Del.icio.usGary Glitter
Fact Sheet
| Occupation | Singer |
| Musical genre: | Rock & Roll |
| Birthday | 8 May 1944 (67) |
| Sign | Taurus |
| Birthplace | Banbury, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom |
Born Paul Francis Gadd in 1944 (many sources erroneously give his year of birth as 1941), it was as a teenager that Glitter performed at various bars and pubs in London, eventually landing a deal with Decca Records. His first single as "Alone in the Night" (1960), released under the name Paul Raven. He signed with Parlophone Records in 1961, and Raven released two unsuccessful singles, appearing on Ready Steady Go, a television show, and working in several commercials. In 1965, Raven joined in the Mike Leander Show Band, also producing singles by Thane Russell and the Poets. After the collapse of the Mike Leander Show Band, Raven formed Boston International (later known as the Bostons) with John Rossall, a professional saxophonist. Boston International toured widely. Using the name Paul Monday, the singer released "Musical Man" and "Here Comes the Sun" (George Harrison), then "Soul Thing" and "Stand!" (Sly & The Family Stone) were released as Paul Raven. This was followed by "We're All Living in One Place" as Rubber Bucket.
Finally, Leander and Glitter decided that glam rock was the way to go, and began recording "Rock and Roll", a fifteen minute song that eventually became two parts ("Rock and Roll (Part 1)" and "Rock and Roll (Part 2)"). Before the song was released, Gary Glitter chose his modern name. "Rock and Roll" eventually became a huge hit in 1972 in the United Kingdom, though it took six months to enter the charts. This was followed by a series of singles, all successful, as were the first two albums, Glitter and Touch Me.
With his shows and persona becoming more and more outrageous, Glitter's fame showed no sign of stopping. "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)", "I Love You Love Me Love" and "Remember Me This Way" were all huge hits. Glitter's back up band, the Glitter Band, even became hit-makers by association, hitting the top 3 with Angel Face.
Gary Glitter continued to please audiences as his records and tours continued to be successful. "Always Yours", "Oh Yes! You're Beautiful", "Doing Alright With the Boys" and "Love Like You and Me" continued to put him high in the charts. This (and sell out concerts around the world) kept his name in the spotlight.
In late 1975, he sang the album cut "Satan's Daughter" on Pop TV show "Supersonic." Glitter later announced in a Radio interview that public reaction was so good to the record that it was going to be his next single. However, it was never released.
He retired briefly in 1976, but by the end of 1977 he was back in the charts with "It Takes All Night Long", from his album of that year, "Silver Star". However by 1978 his records were no longer making high chart positions. Glitter left the UK in 1980 to tour other parts of the world.
In the 1980s, Glitter took a major part in The Rocky Horror Show in New Zealand. After "All That Glitters" (1981), a medley of past hits, re-launched a successful career as a performer. Glitter then was able to once again fill the major concert venues that he was playing to at the peak of his fame. In 1984 he scored more chart success with "Dance Me Up" and the festive classic "Another Rock And Roll Christmas". "Love Comes" followed, in 1985. Glitter maintained a high profile for the rest of the decade, appearing in Television Commercials, Billboards, Talk Shows, etc.
In 1988 "Rock And Roll (Part 1)" was sampled as part of The Timelords' number one UK single, "Doctorin' the Tardis". Also featuring Sweet's "Blockbuster" and the Doctor Who theme, the single hit #1 in the charts on June 21. While the Timelords probably didn't originally ask for permission to use Glitter's music, a credit was negotiated for him on later releases. He also sings the lead vocal on a bonus track for the mid 1990s rerelease of the single, "Gary Joins The JAMS". While the original lyrics mainly referenced Doctor Who, Glitter's new vocals instead refer almost exclusively to his own songs and album titles, particularly "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" and "Touch Me".
Active in several projects during the '80s and early 1990s, Glitter released a cover of the Animals' "The House of the Rising Sun", which was a major hit. In 1995 Oasis sampled Glitters' top 5 hit "Hello, Hello, I'm Back Again" on their chart-topping album "Morning Glory". In 1996, he played a role in The Who's Quadrophenia tour, as The Godfather during "The Punk Meets the Godfather" song. His new career fell apart on November 18, 1997, after he took his computer to UK computer store PC World to be mended. The staff there found pornographic images of children on the hard drive and called the police. Glitter was arrested and, on November 12, 1999, was convicted on child pornography charges; he was sentenced to four months in prison. This prompted his scene in the Spice Girls movie called Spice World: The Movie to be cut from the final release.
After his release from prison, Glitter moved to Cuba in 2000. After his whereabouts were published in British newspapers, he relocated to Cambodia but was later expelled by the Cambodian authorities after a public outcry at his presence.
In September 2001, Glitter released a new album, called On, featuring new material alongside tracks recorded prior to his conviction. Many of these songs were originally written for the Lost On Life Street album, which was scheduled for release in 1998 but was cancelled following Glitter's arrest.
It was reported in December 2004 that Glitter was once again living in Cambodia, and had bought a house there, after he had issued the single "Control". However, in November 2005, news broke that the Vietnamese government were extraditing Glitter, after it was found that he had been sharing accomodation with an underage female.
In 2005, 'Remember Me This Way' the documentary movie filmed at Glitter's career peak in 1973 (and originally released in 1974) was issued for the first time on DVD.