|
|
|
|
Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams was born
on February 13th 1974 and spent his childhood years living in Stoke-on-Trent
with his mum and older sister Sally. He was always the class joker at St Margaret
Ward High School in Stoke and had a particular gift for singing and acting.
His great love then (and still is now) is Port Vale FC. His mum used to own a
pub just down the road from their training ground and Rob loves to tell the
story of the time he threw two thousand pounds out of the window on a match
day!!! I'm sure his mum loved him for that, especially when her bras and
knickers followed! Along with his mum Jan, he joined a local theatre group,
and was often seen starring in various musicals and plays, his biggest part
was playing 'Dodger' in Oliver. Rob joined Take That when he was
only 16. Rob's mum was the person responsible for him joining the band, she
saw the advert for auditions and suggested that he apply. He did so, and as
soon as the other members saw him, they knew he was the right man for the
job. For five years, Robbie became the joker of the band, always smiling and
playing gags on people as they rose to record-breaking stardom. By the demise of Take That they
had notched up eight number ones and three hit albums, not to mention
millions of adoring fans around the world. But on July 17th 1995 all that was
to stop, when he left the band. 'I quit' read all the headlines in the
newspapers the next day. But, over the following weeks, Robbie gave
interviews to the effect that he was in fact given the push. Since then there
have been many rumours and misquotes about what Rob has said and what the
other members of Take That have said about Rob's time in the band. What Rob
confirms is that being a member of the band was constricting. Never being
allowed to be his own person, Rob was the one that no-one took seriously. He
gave up putting input into the band from early on and just did what he was
told. They had strict rules about how
they should behave and Rob being the extrovert that he is found these 'rules'
unbelievably hard on him. They were cushioned and protected from the outside
world and Rob once said it was similar to being in prison - 'Take That
Towers'. He seeked refuge in Cocaine and Alcohol, both of which were ready
available to him with no arguments. It's believed by some that his
record label had a clause in his contract to prevent him from releasing any
solo singles when he left Take That. Various legal battles ensued
until finally, on June 27th 1996 Robbie held a press conference at a London hotel where he announced that his
contract with BMG was ending and he had signed to 'Chrysalis Records'. His first ever solo single on
this label would be George Michael's 'Freedom' . It was released on July 29th
1996 exactly one year after his departure from Take That. It reached No 2 in
the UK charts, narrowly beaten by the Spice Girls. Life began to get a bit rough
for Robbie during the following months, he met Jacquie Hamilton-Smith at a
New Years Eve Party of 1996, moved in with her the next day and partied (in
more ways that one) for exactly one year before coming to his senses. In the middle of all this he
released his second single 'Old Before I Die' on April 14th 1997 which also
reached No 2 in the charts. At the beginning of June 1997 after
many bad reports in the media, following the advice of Elton John and George
Michael, Rob checked himself into Clouds House Drink and Drugs Rehabilitation
Clinic in Salisbury, Wilstshire to undergo treatment for his addiction to
alcohol and drugs. Rob was photographed (right) as he left for the rehab
centre joking about the lack of attention he was receiving compared to other
celebrities that have gone down the same road as him previously. The release of 'Lazy Days'
followed soon after on July 14th, and made it's first appearance in the UK
charts at No 8, to be followed shortly after by South Of The Border. December 1997 was the real
beginning for Rob, he released 'Angels' as his Christmas single, never
knowing quite what an impact it would have on the market. Into the new year
of 1998 it was still in the charts and 'Life Thru A Lens' shot back into the
album charts and has been there ever since. Robbie truly had arrived, signing
up thousands of new fans daily. He began to gain respect from
every quarter of the music business and showed that he definitely was NOT the
next Andrew Ridgely! With songs from the last album 'I've Been Expecting You'
gaining him even more credibility in the pop world (Millennium being his
first solo number one back in September 98). He's even managed to notch up
several Ivor Novello Awards too, something no-one could ever have predicted
say four years ago. He’s album 'Singing When Your Winning' was released on 28th August
2000, the title says it all really doesn't it? He relesed 5 smash-hits (Rock
DJ, Supreme, Kids feat. Kylie Minogue…) Rob definitely is getting the
last laugh… Angels I sit and wait So when I'm lying in my bed And through it all she offers me protection When I'm feeling weak Chorus x 2 |
|
