Results for Gary Glitter
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Artist:

Gary Glitter

Born:
May 08, 1944 in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England

Representative Songs:

"Rock & Roll, Pt. 2," "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am!)," "Hello! Hello! I'm Back Again"

Representative Albums:

Rock and Roll: Gary Glitter's Greatest Hits, The Ultimate Gary Glitter, Rock 'n' Roll: The Best of Gary Glitter

Similar Artists:

Hector, The Rats, Chicory Tip, Kenny, Marc Bolan, Showaddywaddy, Hello, Sweet, Queen, New York Dolls, Joan Jett, Brownsville Station

Influences:

T. Rex, David Bowie, The Beatles

Followers:

The Dagmars, Hot Water, Andrew Wood, Original Mirrors, Forgotten Rebels, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, The Runaways, Queen, Joan Jett

Performed Songs By:

Mike Leander
  • Birth Name: Paul Francis Gadd
  • Alternative Name: Paul Gadd
  • Genre: Rock
  • Active: '60s - '90s
  • Instrument: Vocals

Biography

Although the late '90s apparently saw the end of Gary Glitter's career, following his conviction for sexual offenses, there is no doubting that for a full 25 years before that tragic denouement, Glitter ranked among Britain's best-loved performers of all time. The hits which catapulted him to fame in the early '70s, the anthemic "Rock and Roll" of course, but also the likes of "I'm the Leader of the Gang," "Do You Wanna Touch Me," and "I Love You Love Me Love," still have the capacity to stir an audience -- as "Rock and Roll" itself proves, every time it airs at a major sporting event in the U.S. And, if it is at all oxymoronic that the King of British Glam should be responsible for one of the national anthems of American Football, then that is simply further testament of what made Gary glitter so brightly. Musically, visually, and emotionally, he transcended so many barriers that even categorizing him as a rock & roller seems somehow stingy. He was so much more than that.

Gary Glitter emerged on the U.K. scene in 1972, although he had been touring and recording for over a decade beforehand. Still in his mid-teens, the young Paul Gadd performed at the legendary 2 I's Coffee Bar in London's Soho district, moving onto the Laconda and the Safari clubs before his repertoire of rock & roll classics and sweetly executed ballads brought him to the attention of Robert Hartford Davis, a small-time movie producer looking to break into the music industry. He financed the teenager's first recording session and landed him a deal with Decca, who released "Alone in the Night" in January, 1960, under the first of the multitude of pseudonyms which the singer would utilize through the remainder of the decade, Paul Raven.

In 1961, new manager Vic Billings landed Raven a deal with Parlophone and producer George Martin. Two singles, "Walk on Boy" and "Tower of Strength," followed, but neither sold well and by 1964, Raven was working as a studio warm-up man for the cult television show Ready Steady Go. He also appeared in a handful of television commercials and auditioned unsuccessfully for the lead role in the movie Privilege (Paul Jones ultimately took the part). It was a meeting with producer/arranger Mike Leander which marked the turning point in Raven's fortunes. The singer joined Leander's eponymous Show Band in April, 1965; Leander also arranged for his young protégé to oversee a handful of recording sessions, producing singles by Thane Russell and Scottish beat band the Poets.

The Mike Leander Show Band collapsed in late 1965 and Raven formed a new group, Boston International (later truncated to the Bostons), with saxophonist John Rossall. They spent much of the next five years touring Germany, the schedule interrupted by occasional recording dates back in England with Leander. Between 1968-1970, "Musical Man" and a cover of George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun" were issued under the name Paul Monday. "Soul Thing" and Sly Stone's "Stand" returned Paul Raven to the racks and "We're All Living in One Place" debuted Rubber Bucket and, though the records themselves flopped, the sound was slowly crystallizing. By late 1971, with the glam rock movement now exploding across the U.K., Leander and Raven were convinced they had finally found the elusive formula they had been searching for.

"Rock and Roll" first took shape as a 15-minute jam session before Leander edited it down into two three-minute gems, sensibly subtitled "Part One" and "Part Two." Next came the matter of a new name for the performer -- according to legend, Raven's first instinct was Vicki Vomit, followed by Terry Tinsel, Stanley Sparkle, or Horace Hydrogen, working backwards through the alphabet, Gary Glitter was simply the next alliteration he thought of. And this time, it stuck.

