Gary Barlow
Encyclopedia
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That
and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor
. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters. He has had two Number 1 singles and a Number 1 album as a solo artist, and has had sixteen top 5 hits, eleven Number 1 singles and seven Number 1 albums with Take That. He is also a five-time recipient of the Ivor Novello Award and has sold over 40 million records worldwide with Take That.
He said he enjoyed watching Top of the Pops
on television, and when he was ten years old, he watched an episode of the programme in which Depeche Mode
were performing their new single "Just Can't Get Enough". Barlow was mesmerised by the sound and decided he wanted a keyboard for Christmas. For the next few years, he spent most of his spare time teaching himself to play his favourite songs.
In 1986 Barlow entered a BBC
Pebble Mill at One
Christmas song competition with "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.
Barlow's first performance was at the Connah's Quay
Labour Club in the late eighties and he was paid £18 per performance on Saturday evenings.
In 1989 he appointed Wigan show business agent Barry Woolley to be his manager and recorded a single ("Love Is in the Air") which was never released commercially. Barlow was eventually put in touch with casting agent Nigel Martin-Smith
who was interested in starting a boyband. Martin-Smith decided to use Barlow as the lead-singer after being impressed by his self written material including an early demo tape of Barlow's "A Million Love Songs
" concluding that the band will be built around Barlow's vocals and songwriting skills.
. After choosing Barlow as the group's lead-singer, Nigel Martin-Smith introduced Howard Donald
, Jason Orange
, Mark Owen
and finally Robbie Williams
to the fold. The 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 debut album Take That & Party
was released on 17 August 1992. It reached number 2 on the UK Album Chart. The following year saw the release of their second album, Everything Changes based on Barlow's own material. It went straight in at number 1 in the UK Album Chart and spawned four number 1 singles, as well as "Why Can't I Wake Up With You
" and "Love Ain't Here Anymore
" hitting number 2 and 3 respectively.
Barlow received an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song in 1994 for the number 1 hit song "Pray
" included on the album. Their third album Nobody Else
, again based on Barlow's own material, went straight to number 1 and was to be their last studio album of the 90s. The album had three number 1 singles, including Barlow's "Back for Good
" which peaked at number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was brought forward an unprecedented 6 weeks before its official release such was the demand for the single. A Greatest Hits
collection followed again reaching number 1. The album featured the band's eighth number 1 single "How Deep Is Your Love". This was to be the first single released by Take That
as a four piece (without Robbie Williams) and it was their last single until they reformed in 2005. In 1994 Barlow alongside Rick Astley
did backing vocals for Elton John
's version of Can You Feel the Love Tonight
from The Lion King.
'. His first two solo singles "Forever Love
" (released July 1996) and "Love Won't Wait
" both leapt to the number one spot in his home country. Forever Love was also used as the soundtrack to the film The Leading Man
. His debut album Open Road reached number 1 in the UK Album Chart and went on to sell 2 million copies worldwide. Barlow's first ever single to be released in the United States as a solo artist was "So Help Me Girl
" which reached Number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and Number 1 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart. He then achieved another top ten hit in the UK with "Open Road
" peaking at number 7 and a number 8 in the Netherlands with "Are You Ready Now".
in 1999. Barlow released "Stronger
" as the lead single preceding the album. However, due to an expected backlash against Barlow, it received minimal support and airplay and peaked at number 16. The second single "For All That You Want
" again was subjected to minimal radio play and peaked at number 24, however it peaked just outside the top 5 in Finland. Twelve Months, Eleven Days
was released soon after the second single to little promotion and peaked at a disappointing number 34, which led to Sony recalling Barlow's 'greatest' song according to critics, the scheduled third single from his second album "Lie to Me". This resulted in both Barlow and BMG parting company. To date Barlow has sold 4 million records worldwide as a solo artist.
. The aim was to bring some of the most recognised music stars across the world together to record a charity single with all proceeds going to the cause. Gary Barlow, along with an array of stars were asked to appear on the cover of Everybody Hurts
which sold 453,000 copies in its first week, making it the fastest-selling charity record of the 21st century in Britain.
Barlow's first solo release since 1999 was a duet with reconciled Take That bandmate Robbie Williams
on a single entitled Shame
. The single was written by both Barlow and Williams after they begun to work together in L.A on new material for a new Take That
album following Williams' return to the band. On the first day of the song being released to the radio and the media Shame received an unprecedented 694 plays on the radio and 153 plays on TV. The single peaked at number 2 in the UK, being certified as Silver by the BPI, whilst also charting in 19 countries worldwide.
Barlow's announced in January 2011 that he was to hold a solo concert entitled GB40
at the Shepherd's Bush Empire to celebrate his 40th birthday and his 20 years in the music industry with all money going to the Prince's Trust charity. The concert received praise from critics as Barlow was joined by guest appearances from Chris Martin
, Ellie Goulding
, Midge Ure
and his bandmates from Take That
, whilst also receiving recorded birthday messages from a number of celebrities such as Chris Moyles
, Peter Kay
, Elton John
and Robbie Williams.
In September 2011, it was announced that Gary Barlow would be headlining BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park. Barlow's performance was praised by critics as he returned to Hyde Park as a solo artist for the first time since 1999.
in 2005. Following this success and renewed interest, Take That experienced a career renaissance in 2005 when the post-Williams line-up reformed for a sell-out stadium tour. The band released their comeback single "Patience"
which went to number 1 for four weeks whilst also topping the charts across Europe. Patience was also voted The Record of the Year
in 2006 and won a Brit for single of the year. This was followed with "Shine
" which became the band's tenth number 1 single. Take That's first album of new material in over ten years, Beautiful World was released on 24 November 2006. The album peaked at number 1 in the UK Album Chart selling over 2.8 million copies in the UK alone to date. It was re-released as a tour edition with hit single "Rule the World
" in 2007 and peaked again at number 1.
In 2008, the band were 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. After great success in 2006, Take That released the single "Greatest Day
" which went straight to number 1 and became their eleventh number 1 single in the UK. The week after they released their second album since their reunion in 2006, The Circus
which was the most preordered album of all time. The Circus
album was also a great success for Take That going straight to the top of the UK album chart and selling over 2.2 million copies across the country, going multi platinum within 4 days of its release. In June and July Take That performed a record breaking tour named Take That Present: The Circus Live
throughout the United Kingdom selling sold over 1 million tickets in just 5 hours.
