Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, having written thirteen number-one singles (ten with Take That, two solo, one with the Robbie Williams song "Candy") and twenty-four top-ten hits.[4] As a solo artist, he has had three number-one singles, six top-ten singles and three number-one albums,[5][6] and has additionally had seventeen top-five hits, twelve number-one singles and eight number-one albums with Take That.[7][8] Barlow has also established himself as a talent show judge and television personality.[9][10] He has judged on The X Factor UK (2011–2013), as well as Let It Shine (2017) and Walk the Line (2021).[11]
Barlow has received six Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the award for Outstanding Services to British Music. He has sold over 50 million records worldwide.[12][13][14] He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at the 2012 Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to the entertainment industry and charity.
According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), Barlow as a solo artist has been certified for 1.1 million albums and 1.8 million singles in the UK.[15]
Early life and influences[edit]
Gary Barlow was born on 20 January 1971 in Frodsham, Cheshire, the second son of Colin (died 15 October 2009)[16] and Marjorie Barlow (née Cowan).[17] He attended Weaver Vale Primary School and moved on to Frodsham High School in 1982.[18] In Barlow's autobiography, he relates that his love of music began at an early age, and calls himself "one of those kids that's forever dancing in front of the TV looking at [his] reflection".[19] He was heavily influenced by late 1970s and 1980s pop music.[20] At age 10, after watching Depeche Mode perform on Top of the Pops, Barlow acquired his first keyboard; he practiced constantly thereafter.[21] Barlow has also identified Trevor Horn, and future collaborators Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), as important early influences.[20] He has credited Elton John with inspiring him to play the piano.[22] The first CD he bought was by the Pet Shop Boys, who later supported Take That on the Progress Live tour in 2011.[23]
In 1986, when Barlow was 15 years old, he entered a BBC Pebble Mill at One Christmas song competition with "Let's Pray for Christmas". After reaching the semi-finals, he was invited to London's West Heath Studios to record his song. This inspired him to perform on the northern club circuit, singing cover versions and his own songs. Barlow's first performance was in Wales, at the Connah's Quay Labour Club in the late 1980s, and he was paid £18 per performance on Saturday evenings where he performed songs such as Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel"[24][25] and "The Power of Love" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood.[26]
In 1989, Barlow 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, by celebrity photographer Doc Braham, who took Barlow's first professional head-shots. Martin-Smith was a friend of Braham, who introduced Barlow to Graham 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 would be built around Barlow's vocals and songwriting skills.
Other musical projects[edit]
Songwriting, producing and publishing[edit]
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 US 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 Eliot 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 and produce songs for other artists such as Shirley Bassey and Charlotte Church.
In October 2007, Barlow founded San Remo Live Publishings as an independently run management company to establish and support artists and songwriters.[66]
In 2008, Barlow was heavily involved in providing the score of ITV's Britannia High. The 9-episode series focused on the lives of a group of teenagers and their mentors at a fictional London theatre school. Guy Chambers, Steve Mac, Andy Hill, Mark Owen, James Bourne and Eliot Kennedy also contributed to the musical component of the show. It was axed after one series.[67]
In 2010, Barlow signed a new 5-year songwriting publishing deal with Sony music. He has been voted as the greatest British songwriter of all time in a 2009 OnePoll, who surveyed 3,000 people[68] John Lennon and Paul McCartney, of The Beatles, were placed second and third respectively.[68]
In 2011, Barlow wrote the song "Run for Your Life" for The X Factor series 7 winner Matt Cardle's debut album. He has also written for the likes of Robbie Williams, Westlife, Lily Allen, Blue, Elton John, Olly Murs[69] T-Pain, Will Young[70] N-Dubz, Lawson,[71] Shirley Bassey, Donny Osmond, Delta Goodrem, Elaine Paige, Agnetha Fältskog and many more while also being commissioned by the Queen to write the official single for her Diamond Jubilee, which saw Barlow collaborate with Andrew Lloyd Webber.