Despite a slow start (it took six months to break into the U.K. chart) "Rock & Roll," of course, became one of the biggest hits of 1972 and one of the most unique. A number two in the U.K. and Top Ten in America, it set Glitter up for a period of almost unassailable chart domination, as a string of barely disguised sound-alikes flew from his and Leander's pens, unerringly affixing themselves on the British Top Ten: "I Didn't Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock and Roll)," "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)," and "Hello Hello, I'm Back Again" all charted during the next 12 months. Two albums, Glitter and Touch Me, were no less successful, while Glitter's first ever London concert in spring, 1973, saw him sell out the London Palladium, one of the first rock & rollers ever to play that venerable old pile.

Glitter lived up to his image with a vengeance. He poured a fortune into his wardrobe -- at one point he owned 30 glitter suits and 50 pairs of monstrous silver platform boots. But it was worth it. Glittermania was breaking out everywhere. "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" became his first British chart-topper in the summer of 1973, "I Love You Love Me Love" repeated the success that fall, while "Remember Me This Way," a brass-led ballad which had absolutely nothing in common with the Glitter sound, reached number three. A show at the London Rainbow was recorded for a live album (also titled Remember Me This Way). Glitter's backing band, the aptly named Glitter Band, were launched on a parallel hitmaking career of their own and while attempts to follow up the original American success were less well-starred, "Leader of the Gang" did at least breach the Top 50, in the capable hands of Brownsville Station.

"Always Yours" gave Glitter his eighth successive hit and third number one, in June, 1974; another ballad, "Oh Yes! You're Beautiful" reached number two, the insistent "Love Like You and Me" made number ten, and "Doing Alright With the Boys" hit number six in summer, 1975. And suddenly, it was all over. Glitter's next single, a cover of "Papa Ooh Mow Mow," stalled at #38 and, with successive releases proving similarly catastrophic, the singer announced his retirement in early 1976.

For the next year, Glitter existed in a twilight world of rumor alone, as financial and psychological pressures pushed him to the brink. He was drinking heavily and later admitted that he seriously contemplated suicide. A half-hearted return to action saw him take the lead role in a New Zealand production of The Rocky Horror Show and score a pair of minor U.K. Top 30 hits during 1977, "It Takes All Night Long" and "A Little Boogie Woogie in the Back of My Mind." But it was 1980 before he truly began to come out his shell again, launching a series of low-key concerts for a post-punk audience which had, somewhat curiously, embraced him as a figurehead of sorts. In 1981, he returned to the studio and recorded a new single, a dance medley of all his greatest hits, "All That Glitters." By 1984, he was playing upwards of 80 gigs a year, mainly around the college and club circuit, and returned to the chart with "Dance Me Up" and "Another Rock and Roll Christmas."

Two years later, Doctor & the Medics invited him to guest with them on TV performances of their decidedly Glitter-esque reworking of "Spirit in the Sky." And in 1988, Glitter was back at number one, courtesy of the Timelords' "Doctoring the Tardis" a tribute to television's Dr Who set to samples of Glitter's "Rock and Roll." Glitter himself subsequently re-recorded "Rock and Roll" with producer Trevor Horn and only narrowly missed out on another hit.

Ever more extravagant live shows were celebrated with the 1988 live video Gary Glitter's Gangshow, while his back catalog began spawning a succession of still more adventurous hit compilations. He became the subject of a successful London stage show, while his 1991 autobiography, The Leader, was a major bestseller. In 1994, Glitter was one of the stars at the official World [soccer] Cup concert in Chicago, broadcast live to 46 countries. He returned to the U.S. in 1996, playing the Godfather in the Who's Quadrophenia revival and he found time to deliver a new single, the definitive reading of "The House of the Rising Sun" set to the most heart-stopping Glitter beat yet. "Rock and Roll" even claimed another new lease on life when it became one of the star turns in the movie The Full Monty.