It was announced that Barlow was in the process of writing Take That's much anticipated sixth studio album, set for release in late 2010. The album, Progress
, was the first to feature the original line-up since their 1995 album, Nobody Else
. The band also announced a stadium tour entitled Progress Live
which will take place in 2011. The tickets for the tour went on sale on 29 October 2010. Due to unprecedented high public demand for tickets, ticketmaster websites across the UK and Ireland crashed and all initial tour dates sold out in under 15 minutes. It was reported that a record breaking one million tickets were snapped up on the first day of sale, resulting in Take That smashing the previous box office record of tickets sold which was set in 2008 by Take That Present: The Circus Live
. Due to unprecedented demand Take That added more dates to their tour, finishing in the UK with a record breaking 8 consecutive nights at Wembley Stadium
after which the tour will then commence throughout Europe with an estimated 1.75 million people expected to attend the shows.
The lead single from Progress
was announced as "The Flood
". The single debuted at number 2, selling over 500,000 copies since release. On the first day of the release of Progress
, the album sold over 235,000 copies across the UK, making it the fastest selling record of the century.
On 21 November 2010, Progress debuted at number one in the United Kingdom, becoming the band's seventh number-one album. By the end of its first week on sale the album sold over 520,000, making it the second fastest-selling album of all-time in UK chart history. To date Progress has sold 2.8 million copies in the UK and has achieved similar chart success across Europe. In June 2011, Take That released their first extended play collection entitled Progressed which returned the band to number 1 in the UK on its first week of release as well as charting across Europe.
The media have widely acknowledged Barlow's talent and labelled him as the mastermind behind the unprecedented success of Take That's comeback and the new musical direction they have taken.
, Charlotte Church
and Will Young
.
In October 2007, Barlow founded San Remo Live Publishings as an independently run management company to establish and support artists and songwriters.
Gary Barlow has recently signed a new 5 year song writing publishing deal with Sony music. He has been voted as the greatest British songwriter of all time in a 2009 OnePoll
, who surveyed 3000 people John Lennon
was second and Paul McCartney
of The Beatles
was third.
In 2011, Barlow wrote the song "Run for Your Life
" for The X Factor series 7 winner Matt Cardle
's debut album. Cardle told The Sun: "We had 99% of the album finished then the track came through from Gary. I'd been trying to write a song like that for a long, long time, probably five or six years. As soon as I heard it I just felt the song was mine. Lyrically it's about not being good enough for the person you're with. I was nearly in tears recording the vocals. I'm proud that I've written a lot of the album but Gary is a genius as a writer - I couldn't pass it up." Barlow was more than happy for Cardle to record his song saying "I thought the song would be perfect for Matt and it really suits his vocals. He's a lovely chap and I thought he was great on the show, a real talent." He also wrote 'Lighthouse', for Irish boyband Westlife
which serves as the lead single of their Greatest Hits album.
, under the umbrella of Universal Music, and signed his first artist, classical singer Camilla Kerslake
. Since then Barlow has also signed UK rapper Aggro Santos
to his label and the winner of Sky 1s Must Be The Music, Emma's Imagination
.
as a judge on The X Factor
. He was officially confirmed as a judge on 30 May alongside the returning Louis Walsh
, and fellow new judges Kelly Rowland
and Tulisa Contostavlos
, who replaced Dannii Minogue
and Cheryl Cole
.
Barlow was given the Boys category to mentor through the live stages of the show.
. Barlow and eight other celebrities: Cheryl Cole
, Ben Shephard
, Alesha Dixon
, Kimberley Walsh
, Fearne Cotton
, Chris Moyles
, Denise Van Outen
and Ronan Keating
, made it to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro safely on 7 March 2009, raising millions for Comic Relief
.
Gary's charity efforts in 2009, including his organising of the BT Comic Relief Kilimanjaro Climb and his organising of 'Children In Need Rocks', raised in excess £6 million. In addition to the charity events organised by Gary, the pop star has also shown support for fellow artists' charity efforts including that of Ronan Keating
. The pair sang Take That's Back for Good
written by Barlow at Ronan's Emerald and Ivy Ball in Battersea, South London, on Saturday. The starry bash raised £650,000 for Cancer Research UK
.
His organisation of a very special event at the Royal Albert Hall went ahead in November 2009 and was broadcast the following week. This saw a meeting of Take That with Robbie Williams on stage and a number of unusual duets (including Dame Shirley Bassey with Dizzy Rascal and Take That with Lily Allen). Gary dedicated the band's song "Rule the World
" to "everyone whose lost someone – Dad, this is for you". It was a very special night raising £2M and ending with Gary seeming to promise it could be an annual event.
It was announced in December 2009 that Barlow had been awarded the prestigious Blue Peter
Gold Badge, awarded for outstanding achievements and inspiring children to realise their talents and achieve.
To celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary Gary invited family and many friends to a special event in London. It was a rare event that Gary allowed a popular magazine to photograph the event. A highlight was a special Bingo session hosted by Gary. Money raised at the event was donated to Barnardo's.
Towards the end of 2009, there has been a huge Twitter campaign to 'Get Gary Knighted' for all of his charity work over the years. The campaign has been mentioned and endorsed by many celebrities, including Chris Moyles of Radio 1.
At the beginning of May 2010, it was announced that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had asked Gary Barlow to organise her 85th birthday and her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012. A source said: "Her Majesty has been made well aware of his charity work and the events he has put together. She knows that Gary has got the power to pull in the big names across the music industry and to ensure it's a party to match the occasion".
Barlow appeared at Twickenham Stadium
to perform the hit single "Shame
" alongside Robbie Williams
in aid of the Help for Heroes
charity on 12 September 2010.
Gary Barlow has also donated the original handwritten lyrics to his number 1 hit single Back for Good
to help raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Barlow wrote the song in 1995 and it went on to top the charts in 31 countries across the world as well as becoming a top ten hit in America.
