Gary Barlow (born January 20, 1971 in Frodsham, Cheshire, England) is an English singer, pianist, songwriter, bandleader and producer. He is a member of the pop group Take That, and was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1990s, penning no fewer than 16 hit singles during the decade. Barlow had 2 #1's and 5 further Top 40 UK Singles as a solo singer in the final half of the 1990s alone. He is also a 4 time recipient of the prestigious Ivor Novello Awards.
He is a close friend of the music legend Sir Elton John. He sang backup on Johns hit "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from the film The Lion King . In 2014, he attended the wedding of Elton John to his husband David Furnish.
He rose to fame as the lead singer and songwriter of Take That , who dominated the UK charts as Britains biggest pop act from 1992 until they announced their split on 13 February 1996.
He became a father for the first time at the age of 29 when his wife Dawn Andrews gave birth to their son Daniel Barlow on 16 August 2000. He became a father for the second time at the age of 31 when Andrews gave birth to their daughter Emily Barlow on 31 May 2002. He became a father for the third time at the age of 37 when Andrews gave birth to their daughter Daisy Barlow on 14 January 2009. When Barlow was 41, his wife Dawn Andrews gave birth to their stillborn daughter Poppy Barlow on 4 August 2012.
He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2012 Queens Birthday Honours List for his services to the Entertainment Industry and to Charity.
At one point in his life in 2002, Barlow weighed 238lbs and secluded himself in his home for 4 months.
He suffers from a bad back, which plagued him when he climbed Mt Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief, 2009. It took four days to scale, and two to get back down. It raised 1.4 million pounds for charity.
and they helped me back on the wheelchair. It was so embarrassing.
[to an X Factor contestant] The work that needs to be done to your voice,is surgical work.
[asked what he wears in bed] Nothing. Not a thing.
Oh, they [some horses in an enclosure in front of him] like me. Typical.
[he does not like horses],[asked how Take That decide who sings lead vocals on their songs] We use,judo to decide.
Every year, I swear I look forward to May the 4th just so I can say:,"May the 4th be with you".