Then came the news that Glitter was under investigation on child pornography charges and his world fell apart. Stores throughout the U.K. withdrew his records from the shelves, concerts were canceled; overnight, one of Britain's most adored icons became public enemy number one and even his staunchest allies now doubt whether Glitter will ever be able to pull one more comeback out of the bag. What cannot be erased, however, is the contribution he has made to the history of rock & roll -- the creation of "Rock and Roll" itself. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
 
 
Wikipedia: Gary Glitter


Gary Glitter
Also known as "The Leader"
Born May 8 1944 (1944--) (age 63)
Flag of England Banbury, Oxfordshire England
Genre(s) Pop
Glam rock
Years active 1960s–2000s
Label(s) Decca, Bell Records, Arista, EMI, Attitude

Paul Francis Gadd aka Gary Glitter (born May 8 1944) is an English rock and pop singer and songwriter who had a string of chart successes with a collection of 1970s glam rock hits including "Rock and Roll parts 1 & 2", "I Love You Love Me Love", "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" and "Hello, Hello, I'm Back Again". He is currently in jail until August 2008[1] in Vietnam for child sexual abuse.

Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s. He had one of the longest chart runs of any solo singer in the UK during the 1970s. Between 1972 and 1995 Glitter charted no fewer than 25 hit singles which spent a grand total of 179 weeks in the UK Top 100.[2] His success as a live performer lasted well beyond the decade. Glitter's 1973 #1 "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" also remains one of the better-known songs of its era.[citation needed] He continued to record in the 1980s and 1990s, with his 1984 song "Another Rock N' Roll Christmas" being one of the Top 30 Christmas hits of all time.[3] He released seven studio albums, and at least 15 greatest hits collections or live albums. In 1998, his recording of "Rock and Roll" was voted as one of the Top 1001 songs in music history.[4] In 2004, a Channel 4 poll of the 50 Greatest Pop Stars of all time placed Glitter at #22.[5]

In 1999, Glitter was convicted for downloading 4,000 child pornography pictures in the UK, and was afterwards listed as a sex offender.[6] His reputation was greatly tarnished, and though he continued releasing new music, Glitter's popularity declined sharply. He was permanently evicted from Cambodia in 2002 for suspected child sexual abuse offences.[7] He afterwards relocated to Vũng Tàu in Vietnam, and in March 2005 applied for permanent resident status.[8] Later that year, he was arrested by Vietnamese authorities while trying to leave the country, and he was tried and convicted of child sexual abuse charges. Glitter's release date is August 2008 though in April 2007 his lawyer announced that he was appealing for a second time against the length of his sentence (having had it cut by 3 months in the first appeal[9]).

Biography

Early work

Paul Francis Gadd was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire. He began performing the British club circuit since his mid-teens in the late 1950s, appearing in such British clubs as the Two I's in Soho and the Laconda and Safari Clubs. At the time, his repertoire consisted of early rock standards and gentle ballads, and he got his first break when a film producer looking to hit the music industry, Robert Hartford Davis, discovered him and financed a recording session for the British Decca label. Under the stage name Paul Raven, he released his first single, "Alone in the Night" in January 1960.

A year later, he had a new manager (Vic Billings), a new recording deal (with Parlophone), and a new producer – George Martin, who would begin making his name for keeps a year later when he signed and began producing The Beatles. The Martin sessions produced two singles, "Walk on By" and "Tower of Strength," but neither sold very well and Raven's recording career hit an impasse. By 1964, while Martin's work with The Beatles was upending the world, Raven was playing the warm-up for the British television program Ready Steady Go!. He did numerous TV commercials and film auditions, but somewhere in the middle of that activity he met arranger-producer Mike Leander who, in due course, helped turn his music career around.

Gary Glitter

First, Raven joined the Mike Leander Show Band in early 1965. Then he was deputised to produce a few recording sessions by such artists as Thane Russell and a Scottish beat group, the Poets. Finally, after Leander's band fell apart, Raven formed Boston International with saxophonist John Rossall, and this group spent the following five years touring between the UK and Germany and recording occasionally. By 1970, several singles including "Musical Man", "Goodbye Seattle" and a version of George Harrison's Beatles song, "Here Comes the Sun," put Raven back into record stores. He took the name Gary Glitter in 1971 as the glam movement hit full swing, by playing alliteratively with letters of the alphabet, working backward from Z. The style that would come to define Gary Glitter had taken its basic shape.

The song that at last made Gary Glitter's name and career began as a fifteen-minute jam, whittled down to a pair of three-minute extracts, which Glitter and Leander called "Rock and Roll, Parts One and Two". Like Stevie Wonder's debut hit, "Fingertips Pt. 2", "Rock and Roll (Part Two)" would prove to be the more popular side in many countries, although it took about six months before it made its full impact, going to number two on the British pop charts and hitting the Top Ten in the United States, one of the few British glam rock records that did (T. Rex's "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" was another). "Rock and Roll (Part One)", however, was also a hit; in France it made number one (in the UK both sides were listed together on the charts).