In January 2011 Gary Barlow held a special show, named GB40
, at Shepherd's Bush Empire to celebrate his 40th birthday. This event saw him take to the stage on his own for the first time in over eleven years as he performs songs that span a his 20 year career in music. He has also announced that all of the profits from the show went to charity.
It has been announced that Gary Barlow is planning to organise a charity walk to the North Pole to raise money for BBC Sport Relief.
After the phenomenal success of 'Children In Need Rocks' in 2009, it was announced by Barlow that he is to organise it once again this time in Manchester, with some of the biggest acts in the music industry scheduled to appear. Barlow also confirmed that all proceeds will go to Children in Need. The concert was received positively by the media, with them praising the involvement of Gary Barlow in the Children in Need project.
As well as organising the Children in Need concert, Barlow announced he was to helm the official single for the charity, a cover of 'Teardrop
' accompanied by a number of artists known as 'The Collective'.
The CIN Rocks concert, single and gala contributed to £26 million raised for Children In Need that year.
During the week of Children in Need 2011, Barlow organised a celebrity gala with all proceeds going to the charities associated with Children In Need.
On October 24, 2011 Barlow announced that he is to headline two charity concerts in December to raise money for the Prince's Trust.
Barlow said: "I hope the money raised through these concerts will make a real difference to young lives. It's really important to me that disadvantaged young people get the support they need, especially at the moment." These concerts subsequently sold out 'in minutes'.
" being one of the first songs he learned to play on piano. He is also a supporter of rugby league
team, Warrington Wolves
.
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
.
In 2009, Barlow named "Don't Give Up
", the 1986 duet between Peter Gabriel
and Kate Bush
, as the song that had most inspired him. He said: "I don't think you can listen to this song without feeling inspired, it could save anybody. The lyrics are so inspirational. Specifically I was having a very low moment in the 1990s and the song came on the radio. There have only been a very few times when I've had to pull the car over to listen to a song – this was one of them."
Barlow's father Colin died aged 71 on 15 October 2009. The singer rushed back to his parents' home in Frodsham
, Cheshire, and cancelled an engagement to launch his celebrity-packed Children in Need
show, whilst also postponing the launch of the Take That edition of Singstar.
During the 2010 General Election campaign, when the party announced their intention to encourage musical achievement amongst young people in schools with a competition called School Stars. Barlow appeared at a school staged campaign event and sang "Greatest Day", backing the introduction of the programme by Conservative Party leader, David Cameron
.
| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|2011
|Gary Barlow
|Q Award
for Classic Songwriter
|
|-
|Shame
|Q Award
for Best Collaboration
|
|-
|Shame
|Virgin Media
for Music Video
|
|-
|Shame
|Virgin Media
for Best Collaboration
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2010
|Gary Barlow
|Blue Peter Gold Badge
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2009
|Gary Barlow
|The Sun Newspaper's Lord of the Year
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2008
|Shine
|Ivor Novello Award for most Performed Song
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2007
|Gary Barlow
|GQ Awards for Man of the Year
|
|-
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|1998
|Gary Barlow
|BRIT Award
for Best British Male
|
|-
|Open Road
| The London Awards for Best Album
|
|-
|Love Won't Wait
|Top of the Pops
for Best Single
|
|-
| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|1997
|Forever Love
|FMQ Awards [Finland] for Best Single
|
|-
|Forever Love
|TMF Awards [Netherlands] for Best Single
|
|-
|Open Road
|GQ Awards for Best Album
|
|-
|Forever Love
|Echo Awards for Best Single
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|1996
|Never Forget
|Ivor Novello Award
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|1995
|Back for Good
|Ivor Novello Award for the Song of the year
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|1994
|Pray
|Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|1993
|Gary Barlow
|Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of The Year Award 1993
|
|}
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters. He has had two Number 1 singles and a Number 1 album as a solo artist, and has had sixteen top 5 hits, eleven Number 1 singles and seven Number 1 albums with Take That. He is also a five-time recipient of the Ivor Novello Award and has sold over 40 million records worldwide with Take That.
1971–1989: Early career
In Barlow's autobiography, he relates that his love of music began at an early age.
"I was one of those kids that's forever dancing in front of the TV looking at my reflection."
He said he enjoyed watching Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
on television, and when he was ten years old, he watched an episode of the programme in which Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
were performing their new single "Just Can't Get Enough". Barlow was mesmerised by the sound and decided he wanted a keyboard for Christmas. For the next few years, he spent most of his spare time teaching himself to play his favourite songs.
In 1986 Barlow entered a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Pebble Mill at One
Pebble Mill at One
Pebble Mill at One was a popular British lunchtime chat show broadcast live originally on BBC2 before transferring to BBC1. It was produced from the Pebble Mill facilities of BBC Birmingham, and uniquely was hosted from the centre's main reception area rather than a traditional studio...
Christmas song competition with "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.
Barlow's first performance was at the Connah's Quay
Connah's Quay
Connah's Quay is the largest town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying on the River Dee, near the border with England. It can be accessed by road from the A550, by rail from the nearby Shotton station and also lies on the National Cycle Network Route 5. It is situated near the region's industrial...
Labour Club in the late eighties and he was paid £18 per performance on Saturday evenings.
In 1989 he appointed Wigan show business agent Barry Woolley to be his manager and recorded a single ("Love Is in the Air") which was never released commercially. Barlow was eventually put in touch with casting agent Nigel Martin-Smith
Nigel Martin-Smith
Nigel Martin-Smith is a Manchester-based musical band manager who formed 1990s British boy band Take That.-Biography:Martin-Smith entered the entertainment industry in the early 1980s working as a casting agent from offices in Manchester's Royal Exchange...
who was interested in starting a boyband. Martin-Smith decided to use Barlow as the lead-singer after being impressed by his self written material including an early demo tape of Barlow's "A Million Love Songs
A Million Love Songs
"A Million Love Songs" is the penultimate single released by Take That from their debut album and was written by lead vocalist Gary Barlow at the age of 15.-Song information:...
" concluding that the band will be built around Barlow's vocals and songwriting skills.
1990–1996: Take That
Barlow, who wrote the majority of the group's songs, is generally recognised as the musical talent behind Take ThatTake That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
. After choosing Barlow as the group's lead-singer, Nigel Martin-Smith introduced Howard Donald
Howard Donald
Howard Paul Donald , is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist, dancer, DJ and house producer. He is a member of English pop band Take That. As well as working with Jason Orange as band choreographers, he sang lead vocals on one of the band's many number one singles first time round, "Never...
