Ian Robert Astbury (born 14 May 1962) is an English singer, best known as a founding member, lead vocalist and frontman of the rock band the Cult. During various hiatuses from the Cult, Astbury has fronted the short-lived Holy Barbarians in 1996, and later from 2002 to 2007 served as the lead singer of Riders on the Storm, a Doors tribute band that also featured Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger from the original Doors. He replaced Rob Tyner during an MC5 reunion in 2003, as well as appearing on several one-off guest vocal performances on other artists' songs. Early life Ian Astbury was born in Heswall, Cheshire, and is of Scottish and English descent. He moved with his family to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, from England in 1973 when he was 11. He attended Glendale Secondary School. Astbury's early musical influences took root in Hamilton, where he became a fan of David Bowie, Iggy Pop and The New York Dolls. He did not start performing until after his return to England. In 1979, while living in Glasgow, Astbury was influenced by the Doors' song "The End", which he heard while watching the film Apocalypse Now, later describing this as "a religious experience". Career Early career In 1980, Astbury was in Liverpool, where he was active on the punk scene based around Eric's Club. He moved to Bradford in late 1980, and by 1981 he helped found the post-punk band Southern Death Cult, which lasted until March 1983. Along with guitarist Billy Duffy, bassist Jamie Stewart and drummer Raymond Taylor Smith, Astbury formed a new band, Death Cult, and released the Death Cult EP. To help broaden their appeal, the band changed its name to "The Cult" in January 1984 before appearing on the Channel 4 television show, The Tube. The Cult's first album, Dreamtime, was released in 1984, followed by Love in 1985. Love featured the single "She Sells Sanctuary", which introduced the band to an international audience. Many songs of these early albums focus on Native American themes, a preoccupation of Astbury's. On their third album, Electric, The Cult made a transformation to a hard rock sound with the help of producer Rick Rubin. After the release of the 1989 album Sonic Temple and the single "Fire Woman", Astbury relocated to Los Angeles, California, US. 1990s In 1994, The Cult returned with an untitled album and a musical change of