Glitter performing on Top of the Pops in the 1970s
Enlarge
Glitter performing on Top of the Pops in the 1970s

Mainstream success

"Rock and Roll" proved not to be a fluke. For the next three years, Glitter challenged Sweet, Slade and T. Rex as glam's chart dominators. He took his image seriously enough to own a reported thirty glitter suits and fifty pairs of his trademark silver platform boots. He also released several British Top Ten hits with "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" as his first to hit number one in the summer of 1973 and "I Love You Love Me Love", its follow-up, as his second. Even an atypical ballad, "Remember Me This Way", went to number three. He had twelve consecutive Top Ten singles, from 1972's "Rock and Roll (Parts One and Two)" to "Doing Alright With the Boys" in the summer of 1975.

"Rock and Roll (Part Two)" caught on as a popular sports anthem in North America. Often used as a goal song or celebration song, fans chant out "Hey!" along with the chorus. In light of Glitter's court convictions (see below), some teams have stopped using the song; though it remains heavily played.

Despite his success in Britain, Glitter never made the same impact in the U.S., where at best, glam rock was seen as a curiosity. Glitter had one more entry on the U.S. charts with "I Didn't Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock 'n Roll)"; however, the closest Glitter came to another U.S. hit was a cover recording of "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" by the punk/blues group Brownsville Station.

After "Doing Alright With the Boys" Glitter won the award for "Best male artist" at the Saturday Scene music awards hosted by LWT. His next release was a cover of the Rivingtons' rhythm and blues legend, "Papa Oom Mow Mow", but it got no higher than number 38 on the British charts. After his next releases stalled likewise, Gary Glitter announced his retirement from music in early 1976. That same year, his first true hits package, simply titled Greatest Hits, was released. It entered the UK Top 40 best-sellers charts, although its sales may have been hurt due to a similar budget album, entitled I Love You Love Me Love, issued by Hallmark Entertainment the following year.

Return to fame

Glitter's career took a downturn towards the end of the 1970s. He was said to have begun drinking heavily, even admitting later that he pondered suicide. Under financial pressure, not even a pair of Top 40 hit singles ("It Takes All Night" and "A Little Boogie Woogie in the Back of My Mind") could lift him all the way back. It took the post-punk audience, and some of its artists who still respected Glitter's work, to do that (he was an influence on post-punk and new wave as well as early punk rock itself). This helped open a path for Glitter to cut a dance medley of his greatest hits, All That Glitters, which charted in 1981; within three years, he was playing eighty shows a year at colleges and clubs, and had chart hits "Dance Me Up" and "Another Rock N' Roll Christmas".

Glitter's comeback was boosted in the 1980s by various guest spots and collaborations. In 1982 he appeared on the British Electric Foundation album Music of Quality and Distinction Volume One, along with fellow pop/rock luminaries Sandie Shaw and Tina Turner. By 1988, The Timelords' "Doctoring the Tardis," a Doctor Who tribute that sampled "Rock and Roll (Part Two)", took the top spot. In due course, Glitter re-cut "Rock and Roll" with producer Trevor Horn and also "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" with outfit Girlschool. In the late 1980s his hit singles were used to compile the Telstar-released C'mon, C'mon ... It's the Gary Glitter Party Album. In 1989, Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers put a large sample of "Another Rock and Roll Christmas" on their Number 1 UK hit "Let's Party".

Glitter spent the next decade mostly as an in-demand live performer, and his back catalog of recordings proved durable enough that several compilations sold well. Glitter appeared in several humorous billboard and poster advertisements for British Rail, in one of which he attempts to look younger (and quite clearly fails) in order to obtain a Young Persons Railcard. He also issued a new studio album Leader 2 in 1991 which sold reasonably well.

He was a surprise hit at the 1994 World Cup concert in Chicago which was telecast live to forty-six countries. He played the Godfather in a 1996 revival of The Who's Quadrophenia. He also cut a single, a new version of "The House of the Rising Sun". British rock group Oasis used a sample from Glitter's 1973 chart hit, "Hello, Hello, I'm Back Again" on their 1995 multi-million selling album (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, one of a number of acts that borrowed from his song book.