, Jason Orange
Jason Orange
Jason Thomas Orange is an English musician and dancer. He is a member of the pop band Take That who gained popularity in the 1990s and are currently enjoying further success since their reunion in 2005.-Early fame and Take That:...
, Mark Owen
Mark Owen
Mark Anthony Patrick Owen , is an English singer-songwriter. He is a member of pop band Take That. The band were hugely successful during the 1990s and have enjoyed even more success since their reunion in 2005...
and finally Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
to the fold. The UK group were signed to RCA records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, and after a number of top 40 hits, eventually secured their first Number 1 with Barlow's "Pray
Pray (Take That song)
"Pray" is song by boyband Take That. Written by Gary Barlow and released on July 5, 1993, it was the second single from their second album Everything Changes. It is the first of 11 singles by the band to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart, staying at number one for four weeks and starting a...
". Previous hits included "A Million Love Songs
A Million Love Songs
"A Million Love Songs" is the penultimate single released by Take That from their debut album and was written by lead vocalist Gary Barlow at the age of 15.-Song information:...
", "It Only Takes a Minute
It Only Takes a Minute
"It Only Takes a Minute" is a 1975 song by Tavares. It would become the group's only Top 10 pop hit in the United States, peaking at #10. It also became their second #1 song on the American soul charts....
" and "Could It Be Magic
Could It Be Magic
"Could It Be Magic" is a song by Adrienne Anderson and Barry Manilow. It was included on Manilow's 1973 debut album, Barry Manilow.Due to its popularity, it was released as a single in 1975, two years after it had originally been recorded, where it reached #6 in the United States.Manilow's...
".
The debut album Take That & Party
Take That and Party
Take That & Party was the debut album from British boyband Take That. It reached #2 in the UK album chart and stayed in the UK Top 75 album chart for 73 weeks...
was released on 17 August 1992. It reached number 2 on the UK Album Chart. The following year saw the release of their second album, Everything Changes based on Barlow's own material. It went straight in at number 1 in the UK Album Chart and spawned four number 1 singles, as well as "Why Can't I Wake Up With You
Why Can't I Wake Up With You
"Why Can't I Wake Up with You" is a song by boyband Take That. Written by Gary Barlow, the song was released on 20 February 1993 as the lead single from their second album, Everything Changes, and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart....
" and "Love Ain't Here Anymore
Love Ain't Here Anymore
"Love Ain't Here Anymore" is a song by boyband Take That. Released on 17 May 1994, it was the sixth and final single taken from Take That's second album Everything Changes. It peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart, ending their string of consecutive number-one singles...
" hitting number 2 and 3 respectively.
Barlow received an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song in 1994 for the number 1 hit song "Pray
Pray (Take That song)
"Pray" is song by boyband Take That. Written by Gary Barlow and released on July 5, 1993, it was the second single from their second album Everything Changes. It is the first of 11 singles by the band to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart, staying at number one for four weeks and starting a...
" included on the album. Their third album Nobody Else
Nobody Else
- Peak positions :- US Import Version :- Year-end charts :- Personnel :* Gary Barlow – vocals, songwriter, producer, programmer* Robbie Williams – vocals, songwriter* Jason Orange – vocals* Mark Owen – vocals, songwriter...
, again based on Barlow's own material, went straight to number 1 and was to be their last studio album of the 90s. The album had three number 1 singles, including Barlow's "Back for Good
Back for Good
"Back for Good" is a song by the British pop group Take That. It was released in 1995 as the second single from the band's third studio album, Nobody Else and achieved great success in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Spain and the UK where it topped...
" which peaked at number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was brought forward an unprecedented 6 weeks before its official release such was the demand for the single. A Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Take That album)
Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits compilation album released by British boyband Take That and has sold 5 million copies to date worldwide.-Background:...
collection followed again reaching number 1. The album featured the band's eighth number 1 single "How Deep Is Your Love". This was to be the first single released by Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
as a four piece (without Robbie Williams) and it was their last single until they reformed in 2005. In 1994 Barlow alongside Rick Astley
Rick Astley
Richard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries...
did backing vocals for Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's version of Can You Feel the Love Tonight
Can You Feel the Love Tonight
250px|thumb|right|Simba and Nala embrace during the "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" sequence."Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated film, The Lion King, composed by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. It was described by Don Hahn , Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff as...
from The Lion King.
Open Road
Barlow's solo career was predicted to be very successful, being described as 'the next George MichaelGeorge Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
'. His first two solo singles "Forever Love
Forever Love (Gary Barlow song)
"Forever Love" is the debut solo single released by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow, taken from his debut album Open Road. The song was also used as the official theme for the film The Leading Man.-Chart performance:...
" (released July 1996) and "Love Won't Wait
Love Won't Wait
"Love Won't Wait" is the second solo single released by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow from his debut solo album Open Road. The song was written by Madonna and Shep Pettibone, and was an unreleased demo from her 1994 album sessions...
" both leapt to the number one spot in his home country. Forever Love was also used as the soundtrack to the film The Leading Man
The Leading Man
The Leading Man is a 1996 British romantic drama film directed by John Duigan. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 1996 but was not released in the United States until March 1998. The film is set in London in the winter.-Plot:...
. His debut album Open Road reached number 1 in the UK Album Chart and went on to sell 2 million copies worldwide. Barlow's first ever single to be released in the United States as a solo artist was "So Help Me Girl
So Help Me Girl
"So Help Me Girl" is the title of a song written by Howard Perdew and Andy Spooner, and recorded by country music singer Joe Diffie. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and #84 on the Billboard Hot 100, and is included on his album Third Rock from the Sun.-Chart...
" which reached Number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and Number 1 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart. He then achieved another top ten hit in the UK with "Open Road
Open Road (Gary Barlow song)
"Open Road" is the fourth single released from British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow's debut solo album, Open Road.-Background:Following the release of "So Help Me Girl", Barlow announced that 'Open Road' would be the last single to be released from the album in Europe...
" peaking at number 7 and a number 8 in the Netherlands with "Are You Ready Now".
