Gilbert O’Sullivan
| Gilbert O'Sullivan | |
|---|---|
O'Sullivan on TopPop, 1974
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Raymond Edward O'Sullivan |
| Born |
1 December 1946 Waterford, Ireland |
| Origin | Swindon, Wiltshire, England |
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| Years active | 1967–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | www |
Gilbert O'Sullivan (born Raymond Edward O'Sullivan, 1 December 1946) is an Irish singer-songwriter, best known for his early 1970s hits "Alone Again (Naturally)", "Clair", and "Get Down". The music magazine Record Mirror voted him the top UK male singer of 1972.
Worldwide he has charted 16 top-40 records, including six #1 songs, the first of which was 1970's "Nothing Rhymed". Such was his popularity in the early 1970s that "Matrimony", an airplay and live favourite from his debut album Himself, remains one of his most famous compositions despite only having been a hit single in the Netherlands where it reached #4.
His most successful recording period was between 1970 and 1980, though he has since recorded ten studio albums up to 2015. Speaking in 2009 he said, "I write pop songs. End of story. That's all I wanted to do. That's all I want to do. And that's all I continue to want to do. I have no interest in just touring, and living in the past."
Raymond Edward O'Sullivan was born in Cork Road, Waterford, Ireland. In 1953, when he was seven, his family moved to Battersea, London; when he was eight they moved to Swindon, Wiltshire, England. He attended St Joseph's and the Swindon College of Art, where he briefly played drums in a band called Rick's Blues, along with Malcolm Mabbett (guitar), Keith Ray (bass), and founder Rick Davies (who later founded Supertramp) and where he developed his lifelong interests in music and art. According to a 1972 interview with O'Sullivan, Davies taught him how to play both drums and piano. Other semi-professional bands he played with while at college include the Doodles and the Prefects.
In 1967, O'Sullivan was signed to a five-year contract with April Music, CBS Records' house publishing company, after coming to the attention of the professional manager Stephen Shane, who also suggested changing his name from Ray to Gilbert as a play on the name of the operetta composers Gilbert & Sullivan. His songs at the time were avant-garde, and even drew the interest of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (Viv Stanshall), who were interested in recording a couple of the songs. He was paid an advance of £12 (equivalent to £200 in 2015) with which he bought a piano. He was signed to CBS Records by the A&R manager Mike Smith (the Tremeloes and the Love Affair). .
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Wikipedia