To date, Barlow has written 14 number-one singles in the UK[4] and 2 Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles in the United States[72] including "Back for Good" which went to number one in 31 countries around the world.[73]
Ceremonial work[edit]
At the beginning of May 2010, it was reported that the Queen had asked Barlow to organise her 86th birthday party and her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.[74] This was confirmed in February 2012 with Barlow being named as the organiser and producer of a concert that took place outside Buckingham Palace and featuring a variety of famous artists.[75][76][77] Barlow said: "The Diamond Jubilee Concert will celebrate the 60 years of the Queen's reign with an amazing line-up of world-class artists coming together to play at one of the biggest and most exciting live music shows in recent years."[76]
On 4 June 2012 the Diamond Jubilee concert was held outside Buckingham Palace with it acting as a backdrop to a stage built upon the Victoria Memorial featuring various worldwide artists. The concert included music stemming from the 1950s to the 2000s with each decade of her reign reflected in the music performed. Barlow himself appeared alongside Andrew Lloyd Webber and his own Commonwealth Band to perform the self written official jubilee single "Sing" while also dueting with Girls Aloud's Cheryl Cole on the night which won praise from critics who called "the performance as [two of] the best of Britain [who] proved their pop credentials with a dazzling duet."[78]
Future records[edit]
In 2009 Barlow began work on his own record label Future Records, a branch from Universal Music and signed his first artist, classical singer Camilla Kerslake.[79] Since then Barlow has also signed UK rapper Aggro Santos to his label[80] who scored two top 10 UK hits and a further top 20 single,[81] and the winner of Sky 1's Must Be The Music, Emma's Imagination who also achieved two top 10 UK singles and a top 15 charting debut album.[82] In 2013 Barlow's discovery A*M*E released her first single which debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart.[83] Gary Barlow has since closed down the record label to focus on his own career and family commitments.[84]
The X Factor[edit]
On 7 May 2011, it was announced that Barlow was in advanced talks to replace Simon Cowell as a judge on The X Factor.[11] He was officially confirmed as a judge on 30 May, alongside returning judge Louis Walsh and fellow new judges Tulisa and Kelly Rowland, who collectively replaced Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue.[85][86]
Barlow was given the "Boys" category for the live shows and mentored Marcus Collins to the final of The X Factor, where he became runner up.
After a successful debut as a judge on The X Factor in 2011, ITV producers opened talks with Barlow to return for a second series and offered a substantial increase on his £1.5 million salary from the previous year. On 17 April 2012, it was announced that Barlow would return to The X Factor for a second year; he was the first judge to be announced to be returning. He was later joined by returning judges Walsh and Tulisa alongside new judge Nicole Scherzinger, who replaced Rowland after one series. For his second year as a mentor, he was given the Over 28s category, which featured both male and female artists over the age of 28. He became the only judge to have four acts in the finals after Christopher Maloney became the popular wildcard and the thirteenth finalist in the show. Barlow guided Maloney to the final of the show, becoming Barlow's second finalist in two consecutive years.
Barlow said on 9 December 2012 that he may not return as a judge for a third series on The X Factor, stating that he did not know "if there is room" in his diary for the programme.[87] However, on 20 May 2013, it was confirmed by Walsh that he and Barlow would both return to continue their roles as judges on the tenth series of The X Factor, alongside Scherzinger and former judge Sharon Osbourne who replaced Tulisa. Barlow was given the Groups category in his third year on the show. Barlow chose Kingsland Road, Miss Dynamix and Rough Copy as his final three. After losing two of his final acts, he guided Rough Copy to the semi-final.
During Rough Copy's performance on the first live show of The X Factor 2013, Barlow revealed that this would be his last series on the show, due to his solo tour commitments and the upcoming release of a new Take That album.[88] Barlow was replaced by Cowell, who returned to the show after a three-year absence.[89]
Musical theatre[edit]
On 25 June 2013, it was announced that Barlow had been signed up to work on a new musical version of Finding Neverland and will co-write the score for the theatre project, which is being developed by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Barlow said of the project: "This is something I've always wanted to do so it's a real privilege to be involved. I'm really enjoying working with the team and I love the story; it's also great to be working with a legendary creative like Harvey Weinstein."
Weinstein echoed the sentiment by expressing his admiration for Barlow, whom he described as "one of the finest songwriters in the world".[90]
On 1 March 2014, Barlow attended the Bob and Harvey Weinstein's pre-Academy Awards party at the Montage in Beverly Hills to perform a selection of songs from the musical score he had written for Finding Neverland. He played the lead role of Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie and sang a duet with British musical actress Laura Michelle Kelly along with four back-up artists featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary 20 Feet from Stardom. Barlow's performance was well received,[91][92] and after a successful performance run in Boston, Finding Neverland opened on Broadway in spring 2015. On its first Broadway preview, the show sold out the theatre and posted a box office performance that, if it continued for a whole week of performances, would have seen the show top $1 million.[93]
Barlow has also co-written a musical alongside hometown friend Tim Firth, called The Girls (later retitled in 2017 as Calendar Girls The Musical),[94] which opened at the Phoenix Theatre, London in January 2017.
