Gary Hughes
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Gary Hughes | |
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 Gary Hughes in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gary Hughes |
| Born | 5 July 1964 |
| Origin | Manchester, England |
| Genres | Hard rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician |
| Instrument(s) | guitars, electric bass, piano, keyboards, programming |
| Years active | 1989 – present |
| Labels | |
| Website | TEN Official Website |
Gary Hughes (born 5 July 1964 in Manchester, England) is an English hard rock singer, songwriter and musician. Apart from his work as a solo artist, Gary Hughes is the front man and main songwriter of Hard Rock/Melodic Rock band Ten. He has also worked as a producer and songwriter on Bob Catley's first three solo albums and more recently on Serpentine's third studio album Circle Of Knives. He has also produced Hugo's first album and has appeared on Vinny Burns' The Journey solo album and on the Ayreonauts Only album by the band Ayreon.
Biography
Gary Hughes started playing guitar when he was 9 years old and claimed as a schoolboy at Sale Boys' Grammar School to have composed Stairway to Heaven.
His musical career started in 1989 when Hughes released his first album, Big Bad Wolf (renamed and re-released with extra tracks in 1992 as Strength of Heart) through the Polygram Oslo label in Germany and Norway.
In 1992, Hughes signed with the then newly formed Now & Then Records and his forthcoming self titled album was the first one released on that label.[1]
In 1995, Hughes and former Dare members Vinny Burns on guitar and Greg Morgan on drums begun working on what were to be his 3rd and 4th solo albums. The sessions lead to the formation of the melodic Hard Rock band Ten.[2] He attended Sale Boy's Grammar School
Between The Robe and Spellbound albums, Gary Hughes released his third solo album named Precious Ones. Precious Ones met with critical acclaim especially in Japan. In 2002 he undertook his most ambitious project yet; the two-album wide Rock Opera named "Once And Future King" that was based on King Arthur's myths and legends. The albums were released six months apart from each other and featured the vocals of Bob Catley, Lana Lane, Doogie White, Danny Vaughn, Sean Harris and others.
Gary Hughes wrote and produced Bob Catley's first three solo albums, as well as Hugo's first solo release. Though he has been leading a band for over a decade, he continues to release solo albums as well as working as a songwriter, producer and musician for other artists. His latest release was the 2007 solo album named Veritas which saw a return to his AOR/Melodic Rock roots, following the Once And Future King project.
In September 2012 Gary Hughes announced on his personal Facebook page that he will be producing and co-writing the new studio album of the band Serpentine.[3] The follow-up album to the highly acclaimed Albion, Isla De Muerta, was released on 20 May via Rocktopia Records, with the band's first EP in 16 years entitled The Dragon And Saint George, following on 4 September. On March 2016, it was announced that his band Ten had signed a new contract with Frontiers, for a multi-album deal, starting with the release of Gothica, Ten's 13th studio album in July 2017 and the reissue of the band's back catalogue under the name "Opera Omnia".[4]
In May 2018, he started working on the 14th studio album of Ten entitled Illuminati, which will be released in November of the same year, through Frontiers Records. Among the other projects that he's currently involved in, Gary Hughes has also been working on a new Rock Opera project, in the vein of 2003's Once And Future King albums.
Discography
Solo albums
- Big Bad Wolf (1989)
- Strength of Heart (1992)
- Gary Hughes (1992)
- Precious Ones (1998)
- In Your Eyes EP (1998)
- Once and Future King Part I (2003)
- Once and Future King Part II (2003)
- Veritas (2007)
Compilation albums
- The Reissues (2000) (Re-Issue of Gary Hughes and Precious Ones)
Ten
Studio albums
- X (1996)
- The Name of the Rose (1996)
- The Robe (1997)
- Spellbound (1999)
- Babylon (2000)
- Far Beyond the World (2001)
- Return to Evermore (2004)
- The Twilight Chronicles (2006)
- Stormwarning (2011)
- Heresy and Creed (2012)
- Albion (2014)
- Isla De Muerta (2015)
- Gothica (2017)
- Illuminati (2018)
Live albums
- Never Say Goodbye (1998)
Compilation albums
- The Best of Ten 1996-1999 (1999)
- Ten/The Name of the Rose (1999)
- The Robe/Bonus Collection (1999)
- The Essential Collection 1995-2005 (2006)
- Battlefield - The Rocktopia Records Collection - Limited Release (2016)
- Opera Omnia (2016)
EPs
- The Name of the Rose (1996)
- The Robe (1997)
- You're In My Heart (1997)
- Fear the Force (1999)
- The Dragon And Saint George (2015)
Other Projects
Hugo
- Hugo (1997)
Bob Catley
- The Tower (1998)
- Legends (1999)
- Middle Earth (2001)
Vinny Burns
- The Journey (1999)
Johnny Lima
- Shine On (1999)
Ayreon
- Ayreonauts Only (2000)
Serpentine
- Circle Of Knives (2015)
References
External links
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