Gary Barlow: Biography

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• Take That

Born:

Jan 20, 1971 in Cheshire, England

Genre:

Adult Contemporary Rock Music

Decades Active:

1990's|2000's

It was an important day in pop history when Gary Barlow and the three other members of Take That made the mutual and risky decision to disband what had become the biggest pop group of the decade. It was not one that was taken lightly, but one that the four members felt was the right one; it was time to move on for all of them. The reasons for the headline-making split were made clear: the huge umbrella that was Take That meant that the lads had little time to develop as individuals and with the arrival of newer and younger boy bands on the pop scene the four simply felt that it was time to quit.

Having already penned a string of hits while in Take That ("Pray," "A Million Love Songs," "Babe," "Everything Changes," "Back for Good") it was clear from the start that Barlow possessed the pedigree to ensure that his new solo career would be as successful as his last. During their five-year reign at the top of the pop world, Take That were to sell over ten-million albums worldwide and notched up an incredible eight U.K. number ones, a good proportion of which were Barlow's handiwork. Although respect for his songwriting was growing rapidly, it wasn't until the 1995 release of "Back for Good" that Barlow was to become established as one of the most successful songwriter's of the decade. The single catapulted the group to an incredible four-week stint at the top of the charts, and earned them their first Top Ten U.S. entry.

Throughout the group's career, Barlow's songwriting became increasingly successful and this was highlighted in 1994 when he was awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song (for Pray) and the title Songwriter of the Year; joining a role call of honor with former title holders such as Elton John, George Michael, Annie Lennox, and Eric Clapton. Two years on he was back, winning in two categories for his critically acclaimed ballad "Back for Good" (Best Song musically and lyrically/The PRS Most Performed Work) and being nominated in a further two (The Best Selling Song/International Hit of the Year).

Barlow's first U.S. single, "So Help Me Girl," was released in August 1997, with the long-awaited debut album Open Road following soon after. The title suggests the open road that Barlow's again at the start of. The album shows a diversity of musical styles, some acoustic-based tracks, ballads, and up-tempo numbers. It marks a distinct change of direction for Barlow, almost a "back-to-basics" approach, and clearly shows a maturity and depth of feeling beyond his years.

- Aparna Datta, All Music Guide