Twelve Months, Eleven Days
After the success of his first solo album he released his second LP Twelve Months, Eleven DaysTwelve Months, Eleven Days
Twelve Months, Eleven Days is the second solo album released by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. The album was released by BMG and RCA Records on October 11, 1999.-Album information:...
in 1999. Barlow released "Stronger
Stronger (Gary Barlow song)
"Stronger" is the first single from British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow's second studio album, Twelve Months, Eleven Days. The single was released on July 5, 1999 and was Barlow's first solo excursion into dance music.-Song Information:...
" as the lead single preceding the album. However, due to an expected backlash against Barlow, it received minimal support and airplay and peaked at number 16. The second single "For All That You Want
For All That You Want
"For All That You Want" is the second single from British singer/songwriter Gary Barlow's second studio album, Twelve Months, Eleven Days. The single was released on September 27, 1999...
" again was subjected to minimal radio play and peaked at number 24, however it peaked just outside the top 5 in Finland. Twelve Months, Eleven Days
Twelve Months, Eleven Days
Twelve Months, Eleven Days is the second solo album released by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. The album was released by BMG and RCA Records on October 11, 1999.-Album information:...
was released soon after the second single to little promotion and peaked at a disappointing number 34, which led to Sony recalling Barlow's 'greatest' song according to critics, the scheduled third single from his second album "Lie to Me". This resulted in both Barlow and BMG parting company. To date Barlow has sold 4 million records worldwide as a solo artist.
2010-Present
In February 2010 a project named 'Helping Haiti' was formed by Simon Cowell in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
. The aim was to bring some of the most recognised music stars across the world together to record a charity single with all proceeds going to the cause. Gary Barlow, along with an array of stars were asked to appear on the cover of Everybody Hurts
Everybody Hurts
"Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M., originally released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the UK Singles Chart and #3 on the French Singles Chart.-History:Much of the song was written by...
which sold 453,000 copies in its first week, making it the fastest-selling charity record of the 21st century in Britain.
Barlow's first solo release since 1999 was a duet with reconciled Take That bandmate Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
on a single entitled Shame
Shame (Robbie Williams song)
"Shame" is a song by Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow, taken from Williams' second greatest hits compilation album, In and Out of Consciousness: Greatest Hits 1990–2010. It was released as the lead single from the album on 4 October 2010 by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom...
. The single was written by both Barlow and Williams after they begun to work together in L.A on new material for a new Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
album following Williams' return to the band. On the first day of the song being released to the radio and the media Shame received an unprecedented 694 plays on the radio and 153 plays on TV. The single peaked at number 2 in the UK, being certified as Silver by the BPI, whilst also charting in 19 countries worldwide.
Barlow's announced in January 2011 that he was to hold a solo concert entitled GB40
GB40
GB40 was the first concert played by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow as a solo artist in over 11 years and was held at the Shepherd's Bush Empire...
at the Shepherd's Bush Empire to celebrate his 40th birthday and his 20 years in the music industry with all money going to the Prince's Trust charity. The concert received praise from critics as Barlow was joined by guest appearances from Chris Martin
Chris Martin
Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin is an English song-writer, who is the lead vocalist, pianist and rhythm guitarist of the band Coldplay. He is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.-Early life:...
, Ellie Goulding
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane "Ellie" Goulding is an English singer-songwriter. In 2010 she became only the second artist to both top the BBC's annual Sound of... poll, and win the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards in the same year, following Adele's win of both in 2008...
, Midge Ure
Midge Ure
James "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter...
and his bandmates from Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
, whilst also receiving recorded birthday messages from a number of celebrities such as Chris Moyles
Chris Moyles
Christopher David Moyles is an English radio and television presenter and author, who currently presents The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 and Chris Moyles' Quiz Night on Channel 4....
, Peter Kay
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, actor, director and producer. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions which have included two sell out tours.-Early career:Peter Kay...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and Robbie Williams.
In September 2011, it was announced that Gary Barlow would be headlining BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park. Barlow's performance was praised by critics as he returned to Hyde Park as a solo artist for the first time since 1999.
2005–present: Reformation of Take That
Barlow returned to the limelight in a successful TV documentary, Take That: For the RecordTake That: For the Record
Take That: For The Record is a television documentary about the British boyband Take That. It was originally screened in 2005, a decade after the group had originally split up.- Release Information :...
in 2005. Following this success and renewed interest, Take That experienced a career renaissance in 2005 when the post-Williams line-up reformed for a sell-out stadium tour. The band released their comeback single "Patience"
Patience (Take That song)
"Patience" is a song by British boy band Take That. It was released on 13 November 2006 as the first single from their comeback album Beautiful World...
which went to number 1 for four weeks whilst also topping the charts across Europe. Patience was also voted The Record of the Year
The Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is an award voted by the UK public. For many years it was given in conjunction with television programmes of the same name...
in 2006 and won a Brit for single of the year. This was followed with "Shine
Shine (Take That song)
"Shine" is the second single taken from Take That's comeback album Beautiful World.-Song information:"Shine" was released on 26 February 2007 and features lead vocals by Mark Owen....
" which became the band's tenth number 1 single. Take That's first album of new material in over ten years, Beautiful World was released on 24 November 2006. The album peaked at number 1 in the UK Album Chart selling over 2.8 million copies in the UK alone to date. It was re-released as a tour edition with hit single "Rule the World
Rule the World
"Rule the World" is the fifth single from Take That's fourth studio album Beautiful World. It was released in the UK on 21 October 2007 and as a CD single the following day.-Song information:...
" in 2007 and peaked again at number 1.
In 2008, the band were 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. After great success in 2006, Take That released the single "Greatest Day
Greatest Day (Take That song)
"Greatest Day" is the lead single taken from British pop group Take That's fifth studio album, The Circus.-Song information:"Greatest Day" was written by Take That themselves and was produced by John Shanks. The song was written and recorded at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill and was mixed in Los...
" which went straight to number 1 and became their eleventh number 1 single in the UK. The week after they released their second album since their reunion in 2006, The Circus
The Circus (Take That album)
The Circus is the fifth studio album from the British pop band Take That. The album was released on 1 December 2008.- Album information :...
which was the most preordered album of all time. The Circus
The Circus (Take That album)
The Circus is the fifth studio album from the British pop band Take That. The album was released on 1 December 2008.- Album information :...
album was also a great success for Take That going straight to the top of the UK album chart and selling over 2.2 million copies across the country, going multi platinum within 4 days of its release. In June and July Take That performed a record breaking tour named Take That Present: The Circus Live
Take That Present: The Circus Live
Take That Presents: The Circus Live is a concert tour by reunited British boyband, Take That. The tour promoted their fifth studio album, The Circus. The tour began on 5 June 2009 in Sunderland and finished on 5 July 2009 at London's Wembley Stadium. The Circus Live is Take That's biggest tour to...
throughout the United Kingdom selling sold over 1 million tickets in just 5 hours.
It was announced that Barlow was in the process of writing Take That's much anticipated sixth studio album, set for release in late 2010. The album, Progress
Progress (Take That album)
Progress is the sixth studio album by British band Take That. It is the band's first album to feature Robbie Williams since 1995. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2010. The album received positive reviews, with most critics commending the influence of electronic music and...
, was the first to feature the original line-up since their 1995 album, Nobody Else
Nobody Else
- Peak positions :- US Import Version :- Year-end charts :- Personnel :* Gary Barlow – vocals, songwriter, producer, programmer* Robbie Williams – vocals, songwriter* Jason Orange – vocals* Mark Owen – vocals, songwriter...
. The band also announced a stadium tour entitled Progress Live
Progress Live
Progress Live was the eighth concert tour by British male vocal group Take That. The tour, sponsored by Samsung, supported their sixth studio album, Progress as they visited the biggest cities in the UK and Europe. It was the first tour wherein all five original members will perform since 1995...
which will take place in 2011. The tickets for the tour went on sale on 29 October 2010. Due to unprecedented high public demand for tickets, ticketmaster websites across the UK and Ireland crashed and all initial tour dates sold out in under 15 minutes. It was reported that a record breaking one million tickets were snapped up on the first day of sale, resulting in Take That smashing the previous box office record of tickets sold which was set in 2008 by Take That Present: The Circus Live
Take That Present: The Circus Live
Take That Presents: The Circus Live is a concert tour by reunited British boyband, Take That. The tour promoted their fifth studio album, The Circus. The tour began on 5 June 2009 in Sunderland and finished on 5 July 2009 at London's Wembley Stadium. The Circus Live is Take That's biggest tour to...
. Due to unprecedented demand Take That added more dates to their tour, finishing in the UK with a record breaking 8 consecutive nights at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
after which the tour will then commence throughout Europe with an estimated 1.75 million people expected to attend the shows.
The lead single from Progress
Progress (Take That album)
Progress is the sixth studio album by British band Take That. It is the band's first album to feature Robbie Williams since 1995. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2010. The album received positive reviews, with most critics commending the influence of electronic music and...
was announced as "The Flood
The Flood (Take That song)
"The Flood" is a song by British pop group Take That from their sixth studio album, Progress. It was released as the lead single in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2010...
". The single debuted at number 2, selling over 500,000 copies since release. On the first day of the release of Progress
Progress (Take That album)
Progress is the sixth studio album by British band Take That. It is the band's first album to feature Robbie Williams since 1995. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2010. The album received positive reviews, with most critics commending the influence of electronic music and...
, the album sold over 235,000 copies across the UK, making it the fastest selling record of the century.
On 21 November 2010, Progress debuted at number one in the United Kingdom, becoming the band's seventh number-one album. By the end of its first week on sale the album sold over 520,000, making it the second fastest-selling album of all-time in UK chart history. To date Progress has sold 2.8 million copies in the UK and has achieved similar chart success across Europe. In June 2011, Take That released their first extended play collection entitled Progressed which returned the band to number 1 in the UK on its first week of release as well as charting across Europe.
The media have widely acknowledged Barlow's talent and labelled him as the mastermind behind the unprecedented success of Take That's comeback and the new musical direction they have taken.
Songwriting and publishing
After leaving his career as a solo artist Barlow returned to his first love of writing music. He soon signed a song writing publishing deal with Sony and went to the U.S. on a six-month songwriting project, residing in Nashville, Los Angeles and New York with his wife, Dawn and first child, Daniel. Upon his return he set up True North Productions with Elliot Kennedy and Tim Woodcock. In his autobiography 'My Take' Barlow partly blames his fall as a solo artist on his commitments to being a star in the United States. After his disappointing second album, Barlow remained out of the public eye for half a decade, choosing to continue to write songs for other artists such as Shirley BasseyShirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
, Charlotte Church
Charlotte Church
Charlotte Maria Church is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching into pop music in 2005. By 2007, she had sold more than 10 million records worldwide including over 5 million in the United States...
and Will Young
Will Young
William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
.
In October 2007, Barlow founded San Remo Live Publishings as an independently run management company to establish and support artists and songwriters.
Gary Barlow has recently signed a new 5 year song writing publishing deal with Sony music. He has been voted as the greatest British songwriter of all time in a 2009 OnePoll
OnePoll
OnePoll is a survey-led marketing research company specialising in online and mobile polling. It has offices in London, UK and Bristol, UK. The company is owned by PR and marketing firm 72 Point and forms part of the South West News Service Group, which is the UK's largest independent press...
, who surveyed 3000 people John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
was second and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
was third.
In 2011, Barlow wrote the song "Run for Your Life
Run For Your Life
"Run for Your Life" is a song recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Rubber Soul. The song, while credited to "Lennon–McCartney", was primarily a John Lennon composition.-Background:...
" for The X Factor series 7 winner Matt Cardle
Matt Cardle
Matthew Sheridan "Matt" Cardle is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist who rose to fame after winning the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. He received a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music by winning, and his debut number one single "When We Collide" was released immediately...
's debut album. Cardle told The Sun: "We had 99% of the album finished then the track came through from Gary. I'd been trying to write a song like that for a long, long time, probably five or six years. As soon as I heard it I just felt the song was mine. Lyrically it's about not being good enough for the person you're with. I was nearly in tears recording the vocals. I'm proud that I've written a lot of the album but Gary is a genius as a writer - I couldn't pass it up." Barlow was more than happy for Cardle to record his song saying "I thought the song would be perfect for Matt and it really suits his vocals. He's a lovely chap and I thought he was great on the show, a real talent." He also wrote 'Lighthouse', for Irish boyband Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
which serves as the lead single of their Greatest Hits album.