Let It Shine[edit]
In the summer of 2016, Barlow launched his own talent show Let It Shine, in the search for 5 males to star in an upcoming nationwide musical using the music of Take That. The musical will tour all over the UK, with up to 8 shows a week. Let It Shine premiered on BBC One on 7 January 2017 and the first live show was premiered on 11 February 2017.
The Crooner Sessions[edit]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Barlow received global recognition for his "The Crooner Sessions" series which featured him performing songs on-line alongside other artists. Although initially starting as a way to entertain his fans during the lockdown, Barlow's videos, which debuted on Instagram before later being uploaded to his YouTube Channel, Facebook and Twitter feeds, became a hotly-anticipated event for many music lovers worldwide. Describing his inspiration for the series, Barlow explained "we can't go on stages or into theaters. Maybe this is our new stage".[95] On 5 January 2021, Barlow announced on his social media accounts that the Crooner Sessions would be returning for a second series through the 2021 UK lockdown. The first episode of the renewed series premiered on 11 January 2021.[96]
Walk the Line[edit]
After being replaced as a judge on The X Factor by a returning Simon Cowell, Barlow ended up replacing Cowell as a judge on the panel of Syco's new talent show Walk the Line before the first episode was aired. Debuting on ITV on 12 December 2021, Barlow joined Craig David, Dawn French and Alesha Dixon on the judging panel.[97][98][99][100]
Honours[edit]
After twenty years within the music industry in which Barlow has achieved success around the world; coupled with his efforts to raise money and awareness for various charities he was honoured in the 2012 Queen's Birthday Honours. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen on 16 June 2012, which he was awarded on 21 November for "services to the Entertainment Industry and to Charity".[101] In a statement, Barlow said: "I'm absolutely thrilled and feel very privileged to be in the company of so many brilliant people who I know have received an OBE. My family are very proud."[102]
In July 2012, Barlow was announced as the recipient of the Music Industry Trusts Award which he was presented with in November 2012 in recognition of his services to British music and charity. David Munns, chairman of the award committee, said of Barlow: "He is one of the UK's most accomplished artists – a unique musician, songwriter and producer who embodies both success and distinction, and who serves as a dedicated ambassador for many charities."[13][103]
Outside music[edit]
Acting career[edit]
In 2000, Barlow made his acting debut in the ITV1 drama Heartbeat: this was the 150th edition of the show, and Barlow played hitch-hiker Micky Shannon.[104] In 2012, Barlow had a cameo in the film Keith Lemon: The Film and in early 2013 he had a cameo in the hit BBC1 show Miranda and also in a 2015 special. Barlow had a brief cameo in Star Wars: The Last Jedi as a soldier in the Crait trenches.[105] In 2023, Barlow played a busker in the Take That movie musical Greatest Days alongside bandmates Howard Donald and Mark Owen.[106]
Social media[edit]
In October 2011, Barlow joined Twitter live on The Xtra Factor to build support for the contestants he mentored during series 8 of The X Factor. Almost immediately after he joined Twitter his following totalled at over 300,000 people.[107] Within two months of joining Twitter, Barlow reached over 1 million followers.
Charity work[edit]
Barlow organised a sponsored climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Comic Relief. Barlow and eight other celebrities: Cheryl Cole, Ben Shephard, Alesha Dixon, Kimberley Walsh, Fearne Cotton, Chris Moyles, Denise Van Outen and Boyzone's Ronan Keating, made it to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro safely on 7 March 2009, raising millions for Comic Relief.[108]
Barlow's charity efforts in 2009, including his organising of the BT Comic Relief Kilimanjaro Climb and his organising of Children in Need Rocks the Royal Albert Hall, raised in excess £6 million. In addition to the charity events organised by Barlow, he has also shown support for fellow artists' charity efforts including that of Boyzone's 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 event raised £650,000 for Cancer Research UK.
His organisation of a 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). Barlow dedicated the band's song "Rule the World" to "everyone who's lost someone – Dad, this is for you".
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.[109]
In February 2010, a project named 'Helping Haiti' was formed by Simon Cowell in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The aim was to bring some of the most recognised music stars around the world together to record a charity single with all proceeds going to the cause. 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.[110] 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.[111]
Barlow has also donated the original handwritten lyrics to his number-one hit single "Back for Good" to help raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. The lyrics were sold for £1,200.[112] Barlow wrote the song in 1995 and it went on to top the charts in 31 countries around the world as well as becoming a top ten hit in America.[113]
In January 2011, 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 his 20-year career in music. He has also announced that all of the profits from the show went to charity.[114]
As well as organising the Children in Need Rocks Manchester concert, Barlow announced he was to helm the official single for the charity, a cover of Massive Attack's '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.[115]
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.
Barlow also donated all proceeds from his Gary Barlow: In Concert event to the Prince's Trust charity. He 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."
In August 2013, the headline act to turn on the Blackpool illuminations pulled out due to unforeseen circumstances leaving the event with no one to turn on the lights or play to the 5,000 in attendance. Upon hearing this, Barlow tweeted that he would step in if the organisers would write a cheque to Children In Need. Bosses quickly made contact with him and made a donation to the charity, with Barlow turning on the lights and performing a number of his hits during the 45 minute set.[116]
In October 2013, Barlow travelled directly from the X Factor live results shows to Afghanistan to meet the Armed Forces and experience their day-to-day lives in Camp Bastion. Barlow listened to the soldiers' stories, went for a five-kilometre run with the troops and played a morale-boosting concert for them as a thank you for their work.[117]
On 12 November 2013, Barlow sang with Agnetha Fältskog (from ABBA) who was singing live on stage. It was at the BBC Children in Need Rocks 2013 concert in London which Barlow organised.[118]
In November 2016, Barlow became a Patron for Child Bereavement.[119]
Personal life[edit]
Family[edit]
In 2000, Barlow married Dawn Andrews, who was a dancer on Take That's 1995 Nobody Else Tour. They have three children: Daniel (born 2000), Emily (born 2002), and Daisy (born 2009).[120] On 4 August 2012, he revealed that their daughter, Poppy, was stillborn.[121] He released a short statement reading, "Dawn and I are devastated to announce that we've lost our baby. Our focus now is giving [Poppy] a beautiful funeral and loving our three children with all our hearts. We'd ask at this painful time that our privacy be respected." Later in 2022 he said: "I needed to accept this wasn't a scar that was going to heal with time, this was a scar I was going to die with".[122]
Despite the loss of his daughter one week previously, Barlow performed at the London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony singing the hit "Rule the World", which drew praise internationally for the strength and determination of Barlow to take to the stage so soon after his tragedy.[123] Owing to the bereavement, it was announced that Barlow would not attend the X Factor press launch.[124]
In his autobiography My Take, Barlow revealed that he is a supporter of Exeter City FC, with their anthem being one of the first songs he learned to play on the piano. He is also a supporter of the Warrington Wolves and the New York Knicks.
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."[125]
Politics[edit]
During the 2010 general election campaign, the Conservative Party announced their intention to encourage musical achievement among young people in schools with a competition called "School Stars". Barlow appeared at a school staged campaign event to endorse the introduction of the programme by then Conservative leader David Cameron. Barlow also sang "Greatest Day" at the event. When asked if he was supporting the Conservatives at the election, Barlow responded: "I would not be here if I was not."[126]
Tax avoidance controversy[edit]
In June 2012, it was revealed that along with Take That bandmates Howard Donald and Mark Owen (and over 1,100 other people), Barlow had invested £26 million in music industry investment schemes.[127] The news attracted controversy when it was understood that the schemes could serve as tax shelters for wealthy people. Barlow was accused of tax avoidance rather than tax evasion, as the scheme itself was not illegal at the time Barlow invested in it. Barlow's lawyer responded to the claims, stating he "paid significant tax, and that they believed the schemes were not for tax avoidance purposes but were legitimate commercial enterprises". In May 2014 a judge ruled that the scheme was set up for the purpose of avoiding tax, with the scheme generating losses of £336 million to enable Barlow and others to offset those losses against taxes they were liable to pay from other earnings. In June 2016, Barlow (and Donald and Owen plus their manager Jonathon Wild) announced they would not be appealing against a ruling that they are liable to re-pay the tax.[128] Barlow apologised on Twitter "to anyone who was offended by the tax stories".[128]