"Rock and Roll (Part Two)" by this time was being used heavily as a crowd-rouser at numerous American (and other) sporting events, and it was featured in the hit films The Full Monty, Happy Gilmore and Meet the Fockers .

Musical legacy

While his musical career is considered by many to be technically over, Glitter is considered one of the most influential British musicians of his generation. His campy, larger than life stage persona was a significant inspiration to many performers, along with his theatrical performance style which some called "a pop panto". His music has influenced early punk rock, hardcore, post-punk, new wave and britpop. Some argue that Glitter's musical influence still continues to this day, as the KLF sampling testifies. The earliest example of his direct influence was Adam and The Ants earliest singles having a heavy drum beat that was directly taken from Gary Glitter's sound, though they applied an art school aesthetic to it.

Business interests

Glitter's Snack Bar was a restaurant founded by Glitter in 1991. It was in the west end of London and advertised with the slogan "Leader of the Snack". It was successful at first, but business eventually slowed and the restaurant closed in the late 1990s.

Glitter also launched his own record label in the early 1990s, Attitude Records, after he lost his deal with Virgin Records. Glitter signed to Virgin after leaving Arista Records in 1984 after 12 years with the label. Attitude records was merged into Machmain LTD later in the 1990s, a music company owned by Glitter.

Child pornography arrest and conviction

In November 1997 Glitter was arrested after child pornography images were discovered on the hard drive of a personal computer he had taken to a Bristol branch of PC World for repair. The computer had been turned in for repair as it had become unable to display JPEG images. During the course of the repair, the technician accessed Glitter's image files to test the software and discovered the images.

As a result, he was lampooned in both US and UK media over the allegations. Additionally, his segment in the Spice Girls' film, Spiceworld The Movie, was cut. (Nevertheless, a cover version of "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" was still included in the movie).

The following years held further trouble for the singer. Glitter was convicted of possession of child pornography in 1999 and classified formally as a sex offender, serving two months of a four-month sentence. He was also charged with having sex with an underage girl, Alison Brown, when she was 14 years old. Glitter was acquitted of this charge after it emerged that Brown had sold her story to News of the World and stood to earn more money from the newspaper on Glitter's conviction.[10]

Career moves after 2000 jail release

After British press revealed his whereabouts in Spain, Glitter reportedly attempted to move to Cuba in 2000 but was thwarted after the Cuban Consulate in London was tipped off and his picture and real name sent to all Cuban ports. He then went to Cambodia where there was an uproar over his presence which led Cambodian authorities to expel him in 2002, determining that he was 'a threat to the security of a country and to the national image of Cambodia'. He had been jailed for three nights in that country on suspicion of sex offences, but was not convicted of any crime. In the same year, Snapper records repromoted The Ultimate Gary Glitter, a 2 CD anthology of Glitter's music first issued in 1997 (days after his arrest), which covers his commercial breakthrough in 1972 through that point; again it was moderately successful.

In September 2001 he had released a new album, On, that included material written before his 1999 British conviction. That material was to have been part of a project called Lost on Life Street until that album's release was cancelled following his arrest.

By December 2004, after releasing a new single, "Control", Glitter appeared in the news again about his behaviour, where NGO's had been petitioning the government with their own evidence to arrest Glitter. Glitter escaped to Vietnam.

In 2005 Remember Me This Way, the documentary filmed at Glitter's career peak in 1973 (and originally released in 1974), was issued for the first time on DVD. Glitter's music itself still had an audience, further demonstrated by three new album releases, although all of them contained past recordings from the vaults, rather than new product. The first two new albums were issued at the same time, The Remixes and Live in Concert (the latter of which was a 1981 recording). These were only for sale on the Internet. A new collection of Glitter's chart hit singles followed, The Best of Gary Glitter.[11] In 2006 his back catalog was made available electronically on the Internet from sites such as iTunes and eMusic.

Vietnam underage-sex arrest and conviction

In late 2005, Gary Glitter was arrested and charged with rape of under-aged girls. Early in 2006, he was convicted of committing obscene acts with minors and sentenced to imprisonment; he filed an appeal, but this was dismissed on June 15 2006.

Arrest and trial

On November 12, 2005, Gary Glitter fled his home, despite having applied for permanent residence in Vietnam. Three days later, he was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City while trying to board a flight to Thailand. Six girls and women in Vietnam, aged 11 to 23, admitted to having sex with Glitter; the age of consent in that country is eighteen.[12]

After his arrest, Glitter was turned over to provincial police from Ba Ria-Vung Tau and returned to Vung Tau and held on suspicion of having sex with two underage girls. Glitter was jailed throughout the criminal probe, which was completed on December 26 2005. The charge of rape was dropped for, according to Glitter's lawyer, "lack of evidence", although the singer admitted that an eleven-year-old girl had slept in his bed. Glitter could have faced the death penalty by firing squad if convicted of child rape. After having received compensatory payments from Glitter, the families of the girls appealed to the courts for clemency for him.[13][14][15]

Glitter was tried on charges of committing obscene acts with two girls, aged 10 and 11, and could have faced up to fourteen years in prison if convicted. The trial opened on March 2, 2006 and ended the next day, upon which Glitter was found guilty as charged and sentenced to three years' imprisonment.[16][17][18][19][20]

He could be eligible for parole after serving one-third of his prison term, or one year, with credit for the four months he spent in jail from November 2005 to March 2006. Glitter's sentence includes mandatory deportation after serving his sentence and payment of 5M Vietnamese dong (US$315) to his victims' families.[21] Glitter continued to deny any wrongdoing, saying he believes he was framed by British tabloid newspapers.[22] He announced he planned to spend part of his sentence writing an autobiography, which he began during his pre-trial detention.

BBC interview

In May 2006, Gary Glitter gave his first interview in more than 8 years to BBC News. He denied doing anything wrong saying "to my knowledge I have not had sex with anyone under 18". He also said "I know the line to cross". When asked what he thought of adults having sex with children he said "It certainly is a crime ... I don't have the words, I would be very angry about that." He said he did not think too much about the future for now, other than winning his appeal. Glitter was criticized about his comments: Christine Beddoe, director of End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking, said that Glitter was trying to "minimize what he has done" and added "We must allow children to tell their story and not just have the words of Gadd."

In his interview Glitter said he was "not a paedophile" and as far as his music was concerned said "I felt after I left prison in England that maybe there was a slim chance I could put my life back on track and have a career, but after some time, the people that surrounded me, lawyers etc and managers, said: 'We don't think so, as the media have already made such a big deal about this'." He continued to blame the press for his downfall and called them "The worst enemy in the world", Glitter did not comment about his previous conviction for possession of child pornography several years earlier.[23]

In the week following the broadcast of the interview, the BBC received hundreds of complaints from viewers, but the network pointed out they had made it quite clear during the broadcast that Glitter had been convicted of the crimes and that "He was strongly challenged on his protestations of innocence".[24]

Appeal

On 15 June 2006, the People's Supreme Court of Appeals heard Glitter's appeal for a reduced sentence in a closed hearing. The ruling by the three-judge panel was announced at around 10 am that day, with the appeal being rejected.[25][26] Glitter's appeal had been scheduled to begin 19 May 2006, but was postponed for unspecified reasons.[27][28] Although he remained calm throughout the 40 minute reading of the verdict, upon leaving the courthouse, he shouted angrily to reporters that there was "no justice here in Vietnam. They did not listen to the defence at all."[29] On 7 February 2007 it was announced that his sentence had been reduced by three months.[30] His sentence will now conclude in August 2008.

Trivia

  • Glitter was the first act to place his initial 11 hit singles into the UK Top 10, although this record was later matched (and broken) by others, he remains the only male solo artist to have achieved this.
  • In 1997, the year of his last tour to date, it was reported 1 in every 60 people in the UK had been to a Gary Glitter concert [citation needed].
  • His single, "I Love You Love Me Love" sold over 1 million copies during its run at Number 1 in the UK. Its peak sales were at the very end of 1973, into the start of 1974 and it ranks as one of the top 40 best selling records in both years, as of 2006 it remains one of the top 60 selling singles of all-time.[31][32]
  • Before his Christmas tours in 1995 and 1996, Glitter hosted episodes of the BBC 2 music show TOTP2. He had also guest hosted some episodes of Top of the Pops on BBC 1, one of which, in 1995, was "The Gary Glitter Special", featuring him singing his hits "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" at the opening and (after the weekly run down of the weeks pop charts) closing with "Hello, Hello, I'm Back Again".
  • Glitter has been given various nicknames by his fans and the media over the years, these include "The Leader" (which he was dubbed after his hit single "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)"); this has been spun off into many associated names, i.e. "The Leader of Glam Rock", "The Leader of Music", etc. Other nicknames include "The James Brown of Pop", "The High Priest of Glam Rock" and "The Godfather of Glam".[citation needed]
  • In 1970, while he was still recording as Paul Raven, Glitter had a role as a priest on the multi-million selling concept album Jesus Christ Superstar, composed by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber[citation needed].

