Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, pianist, and television personality. He is the lead vocalist of the pop group Take That.
Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, having written fifteen number-one singles (twelve with Take That, two solo, one with the Robbie Williams song "Candy") and twenty-four top-ten hits. As a solo artist, he has had three number-one singles, six top-ten singles and three number-one albums, and has additionally had seventeen top-five hits, twelve number-one singles and nine number-one albums with Take That. Barlow has also served as a judge on the television talent shows The X Factor UK (2011–2013), Let It Shine (2017) and Walk the Line (2021).
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. Barlow 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. He has sold over 50 million records worldwide. 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.
Gary Barlow was born on 20 January 1971 in Frodsham, Cheshire, the second son of Colin (died 15 October 2009) and Marjorie Barlow (née Cowan). He attended Weaver Vale Primary School, and moved on to Frodsham High School in 1982. 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". He was heavily influenced by late 1970s and 1980s pop music. At age 10, after watching Depeche Mode perform on Top of the Pops, Barlow acquired his first keyboard; he practiced constantly thereafter. Barlow has also cited Elton John, Trevor Horn and OMD as important early influences. The first CD he bought was by the Pet Shop Boys, who later supported Take That on the Progress Live tour in 2011.
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.
In 1989, Barlow appointed Wigan show business agent Barry Woolley to be his manager and recorded a single ("Love Is in the Air") under the name Kurtis Rush. 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 eventually 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 should be built around Barlow's vocals and songwriting skills.
Barlow, who wrote the majority of the group's songs, is widely recognised as the lead singer of Take That. After selecting 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 group were signed to RCA Records, and after a number of top-40 hits, eventually secured their first number-one 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 and reached number two in 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 one in the UK Albums Chart and spawned four number-one singles, as well as "Why Can't I Wake Up with You" and "Love Ain't Here Anymore" hitting numbers two and three respectively.
Barlow received an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song in 1994 for the number-one hit song "Pray" included on the album. In 1994, alongside Rick Astley, Barlow did backing vocals for Elton John's version of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King. Take That's third album Nobody Else, again based on Barlow's own material, went straight to number one and was to be their last studio album of the 1990s. The album had three number-one singles, including Barlow's "Back for Good" which peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was brought forward an unprecedented six weeks before its official release such was the demand for the single. A Greatest Hits collection followed again reaching number one. The album featured the band's eighth number-one 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.
Barlow didn't sing for a long time after the end of Take That, noting that with the success of Williams as a solo artist, feeling that 'there wasn't room for two'.
I spent years telling everyone around me 'I'll never be an artist again, never want to sing again', and didn't...subsequently didn't sing for about six, seven years. And until I heard the first Coldplay album and for the first time in years, I could see a place again.
1996–1998: Solo career and Open Road
Barlow had grand ambitions for his solo career because he said "everyone" pushed him to "be the next George Michael." His first two solo singles, "Forever Love" (released July 1996) and "Love Won't Wait" (composed by Madonna and Shep Pettibone), 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 one in the UK Albums Chart and went on to sell 2 million copies worldwide. Barlow's first 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 one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. He then achieved another top-ten hit in the UK with "Open Road" peaking at number seven.
1999–2004: Twelve Months, Eleven Days, and producing career
After the success of his first solo album, Barlow released his second LP Twelve Months, Eleven Days in 1999. Barlow released "Stronger" as the lead single preceding the album. The single peaked at number 16. The album's second single, "For All That You Want", also received minimal radio play and peaked at number 24; however, it nearly reached the top five in Finland. Twelve Months, Eleven Days received little promotion and peaked at number 35, which led to Sony recalling the album's scheduled third single, "Lie to Me". This decision resulted in Barlow and BMG parting company.
In late 1999, Barlow quit his career as a singer, with his final single remaining unreleased. From 2000 to 2004, he was a producer for other artists, including bandmate Mark Owen's solo projects. In 2005, he resumed his singing career after a six-year hiatus.
2005–2011: Take That reunion and Shame
Barlow returned to the spotlight in a successful TV documentary, Take That: For the Record 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 arena/stadium tour. The band released their comeback single "Patience" which went to number one for four weeks while also topping the charts across Europe. Patience was also voted the Record of the Year in 2006 and won a Brit Award for single of the year. This was followed with "Shine" which became the band's tenth number-one 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 one in the UK Album Chart selling over 2.8 million copies in the UK alone as of 2012. It was re-released as a tour edition with hit single "Rule the World" in 2007 and peaked again at number one.