Paul Arthurs

Paul Benjamin Arthurs (born 23 June 1965), known professionally as Bonehead, is an English musician.

He is best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and occasional keyboardist and bassist of the rock band Oasis.

Arthurs was born in 1965 at Saint Mary's Hospital in Manchester, the son of Irish Catholic immigrants.

He went to St. Peter's Roman Catholic Grammar School in the nearby town of Prestwich.

He earned the nickname "Bonehead" at the age of eight after his parents insisted he get very short haircuts.

"It was only my mum and dad throughout my life, really, that called me Paul," Arthurs said.

In the late 1980s, while working as a building contractor, he started a band, the Rain, with his friends Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan, Tony McCarroll, and Chris Hutton.

Unlike the Gallagher Brothers who are Manchester City supporters, Bonehead is a Manchester United fan.

When Hutton was sacked, he was replaced by Liam Gallagher, who suggested the band change their name to Oasis.

Liam and Arthurs teamed up as co-songwriters.

However, the band were still unsuccessful until Liam encouraged his brother Noel, who had just come back from travelling the world as a roadie for Inspiral Carpets, to join the band.

Noel brought with him a collection of songs that were to make the band famous.

Arthurs remembers the first songs Noel Gallagher played to him, "Live Forever" and "All Around the World".

Arthurs broke down and cried when Noel played "Champagne Supernova" to the band on their tour bus.

On the Definitely Maybe DVD, he said his favourite Oasis song to play live was "Columbia", as the song only consisted of three chords that create a hypnotic groove.

When Oasis performed the song "Whatever" on Top of the Pops, they mimed and one of the cellists from the string section was replaced by Arthurs.

Towards the end of the song, he started using the bow to conduct.

Arthurs is a multi-instrumentalist, credited as having played piano and mellotron on (What's the Story) Morning Glory? and can be seen on piano in the video for "Don't Look Back in Anger", as well as pictures featured in the Definitely Maybe album booklet.

Arthurs left school in 1981 and worked as a plasterer.

He started his first band, Pleasure and Pain, in 1984.

Around this time, he began a relationship with his future wife Kate.

Arthurs briefly shifted to bass guitar after Scott McLeod — who replaced McGuigan before he was convinced to rejoin — quit in the middle of Oasis' 1995 U.S. tour; he appeared with the band on the Late Show with David Letterman playing bass.

Arthurs was originally supposed to sing lead vocals on "Bonehead's Bank Holiday", a bonus track named after him and included in the vinyl version of (What's the Story) Morning Glory? After he and Liam Gallagher got intoxicated on the day of the recording, Noel Gallagher sang lead vocals instead.

Backing vocals from both Arthurs and Liam can be heard on the track.

His official statement said he wanted to spend more time with his family (his first child, Lucy was born 23 January 1995 and his son, Jude Arthurs was born on 12 August 1997).

Arthurs was replaced by Gem Archer; the rest of the band downplayed the reaction to his departure, Noel Gallagher commenting "it's hardly Paul McCartney leaving The Beatles" though he also said "We've got to respect their (Bonehead and Guigs's) decision as family men."

Gallagher has said on several occasions he holds No Malice toward the former rhythm guitarist and admiring him for the effort he put forth.

Arthurs left the band in 1999, during the recording of Oasis's fourth album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants.

In 2004, Arthurs teamed up with Sek Loso to play rhythm guitar alongside Loso's new English bandmates.

The group toured Asia, Europe, and the US in search of a label deal.

In early 2007, Arthurs had a visible presence in the North West of England for the first time since leaving Oasis eight years previously.

His support for Andy Rourke's Versus Cancer fundraising concert saw the pair busking together in Manchester's Cathedral Gardens to raise cancer awareness and to fund raise for Manchester's Christie Hospital.

On 30 March 2007, the Versus Cancer concert was held at Manchester's MEN Arena.

Arthurs played bass guitar (rather than the trademark rhythm guitar from his Oasis days) in a two-song set.

He was in a band billed as 'Electric Milk Band', which also featured former members of Happy Mondays.

He has been playing DJ sets in clubs, most recently in London.

His playlist features Oasis songs such as "Live Forever", and collaborations between the Gallagher brothers and Death in Vegas and The Chemical Brothers.

He also presented a radio show on BBC Radio Manchester with Terry Christian, Natalie-eve and Michelle Hussey.

In 2016, Gallagher said Arthurs was "the spirit of Oasis."

Arthurs now lives in Manchester where he has built a recording studio under his house and formed Moondog One (named after Johnny and the Moondogs, one of the Beatles' former titles before they rose to fame), which also includes The Smiths' Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke.