Howard Donald
Encyclopedia
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 Forget". In addition, he also wrote and sang lead vocals of the song entitled "If This Is Love" from the band's album, Everything Changes.
hired Donald, along with Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Mark Owen, and Robbie Williams to form a British boyband, Take That
. The band enjoyed seven years of success until Williams left in 1995, leaving them to carry on as a quartet.
When Take That split in February 1996, Donald went solo and recorded a single "Speak without Words" that is still unreleased to-date. When his solo career failed to take off, he returned to D-ja'ing. He has a fan base in Europe. He is one of the founders of the relatively unknown DJ band Sonic Fly along with his friends King Brain and Bart Van Der Zwaan.
Donald shocked band mates with his confession in the documentary, Take That for the Record of being unstable enough to have the intention of committing suicide by drowning himself in the River Thames
when the band announced their split in 1996.
In 2005 Take That reformed for what was intended to be "one last tour" in the summer of 2006, following the release of their Greatest Hits album.
In late 2006 Take That reunited and released their first studio album since 1995, Beautiful World and from it they recorded two number ones in "Patience
" and "Shine
".
Beautiful World featured Donald on lead vocals on two tracks; "Beautiful World" and "Mancunian Way". The song "Mancunian Way" is a tribute to the band's hometown Manchester
.
On Take That album The Circus
, Donald sings lead on two tracks, "What is Love" and "Here". He also has a partial lead solo with Jason Orange on "How Did It Come To This", and also sings lead with the rest of the band on the album's opening track, "The Garden".
On the latest Take That LP called Progress Howard Donald sings lead vocals on a track called Affirmation. He also plays drums on several songs on Progress album and has mixed a B-side track for the second single "Kidz" called "Revenge of The Kidz".
.
He is father of two daughters, Grace (born March 1999) and Lola (born 2005), from two separate relationships. His elder daughter Grace was born to Victoria Piddington, while he had his younger daughter from his relationship with Marie-Christine Musswessels, they split in late 2009.
In April 2010, Donald was granted a super-injunction against former girlfriend, musician Adakini Ntuli, with whom he had been in an on/off relationship from 2000 to 2008. (See Ntuli v Donald
) After Ntuli engaged publicist Max Clifford
and began negotiations with the News of the World
, Donald obtained the super-injunction. The non-publicity side of the injunction was lifted in November 2010, in what was seen by legal commentators as a precedent in future judgements on the issuing of super-injunctions.
In 2007, he sparked controversy when he expressed his view that cannabis
should be legalised, saying, "If more people went out stoned than drunk I think there would be less fighting, less trouble, and less violence." He also admitted to having "dabbled with ecstasy" in the past.
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
producer. He is a member of English pop band 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 well as working with 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:...
as band choreographers, he sang lead vocals on one of the band's many number one singles first time round, "Never Forget". In addition, he also wrote and sang lead vocals of the song entitled "If This Is Love" from the band's album, Everything Changes.
Take That
Nigel Martin-SmithNigel 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...
hired Donald, along with Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Mark Owen, and Robbie Williams to form a British boyband, 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...
. The band enjoyed seven years of success until Williams left in 1995, leaving them to carry on as a quartet.
When Take That split in February 1996, Donald went solo and recorded a single "Speak without Words" that is still unreleased to-date. When his solo career failed to take off, he returned to D-ja'ing. He has a fan base in Europe. He is one of the founders of the relatively unknown DJ band Sonic Fly along with his friends King Brain and Bart Van Der Zwaan.
Donald shocked band mates with his confession in the documentary, Take That for the Record of being unstable enough to have the intention of committing suicide by drowning himself in the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
when the band announced their split in 1996.
In 2005 Take That reformed for what was intended to be "one last tour" in the summer of 2006, following the release of their Greatest Hits album.
In late 2006 Take That reunited and released their first studio album since 1995, Beautiful World and from it they recorded two number ones in "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...
" and "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....
".
Beautiful World featured Donald on lead vocals on two tracks; "Beautiful World" and "Mancunian Way". The song "Mancunian Way" is a tribute to the band's hometown Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
On Take That album 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 :...
, Donald sings lead on two tracks, "What is Love" and "Here". He also has a partial lead solo with Jason Orange on "How Did It Come To This", and also sings lead with the rest of the band on the album's opening track, "The Garden".
On the latest Take That LP called Progress Howard Donald sings lead vocals on a track called Affirmation. He also plays drums on several songs on Progress album and has mixed a B-side track for the second single "Kidz" called "Revenge of The Kidz".
Solo numbers in Take That
- "If This is Love"
- "Never Forget"
- "Beautiful World"
- "Mancunian Way"
- "What is Love"
- "Here"
- "Affirmation"
- "Aliens"
DJ HD
During the ten-year gap between the Take That split and reunion, Donald began working as a DJ under the name DJ HD. He continues his work as a DJ when not on tour with the band, and has a small fan base in Germany. Donald specialized in Chicago House.Health problems
During the Beautiful World Tour in 2007, Donald suffered a collapsed lung after performing a series of gymnastic stunts on stage, and was kept on a hospital ward for the two days, while the rest of the band performed as a threesome. However, Donald recovered quickly enough to reunite with the band in the final leg of the tour.Personal life
Donald was educated at Moorside Primary School and Littlemoss High SchoolLittlemoss High School
Littlemoss High School for Boys is a comprehensive school located in Littlemoss, Droylsden, Tameside, England. It educates about 550 boys...
.
He is father of two daughters, Grace (born March 1999) and Lola (born 2005), from two separate relationships. His elder daughter Grace was born to Victoria Piddington, while he had his younger daughter from his relationship with Marie-Christine Musswessels, they split in late 2009.
In April 2010, Donald was granted a super-injunction against former girlfriend, musician Adakini Ntuli, with whom he had been in an on/off relationship from 2000 to 2008. (See Ntuli v Donald
Ntuli v Donald
Ntuli v Donald was a 2010 privacy case involving Take That singer Howard Donald in which the singer attempted to use a privacy injunction to prevent details of a former relationship being made public....
) After Ntuli engaged publicist Max Clifford
Max Clifford
Maxwell Frank Clifford is an English publicist, considered the highest-profile and best-known publicist in the United Kingdom...
and began negotiations with the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
, Donald obtained the super-injunction. The non-publicity side of the injunction was lifted in November 2010, in what was seen by legal commentators as a precedent in future judgements on the issuing of super-injunctions.
In 2007, he sparked controversy when he expressed his view that cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
should be legalised, saying, "If more people went out stoned than drunk I think there would be less fighting, less trouble, and less violence." He also admitted to having "dabbled with ecstasy" in the past.