Future Records
In 2009 Barlow began work on his own record label Future RecordsFuture Records (Gary Barlow music label)
Future Records is an independent record label, based in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 2009 by singer, songwriter and producer Gary Barlow.-History:...
, under the umbrella of Universal Music, and signed his first artist, classical singer Camilla Kerslake
Camilla Kerslake
Camilla Kerslake is an English classical crossover singer from London who has become the first signing to Gary Barlow’s new record label...
. Since then Barlow has also signed UK rapper Aggro Santos
Aggro Santos
Yuri "Aggro" Santos is a Brazilian-born English rapper from Balham, London.-Background:Santos was born in Sao Paulo and raised in London. He decided to become a musician after buying the Carlos Santana album 'Supernatural' when he was eight...
to his label and the winner of Sky 1s Must Be The Music, Emma's Imagination
Emma's Imagination
Emma Gillespie , better known by her stage name Emma's Imagination, is a Scottish singer. She first came to prominence after winning the Sky1 TV talent contest Must Be the Music. She has since been signed to Gary Barlow's music label Future Records...
.
The X Factor
On 7 May 2011, it was announced that Barlow was in advanced talks to replace Simon CowellSimon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
as a judge on The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
. He was officially confirmed as a judge on 30 May alongside the returning Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
, and fellow new judges Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
and Tulisa Contostavlos
Tulisa Contostavlos
Tula Paulinea "Tulisa" Contostavlos is an English singer-songwriter and actress of Greek and Irish descent. She is best known for being a member of the Camden-based hip hop group N-Dubz, with her cousin Dappy and their friend Fazer...
, who replaced Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
and Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
.
Barlow was given the Boys category to mentor through the live stages of the show.
Acting career
In 2000, Barlow made his acting debut in the ITV1 drama Heartbeat. This was the 150th edition of the show. He played hitch-hiker Micky Shannon.Charity work
Gary organised a sponsored climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Comic ReliefComic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
. Barlow and eight other celebrities: Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
, Ben Shephard
Ben Shephard
Benjamin Peter "Ben" Shephard, also known as "Sheps" is an English television presenter who currently works for Sky Sports, as well as ITV.-Personal life:...
, Alesha Dixon
Alesha Dixon
Alesha Anjanette Dixon is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model and television personality. She first found fame in the all-female R&B trio Mis-Teeq, however, the trio separated in 2005 and Dixon continued pursuing her music career as a solo artist, signing to Polydor Records...
, Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley Jane Walsh is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, television presenter and actress. She is best known for being a member of girl group Girls Aloud, formed through ITV's reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals...
, Fearne Cotton
Fearne Cotton
Fearne Cotton is an English television and radio presenter who is known for presenting a number of popular TV programmes such as Top of the Pops and the Red Nose Day telethon. In 2007, she became the first regular female presenter of BBC Radio 1's Chart Show...
, Chris Moyles
Chris Moyles
Christopher David Moyles is an English radio and television presenter and author, who currently presents The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 and Chris Moyles' Quiz Night on Channel 4....
, Denise Van Outen
Denise van Outen
Denise van Outen is an English actress, singer and television presenter. Her most notable roles to date are as a presenter on The Big Breakfast, and as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago on both the West End and on Broadway.- Early life :Born Denise Kathleen Outen in Basildon, Essex, she is the...
and Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
, made it to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro safely on 7 March 2009, raising millions for Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
.
Gary's charity efforts in 2009, including his organising of the BT Comic Relief Kilimanjaro Climb and his organising of 'Children In Need Rocks', raised in excess £6 million. In addition to the charity events organised by Gary, the pop star has also shown support for fellow artists' charity efforts including that of Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
. The pair sang Take That's Back for Good
Back for Good
"Back for Good" is a song by the British pop group Take That. It was released in 1995 as the second single from the band's third studio album, Nobody Else and achieved great success in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Spain and the UK where it topped...
written by Barlow at Ronan's Emerald and Ivy Ball in Battersea, South London, on Saturday. The starry bash raised £650,000 for Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK is a cancer research and awareness charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. Its aim is to reduce the number of deaths from cancer. As the world's largest independent cancer...
.
His organisation of a very special event at the Royal Albert Hall went ahead in November 2009 and was broadcast the following week. This saw a meeting of Take That with Robbie Williams on stage and a number of unusual duets (including Dame Shirley Bassey with Dizzy Rascal and Take That with Lily Allen). Gary dedicated the band's song "Rule the World
Rule the World
"Rule the World" is the fifth single from Take That's fourth studio album Beautiful World. It was released in the UK on 21 October 2007 and as a CD single the following day.-Song information:...
" to "everyone whose lost someone – Dad, this is for you". It was a very special night raising £2M and ending with Gary seeming to promise it could be an annual event.
It was announced in December 2009 that Barlow had been awarded the prestigious Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
Gold Badge, awarded for outstanding achievements and inspiring children to realise their talents and achieve.
To celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary Gary invited family and many friends to a special event in London. It was a rare event that Gary allowed a popular magazine to photograph the event. A highlight was a special Bingo session hosted by Gary. Money raised at the event was donated to Barnardo's.
Towards the end of 2009, there has been a huge Twitter campaign to 'Get Gary Knighted' for all of his charity work over the years. The campaign has been mentioned and endorsed by many celebrities, including Chris Moyles of Radio 1.
At the beginning of May 2010, it was announced that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had asked Gary Barlow to organise her 85th birthday and her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012. A source said: "Her Majesty has been made well aware of his charity work and the events he has put together. She knows that Gary has got the power to pull in the big names across the music industry and to ensure it's a party to match the occasion".
Barlow appeared at Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
to perform the hit single "Shame
Shame (Robbie Williams song)
"Shame" is a song by Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow, taken from Williams' second greatest hits compilation album, In and Out of Consciousness: Greatest Hits 1990–2010. It was released as the lead single from the album on 4 October 2010 by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom...
