He was academically successful, achieving 11 top (A*) grades at Nicholas Chamberlaine Comprehensive School in Bedworth in his GCSE examinations, four top (A) grades at A Level in general studies, history, English literature and economics. He was accepted for an English course at Oxford University, but dropped out in his first year.
After leaving Oxford, he moved into a flat in North London with Carl Barat, with whom he had established a close friendship.
Doherty and Barⴠformed the indie group The Libertines, sharing singing and songwriting duties. They toured the small venue circuit of London pubs and bars, cinemas, artists' studios, and private homes for several years. Their lineup during this period changed frequently, at one point featuring future Razorlight frontman [[Johnny Borrell].
A stabilised Libertines line-up, featuring Doherty (vocals/guitar), Carl Barⴠ(vocals/guitar), John Hassell (bass) and Gary Powell (drums), recorded a demo called Legs 11 (c. 1999), which was never officially released. Their manager Banny Poostchi used that recording to broker a deal with record label Rough Trade in 2002.
At Doherty and Barⴧs shared flat they wrote material for their first album, Up The Bracket, which was released later the same year. The album well received by critics, particularly at the influential New Musical Express. That coverage, combined with some high profile live performances, characterised by high energy and outbreaks of physical violence, led to more widespread mainstream success.
Sometime after the release of Up The Bracket, Doherty was expelled from the band as a result of erratic behaviour caused by his drug addiction. In the summer of 2003, Kill City vocalist Lisa Moorish gave birth to Estile, Doherty's child. In July 2003, he broke into Barⴧs Marylebone flat and stole some items, including a laptop and an antique guitar, and was sentenced to six months in prison, with the second three months as a suspended sentence. On the day of his release, he was received warmly by Bar with whom he had reconciled through correspondence.
Doherty rejoined the band on his release and played three critically acclaimed reunion concerts at the London Forum in December 2003 (which were named amongst the top 20 concerts of all time by Q magazine). He worked on a second album with the band in 2004. Doherty's heroin and crack cocaine drug use continued, however, which strained their relationship both privately and professionally. Bodyguards attended recording sessions to protect Doherty and Barⴠfrom physically assaulting each other, and to prevent the people Barⴠreferred to as Doherty's "harpies" (drug friends and hangers-on) from turning up at the studio. Once again, after the album was released, he was expelled from the band, in protest at the latest of three failed drug rehabilitation attempts, when Doherty absconded from Wat Tham Krabok, a monastery in Thailand known for rehabilitating drug and alcohol addicts. Meanwhile, the band's second album, The Libertines, was released, going straight in at #1 in the UK album charts. It stayed at this position for around four weeks, soon going platinum in both the UK and the USA.
Doherty has since gone on to forge a career without Bar featuring on the Wolfman single "For Lovers" (nominated for the 2004 Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song), releasing a solo single entitled "Babyshambles" and forming a band of the same name (Babyshambles) - initially as a way to make small amounts of money to pay for drugs. The band has since released a successful single ("Killamangiro") and toured erratically but extensively in the UK. In December 2004, they failed to take the stage as scheduled at the London Astoria, leading the audience to riot. Another single "Fuck Forever" was released on August 15th, reaching #4 on the UK Singles Chart. Babyshambles have released their debut album on the 14th of November entitled Down In Albion to decidedly mixed reviews from critics.
--Wikipedia
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