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Gary Barlow

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Gary Barlow

Gary Barlow (born 20 January, 1971 in Frodsham, Cheshire) is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and producer. He is a member of the pop group Take That, and was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1990s, penning no fewer than 16 hit singles during the decade. Barlow had two number ones and five further top 40 UK singles as a solo singer in the final half of the 1990s. He is also a five-time recipient of the prestigious Ivor Novello Awards.

Career

Aged 15, Barlow entered a BBC Pebble Mill at One competition called A Song For Christmas with a song called Let's Pray For Christmas. After getting through to the semi-finals, he was invited to London's West Heath Studios to record his song. This inspired Barlow to perform on the northern club circuit, singing cover versions and his own songs.

Aged 18 in 1990, he appointed Wigan show business agent Barry Woolley to be his manager and recorded a single (Love Is In The Air) under the stage name Kurtis Rush. After the single's commercial failure, Barlow came under the influence of pop manager Nigel Martin-Smith and formed Take That, becoming the lead singer. He was introduced to Martin-Smith by Manchester photographer Michael Braham who Barlow paid to take publicity shots. Braham, an aspiring actor at the time, was also represented by Martin-Smith and knew he was looking for members to form a pop group as Britain's answer to New Kids on the Block, who had become a worldwide phenomenon.

Woolley then sued Barlow shortly after, and the case was settled days before it was due to enter high courts in 1995.

Take That

Main article: Take That

Barlow, who wrote most of the group's songs, was generally recognised as the musical talent behind Take That. The five-piece vocal group consisted of Barlow, Robbie Williams, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Howard Donald. This UK group were signed to RCA records, and after a number of top 40 hits, eventually secured their first Number 1 with Barlow's Pray. Previous hits included A Million Love Songs, It Only Takes A Minute and Could It Be Magic.

The group issued four albums between 1992 and 1996. The debut set was entitled Take That & Party. The following year saw the release of Everything Changes. Barlow received an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song in 1994 for the song Pray included on the album.[1] Their third outing, which was to be their last studio album of the 90s, Nobody Else, came in 1995). A Greatest Hits collection followed.

Going solo

In 1996, Take That split up and Barlow went solo. His first release, the single Forever Love, was an immediate number one hit in the UK. His album, Open Road, also went to the top of the chart, as did his second solo single Love Won't Wait written by Madonna and Shep Pettibone. The remix was produced by Junior Vasquez. The original demo remains one of many unreleased Madonna songs. He also reached #3 in the United States adult contemporary music charts with So Help Me Girl, also a top 20 UK hit. Another single (the album's title cut), Open Road, reached #7 in the UK. He followed that up with his second album Twelve Months, Eleven Days.

Barlow performed at the first two annual Capital FM-hosted Party in the Park events in London's Hyde Park in 1998 and 1999.

Barlow quit his career as a singer when he was dropped by his record label, with his final single remaining unreleased. He returned to songwriting and producing, writing hits including the single Not Me, Not I for Delta Goodrem and Guilty for Blue. Barlow is company president of True North Music Company. He has also worked with Elton John, Atomic Kitten, Donny Osmond, Lara Fabian and Christina Aguilera among others.

On Sunday 17th August 2008 he took part in a birthday tribute concert for songwriter Don Black, Lyrics by Don Black, at the London Palladium. He performed the song Born Free, originally a hit for Matt Monro, with guest conductor David Arnold. On 20th October 2008, Winners Song, a song co-written by Barlow and Peter Kay, beat X Factor winner Leon Jackson to number 2 in the singles chart

Barlow is credited as Director of Music for the ITV series, Britannia High.

Reformation of Take That

Following a successful TV documentary, Take That experienced a career renaissance in 2006 when the post-Williams line-up reformed for a sell-out stadium tour. They released a single (Patience - reached UK Number 1 position on 26 November and stayed there for 4 weeks). Patience was also voted The Record of the Year in 2006. They have released their first album of new material in over ten years. The album went in at Number 1 in the UK album charts. Most of the songs on their new album are joint band compositions co-written with other songwriters, unlike earlier albums, which were mainly penned by Gary Barlow. In 2007 the band won their tenth Brit Award. 2008 saw the band get nominated for four Brit Awards (Best British Group, Best British Album, Best British Single and Best British Live Act). They won Best British Single and Best British Live Act.

Personal life

Born to parents Marge and Colin Barlow, Gary is the younger of the two sons (older son Ian). The song 'Nobody Else' on Take That's third album (Nobody Else) is dedicated to his parents. In his autobiography My Take, Barlow mentions he was on the Edgware Road tube train that was one of the targets of the 7 July 2005 London bombings. He also stated that Robbie Williams took full advantage of his misfortunes during the media competition that was staged between the two.

In a 2005 television documentary on Take That, TAKE THAT: For The Record, Williams retracted his previous taunting of Barlow, claiming that he would swap all of his current success for Barlow's happy family life.

On 12 January 2000, Gary married his long-time girlfriend, Dawn Andrews. They have two children: Daniel (born 16 August 2000) and Emily (born 31 May 2002) and are expecting their third child early next year.

He's a self-confessed Liverpool fan, as confirmed during an interview with Sky Sports at an Arsenal v Manchester United match on 8th November 2008.