Selected discography

Singles

1950s

  • 1959 "Alone In The Night" (Released by Paul Raven)

1960s

  • 1960 "Walk On Boy" (Released by Paul Raven)
  • 1960 "Tower Of Strength" (Released by Paul Raven)
  • 1968 "Musical Man" (Released by Paul Monday)
  • 1969 "Soul Thing" (Released by Paul Raven)
  • 1969 "Here Comes the Sun" (Released by Paul Monday)

1970s

  • 1970 "We Are Living In One Place" (Released by Rubber Bucket)
  • 1970 "Stand" (Released by Paul Raven)
  • 1971 "Make A Wish, Amanda" (Released as Friendly Persuasion)

From this point all records were released as Gary Glitter

  • 1972 "Rock and Roll (Parts 1 & 2)", Bell 1216, 3/72, #2 UK; #7 U.S.; #1 France
  • 1972 "I Didn't Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock 'n' Roll)", Bell 1259, 9/72, #4 UK; #35 U.S.
  • 1973 "Do You Wanna Touch Me? (Oh Yeah)", Bell 1280, 1/73, #2 UK Spent three months in the UK Top 20
  • 1973 "Hello! Hello! I'm Back Again", Bell 1299, 3/73, #2 UK Spent two months in the Top 10
  • 1973 "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am!)", Bell 1321, 7/73, #1 UK Four weeks at #1, Spent two months in the Top 10
  • 1973 "I Love You Love Me Love", Bell 1337, 11/73, #1 UK Spent three months in the Top 10
  • 1974 "Remember Me This Way", Bell 1349, 3/74, #3 UK Spent six weeks in the Top 20
  • 1974 "Always Yours", Bell 1359, 6/74, #1 UK Spent two months in the Top 20
  • 1974 "Oh Yes! You're Beautiful", Bell 1391, 11/74, #2 UK Spent two months in the Top 20
  • 1975 "Love Like You and Me", Bell 1423, 5/75, #10 UK
  • 1975 "Doing Alright with the Boys", Bell 1429, 6/75, #6 UK
  • 1975 "Papa Oom Mow Mow" #38 UK
  • 1976 "You Belong To Me", Bell 1473, 2/76, #40 UK
  • 1977 "It Takes All Night Long" #25 UK
  • 1977 "A Little Boogie Woogie in the Back of Mind" #31 UK
  • 1978 "Oh What a Fool I've Been" / "365 Days (Hurry On Home)"
  • 1979 "Superhero"

1980s

  • 1980 "Gary Glitter EP" #57 UK
  • 1980 "What Your Mama Don't See"
  • 1980 "When I'm On, I'm On"
  • 1981 "And Then She Kissed Me" #39 UK
  • 1981 "All That Glitters" #48 UK
  • 1982 "Dedicated Man"
  • 1984 "Dance Me Up" #25 UK
  • 1984 "Another Rock N' Roll Christmas" #7 UK
  • 1985 "Love Comes" #91 UK (Charted for 3 weeks)
  • 1987 "Rock & Roll Part 3"
  • 1987 "Gary Glitter & Girlschool - I'm The Leader Of The Gang" #12 AUS
  • 1988 "Frontiers of Style"

1990s

  • 1990 "Red Hot (Reputation) UK #87 (Charted for 1 month)
  • 1991 "Ready to Rock"
  • 1992 "Rock On" #58 UK
  • 1992 "Through The Years" #49 UK
  • 1995 "House of the Rising Sun" #15 NZ
  • 1995 "Hello, Hello I'm Back Again (Again!) #50 UK

2000s

  • 2001 "You" Fan Club Single - Mail Order Only
  • 2004 "Control" Fan Club Single - Mail Order Only
  • 2005 "Field of Dreams"

