Gary Barlow

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 identified Trevor Horn, and future collaborators Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), as important early influences.

He has credited Elton John with inspiring him to play the piano.

Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality.

He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That.

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.

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 eight number-one albums with Take That.

Barlow has also established himself as a talent show judge and television personality.

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).

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" and "The Power of Love" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

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".

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") which was never released commercially.

Barlow was eventually put in touch with casting agent Nigel Martin-Smith, by renowned 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.

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".

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".

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.

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.

He has judged on The X Factor UK (2011–2013), as well as Let It Shine (2017) and Walk the Line (2021), the latter two of which were cancelled after only one series.

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.

The first CD he bought was by the Pet Shop Boys, who later supported Take That on the Progress Live tour in 2011.

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.