Discography

Solo albums

File:Openroadalbum.jpg
Album Open Road
  • Open Road — (1997) Charts: #1[2]
  1. "Love Won't Wait" (4:17) (Madonna/S. Pettibone)
  2. "So Help Me Girl" (4:29) (H. Perdew/A. Spooner)
  3. "My Commitment" (4:48) (G. Barlow/D. Warren)
  4. "Hang On In There Baby" (3:39) (J. W. Bristol)
  5. "Are You Ready Now" (4:19) (G. Barlow)
  6. "Everything I Ever Wanted" (3:32) (G. Barlow)
  7. "I Fall So Deep" (4:02) (L. Loftin/M. Gustafsson/A. Powers)
  8. "Lay Down For Love" (5:33) (G. Barlow/R. Stannard/M. Rowbottom)
  9. "Forever Love" (4:50) (G. Barlow)
  10. "Never Knew" (3:50) (G. Barlow)
  11. "Open Road" (4:23) (G. Barlow)
  12. "Always" (3:32) (G. Barlow)
  13. "Going Untouchable" (4:14) (G.Barlow/D.Warren)


  • Twelve Months, Eleven Days — (1999) Charts: #35
  1. "For All That You Want" (3:36) (G. Barlow/M. Martin/K. Lundin)
  2. "Arms Around Me" (3:50) (G. Barlow/P. Vettese)
  3. "Lie To Me" (5:30) (G. Barlow)
  4. "Fast Car" (4:45) (G. Barlow)
  5. "Stronger" (3:40) (G. Barlow/G. Gouldman)
  6. "All That I've Given Away" (4:30) (G. Barlow)
  7. "Wondering" (3:43) (G. Barlow)
  8. "Don't Need A Reason" (4:35) (G. Barlow)
  9. "Before You Turn Away" (4:35) (G. Barlow)
  10. "Walk" (5:20) (G. Barlow)
  11. "Nothing Feels The Same" (4:05) (G. Barlow)
  12. "Yesterday's Girl" (6:54) (G. Barlow)
  13. "Lie To Me" (edit from dat) (4:04) (G. Barlow)
  14. "Hello Mother" (5:12) (G.Barlow)


Note: Chart positions are for the UK.

Some songs written for others
  • Album track "2 Of A Kind" for Monrose
  • Album track "Testify" for Amy Studt
  • Album tracks "Always Be My Baby" and "I Won't Be There" as well as B-Side "Somebody" for Atomic Kitten
  • Single "Guilty" and album tracks "Girl I'll Never Understand", "Made For Loving You", "Supersexual", "Taste It" and B-Side "Whatever Happens" for Blue
  • Album track "Easy Way Out" for Charlotte Church
  • Singles "Not Me, Not I", "A Little Too Late" and other songs "Butterfly", "Longer", "My Big Mistake", "Running Away" and "Throw It Away" for Delta Goodrem
  • Single "Breeze On By" and album tracks "Christmas Time", "Climbing", "In It For Love", "Insecurity", "Keep Her In Mind", "My Perfect Rhyme", "Shoulda Known Better", "What I Meant To Say" and "Whenever You're In Trouble" for Donny Osmond
  • "Walking Away" for former 10cc member Graham Gouldman
  • B-Side "Together" for H & Claire
  • "No Big Deal", "Intoxicated", "Conquered", "Unbreakable" for Belgian/Canadian female singer Lara Fabian, included on her 2004 album A Wonderful Life
  • "True To Yourself" for Vanessa Amorosi
  • "You Gave Me Your Love" for Ola Svensson
  • Album track "What About Us" for John Barrowman
  • Album track "When I Need You The Most" for Lee Mead
  • Single "The Winners Song" for Peter Kay as "Geraldine McQueen"reached no 2 in the uk singles chart

Solo singles

  • "Forever Love" – Barlow's very first solo single (July 1996) – UK: #1[2] Germany: #5 France: #7 Australia: #7 Switzerland: #5 Norway: #9[3]
  • "So Help Me Girl" (July 1997) – UK: #11 Germany: #35 Australia: #36 United States (Billboard Hot 100): #44[4] Barlow's first single to be released in the States as a solo artist was "So Help Me Girl", which reached 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart[4] and Number 1 on both the Billboard Adult Contemporary and Radio & Record Play (R&R) charts.
  • "Open Road" (November 1997) – UK: #7 Germany: #63 Australia: #38
  • "Stronger" July 1999 – UK: #16 Germany: #73
  • "For All That You Want" September 1999 – UK: #24 Germany: #94 – The song 'For All That You Want' was originally recorded and released as 'Superhero' and released in the USA only in 1998.

Videography

  • 1996 July "Forever Love", Director: Sophie Muller
  • 1997 May "Love Won't Wait", Director: Rocky Schenck
  • 1997 July "So Help Me Girl" (Europe), Director: Rocky Schenck
  • 1997 November "So Help Me Girl" (USA), Director: Alan Smithee
  • 1998 "Open Road"
  • 1999 "Stronger"
  • 1999 "For All That You Want"

Books

  • Gary Barlow: My Take. Bloomsbury Publishing 2006, ISBN 978-0747587644
  • Gary Barlow: My Take. Bloomsbury Publishing 2007, ISBN 978-0747588061 (paperback edition, updated to include Take That's comeback)

References

  1. ^ BBC - Celebdaq - "Back For Good?"
  2. ^ a b c No.1 singles and albums, U.K. album chart
  3. ^ Gary Barlow chart history, Norwegian album chart
  4. ^ a b Gary Barlow chart history, U.S. album charts


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