 in Billinge Higher End, Lancashire) is an English singer-songwriter. He is the lead singer of The Verve, an English rock band that he helped form in 1989.

The Verve suffered huge ups and downs in its first 10 years of existence, from great disappointment because of the lack of mainstream commercial success on the band's first 2 albums, both being hailed by critics at the time, and impressive popularity in the late 1990s with the release of Urban Hymns in 1997. In 1999 the band broke up and Ashcroft embarked on a successful solo career. Ashcroft released three solo albums, the last being 2006's Keys to the World. In June 2007, Ashcroft and the rest of the band announced that they were getting back together for a UK stadium tour in November and December 2007, and were working on a future release, probably for 2008.

Richard Ashcroft (born Richard Paul Ashcroft, on September 11, 1971, in Billinge, Wigan, England) is best known as the front man of The Verve , which he helped form in 1989. After that band’s demise in 1999, Ashcroft began his solo career, releasing Alone With Everybody in 2000, Human Conditions in 2002 and Keys to the World in 2006. He performed vocals for the track Lonely Soul on U.N.K.L.E.’s 1998 release Psyence Fiction and his voice can also be heard on the The Chemical Brothers ’ albu