Covers/samples

  • 1980 Holiday 80 EP by The Human League (includes cover of "Rock and Roll" as part of a medley with Iggy Pop's "Nightclubbing")
  • 1984 "I Love You Love" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (US)
  • 1988 "KLF - Doctorin' the Tardis" by The Timelords Featuring Gary Glitter #1 UK (features samples of "Rock and Roll (Parts 1 and 2)")
  • 1989 "Let's Party" Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers #1 UK (features a sample of Glitter's "Another Rock 'N Roll Christmas")
  • 1995 "Hello" by Oasis (is partly copied from "Hello, Hello, I'm Back Again")

Studio albums

Live albums

  • (1974) Remember Me This Way #5 UK (live/soundtrack)
  • (1988) The Gang, the Band, the Leader
  • (1990) Live and Alive
  • (2005) Live in Concert

Compilations

  • (1976) Greatest Hits #33 UK
  • (1977) I Love You Love Me Love
  • (1979) Always Yours
  • (1980) Leader
  • (1981) Golden Greats
  • (1987) C'mon, C'mon ... It's the Gary Glitter Party Album
  • (1992) Many Happy Returns #35 UK
  • (1995) 20 Greatest Hits
  • (1997) The Ultimate Gary Glitter (AKA 25 Years of Hits)
  • (1998) Rock and Roll - Gary Glitters Greatest Hits
  • (2003) The Early Years
  • (2005) The Remixes
  • (2006) The Best of Gary Glitter

Partial filmography

  • (1974) Remember Me This Way

A cinema film, documenting Glitter's 1973 Christmas tour, issued on DVD in 2005.

  • (1980) Live at The Rainbow

VHS release of Glitter performing his greatest hits and new songs in concert, issued on DVD in 2006.

  • (1983) Heinz Soup Commercial

Glitter in a humorous commercial for Heinz lentil soup. Features a voice-over by Alan Freeman.

Comedy sketch show featuring Glitter as a special guest star.

Glitter is presented the big red book by Michael Aspel in this show which honours him after 30 years in showbusiness. When Aspel approached him Gary ran away and had to be persuaded to take part.

  • (1990s) The Leader Talks

Glitter hosts his own chat show.

  • (1996) Clive Anderson All Talk

Chat show with Glitter as a guest.

  • (1996) MasterCard Masters of Music Concert for the Prince's Trust

Live performance.

Glitter also made regular appearances on many other TV shows, including, but not restricted to, Top of the Pops (1970s - 1990s), Supersonic (1970s), TVAM (1980s) and GMTV (1990s). His music has also been used in many commercials, TV shows and movies. An incomplete list of this can be found at www.imdb.com.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article.ece/
  2. ^ polyhex.com UK Singles Chart runs.
  3. ^ Dave Simpson (December 14, 2006). Christmas without Glitter?.
  4. ^ GLITTER NEWS PAGE.
  5. ^ J. Vanderlinden. Gary's NewsPage.
  6. ^ Glitter jailed over child porn. BBC News (November 12, 1999).
  7. ^ Glitter deported from Cambodia. BBC News (7 January, 2003).
  8. ^ Gary Glitter arrested in Vietnam. BBC News (19 November 2005).
  9. ^ Glitter seeks new jail term cut. BBC News (8 April 2007).
  10. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/550343.stm
  11. ^ http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/glitter_gary//album.jhtml
  12. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/.stm
  13. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/.stm
  14. ^ http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GARY_GLITTER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
  15. ^ http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VIETNAM_GLITTER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
  16. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/.stm
  17. ^ http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/ap//.html
  18. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/.stm
  19. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,,00.html
  20. ^ http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article.ece
  21. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/.stm
  22. ^ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,,00.html
  23. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4964292.stm
  24. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/.stm
  25. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/.stm
  26. ^ http://www.breakingnews.ie/2006/06/15/story.html
  27. ^ http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01CAS
  28. ^ http://msnbc.msn.com/id//
  29. ^ http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page//
  30. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/.stm
  31. ^ http://www.philbrodieband.com/muso_solo_bestselling_singles.htm
  32. ^ http://www.everyhit.com/bestsellingsingles.html

External links

Further reading

  • Glitter, Gary Leader: The Autobiography of Gary Glitter (Ebury Press, 1991). ISBN.

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Artist. Copyright © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ® , a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Gary Glitter".  Read more

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