" alongside Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
in aid of the Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes is a British charity launched on 1 October 2007 to help provide better facilities for British servicemen and women wounded since September 11, 2001. It was founded by Bryn Parry OBE and his wife Emma Parry OBE after they visited soldiers at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham...
charity on 12 September 2010.
Gary Barlow has also donated the original handwritten lyrics to his number 1 hit single Back for Good
Back for Good
"Back for Good" is a song by the British pop group Take That. It was released in 1995 as the second single from the band's third studio album, Nobody Else and achieved great success in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Spain and the UK where it topped...
to help raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Barlow wrote the song in 1995 and it went on to top the charts in 31 countries across the world as well as becoming a top ten hit in America.
In January 2011 Gary Barlow held a special show, named GB40
GB40
GB40 was the first concert played by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow as a solo artist in over 11 years and was held at the Shepherd's Bush Empire...
, at Shepherd's Bush Empire to celebrate his 40th birthday. This event saw him take to the stage on his own for the first time in over eleven years as he performs songs that span a his 20 year career in music. He has also announced that all of the profits from the show went to charity.
It has been announced that Gary Barlow is planning to organise a charity walk to the North Pole to raise money for BBC Sport Relief.
After the phenomenal success of 'Children In Need Rocks' in 2009, it was announced by Barlow that he is to organise it once again this time in Manchester, with some of the biggest acts in the music industry scheduled to appear. Barlow also confirmed that all proceeds will go to Children in Need. The concert was received positively by the media, with them praising the involvement of Gary Barlow in the Children in Need project.
As well as organising the Children in Need concert, Barlow announced he was to helm the official single for the charity, a cover of 'Teardrop
Teardrop (song)
"Teardrop" is a song by Massive Attack, which was first released on their 1998 album Mezzanine. It was released as a single on 27 April 1998. The song became another UK hit for the group, peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart...
' accompanied by a number of artists known as 'The Collective'.
The CIN Rocks concert, single and gala contributed to £26 million raised for Children In Need that year.
During the week of Children in Need 2011, Barlow organised a celebrity gala with all proceeds going to the charities associated with Children In Need.
On October 24, 2011 Barlow announced that he is to headline two charity concerts in December to raise money for the Prince's Trust.
Barlow said: "I hope the money raised through these concerts will make a real difference to young lives. It's really important to me that disadvantaged young people get the support they need, especially at the moment." These concerts subsequently sold out 'in minutes'.
Personal life
Gary married Dawn in 2000, who was a dancer on their 1995 Nobody Else Tour. They have three children, Daniel (born 2000), Emily (born 2002) and Daisy (born 2009). He revealed in his autobiography that he is a supporter of Liverpool FC with their anthem, "You'll Never Walk AloneYou'll Never Walk Alone
You'll Never Walk Alone is a song from the musical Carousel, a pop standard and football club anthem, for example that of Liverpool F.C.You'll Never Walk Alone may also refer to:* You'll Never Walk Alone , studio album...
" being one of the first songs he learned to play on piano. He is also a supporter of rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team, Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
.
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
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
.
In 2009, Barlow named "Don't Give Up
Don't Give Up (Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush song)
"Don't Give Up" is song written by Peter Gabriel and recorded as a duet with Kate Bush for Gabriel's album So. The single version spent eleven weeks in the UK Top 75 chart in 1986, peaking at number nine. It describes the despair of a man who feels isolated and defeated by the economic system, and...
", the 1986 duet between Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
and Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
, as the song that had most inspired him. He said: "I don't think you can listen to this song without feeling inspired, it could save anybody. The lyrics are so inspirational. Specifically I was having a very low moment in the 1990s and the song came on the radio. There have only been a very few times when I've had to pull the car over to listen to a song – this was one of them."
Barlow's father Colin died aged 71 on 15 October 2009. The singer rushed back to his parents' home in Frodsham
Frodsham
Frodsham is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Its population is 8,982. It is approximately south of Runcorn, 16 miles south of Liverpool, and approximately south-west of Manchester...
, Cheshire, and cancelled an engagement to launch his celebrity-packed Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
show, whilst also postponing the launch of the Take That edition of Singstar.
During the 2010 General Election campaign, when the party announced their intention to encourage musical achievement amongst young people in schools with a competition called School Stars. Barlow appeared at a school staged campaign event and sang "Greatest Day", backing the introduction of the programme by Conservative Party leader, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
.
Awards and nominations
|-| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|2011
|Gary Barlow
|Q Award
Q Awards
The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event...
for Classic Songwriter
|
|-
|Shame
|Q Award
Q Awards
The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event...
for Best Collaboration
|
|-
|Shame
|Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
for Music Video
|
|-
|Shame
|Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
for Best Collaboration
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2010
|Gary Barlow
|Blue Peter Gold Badge
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2009
|Gary Barlow
|The Sun Newspaper's Lord of the Year
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2008
|Shine
|Ivor Novello Award for most Performed Song
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2007
|Gary Barlow
|GQ Awards for Man of the Year
|
|-
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|1998
|Gary Barlow
|BRIT Award
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
for Best British Male
|
|-
|Open Road
| The London Awards for Best Album
|
|-
|Love Won't Wait
|Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
for Best Single
|
|-
| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|1997
|Forever Love
|FMQ Awards [Finland] for Best Single
|
|-
|Forever Love
|TMF Awards [Netherlands] for Best Single
|
|-
|Open Road
|GQ Awards for Best Album
|
|-
|Forever Love
|Echo Awards for Best Single
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|1996
|Never Forget
|Ivor Novello Award
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|1995
|Back for Good
|Ivor Novello Award for the Song of the year
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|1994
|Pray
|Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|1993
|Gary Barlow
|Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of The Year Award 1993
|
|}
Books
- Gary Barlow: My TakeMy TakeMy Take is an autobiography by British singer/songwriter and lead member of Take That, Gary Barlow. "My Take" is his take on his childhood, breaking into the music scene, his years in Take That, after the band split, going solo and culminating in the reformation of the Take That to phenomenal...
. Bloomsbury Publishing 2006, ISBN 978-0-7475-8764-4 - Gary Barlow: My Take. Bloomsbury Publishing 2007, ISBN 978-0-7475-8806-1 (paperback edition, updated to include Take ThatTake ThatTake That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
's comeback)