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Gary Howard | |
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 Howard performing at the Alles Wasser-Festival in Vienna (2008) | |
| Born | Gary William Howard 16 June 1955 |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Years active | 1979–present |
Gary William Howard (born 16 June 1955) [1] is a British musician, best known as a member of the a cappella group The Flying Pickets.
Gary William Howard was born in Ilford, Essex on 16 June 1955. His father John was a mechanic who was also in a folk band called the Pathfinders, for whom John played acoustic guitar. John also taught Howard how to play acoustic guitar, and Howard subsequently began to play frequently with his father and the band at the age of seven. Howard describes his father as one of the greatest influences in his life. Howard's mother Angie was a nurse.
Howard spent his entire childhood in Liverpool and attended the Liverpool Collegiate School and the King David School. He dropped out of school at the age of 16, and worked as a welder. After three years working as a welder, Howard finally got his dream of entering the Liverpool Hope University, where he began studying as an engineer. In 1971, he got a degree in mechanical engineering, and between 1971 and 1979, he worked as one of the Royal Engineers. His musical career then began in 1979, when he began performing acoustic guitar for the Royal Engineers Acoustic Group, along with his fellow engineers.
Howard's musical career began when he was seven when he began playing acoustic guitar for a folk rock group the Pathfinders, for whom Howard's father John also played acoustic guitar. However, Howard rose to prominence as a member of the Royal Engineers Acoustic Band, for whom he played acoustic guitar from 1979 to 1985. In 1985, he left the Royal Engineers to pursue a career as a solo recording artist, and found himself working with The Christians and Paul McCartney. [2]
In 1986, Howard became noticed by the a cappella group The Flying Pickets, who had had a hit in the charts years before with a cover version of Yazoo's "Only You". The Flying Pickets recruited Howard to play backing acoustics during their recording and performing sessions, and through his years with The Flying Pickets he became close friends with the band's late lead vocalist Brian Hibbard. Howard remained with the band for over a decade, before departing to pursue a solo music career, although he remained close to Hibbard right up to Hibbard's death from cancer in 2012.
After his departure from the Flying Pickets in 1994, Howard toured as a singer with the Alan Parsons Live band and appeared on their album. Howard got his first big solo score with an acoustic version of the Gerry & the Pacemakers hit and Liverpool F.C. anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone", which he released with Virgin Records in 1996. This, and his own acoustic versions of Yazoo and Flying Pickets hit "Only You" and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", as well as his own penned single "Stay for the Night", were also released on his Virgin Records debut album, Come As You Please , which was released on 23 November 2003. [3]
In 2009, he released his first single in six years, his own penned single "I'm Losing You", which charted in the UK Singles Chart. The following year, an acoustic version of the "Chicago" hit "If You Leave Me Now" was accompanied by his second album Dreaming of Paradise , another popular album, released on 4 July 2010. The album was even more successful than his debut album, with this album reaching Number 12 in the UK Albums Chart after his debut album reached Number 25.
On 2 July 2012, Howard fronted a Flying Pickets reunion in a concert dedicated to the Flying Pickets late lead singer Brian Hibbard, who had died following a prolonged battle with prostate cancer. The concert featured Howard on acoustic guitar with new lead vocalist Andrea Figallo on lead vocals, and also featured appearances by Alison Moyet, Gerry Marsden, Paul McCartney, Jim Diamond and Tony Christie. In 2015, Howard joined the European Tour of Austrian AOR-band Cornerstone for a few concerts. [4]
Since 1995, Howard has performed annually at the Isle of Wight Festival along with his backing band The Jazzmasters. At the Festival, he regularly plays some hits by the Flying Pickets and other artists, and has also performed some of his own written songs.
Howard has been married to his wife Alison Brannigan since 1980. They have two daughters, Emma and Kirsty, and a son, David. Howard and Alison currently reside in Wallasey, Merseyside, with their pet Alsatian Scotty.
Howard is a strong supporter of Liverpool F.C., and sung a renowned version of their anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone", originally composed by Rodgers and Hammerstein for the Musical Carousel. It was made popular in the 1960s by Gerry & the Pacemakers, one of his greatest influences.
Gerry and the Pacemakers, were a British beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. Their early successes alongside the Beatles were instrumental in popularizing the Merseybeat sound and launching the wider British beat boom of the mid-1960s.
Herman's Hermits are an English rock and pop group formed in 1963 in Manchester and fronted by singer Peter Noone. Known for their jaunty beat sound and Noone's often tongue-in-cheek vocal style, the Hermits charted with numerous transatlantic hits in the UK and in America, where they ranked as one of the most successful acts in the Beatles-led British Invasion. Between March and August 1965 in the United States, the group logged twenty-four consecutive weeks in the Top Ten of Billboard's Hot 100 with five singles, including the two number ones "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and "I'm Henry VIII, I Am".
"You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and encourage Julie when her husband, Billy Bigelow, the male lead, stabs himself with a knife whilst trying to run away after attempting a robbery with his mate Jigger and dies in her arms. The song is reprised in the final scene to encourage a graduation class of which Louise is a member. The now invisible Billy, who has been granted the chance to return to Earth for one day in order to redeem himself, watches the ceremony and is able to silently motivate Louise and Julie to join in with the song.
The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from 1983 until 1992. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group are best known for their hit single "There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike Badger in 1983 and Mavers joined the next year, although for most of the group's history, the frequently changing line-up revolved around the core duo of Lee Mavers and John Power along with numerous other guitarists and drummers including Paul Hemmings, John "Timmo" Timson, Peter "Cammy" Cammell, Iain Templeton, John "Boo" Byrne, Chris Sharrock, and Neil Mavers.
Gerard Marsden MBE was an English singer-songwriter, musician and television personality, best known for being leader of the Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers. He was the younger brother of fellow band member Freddie Marsden.
Spirit of Place is the debut studio album by Australian folk rock band Goanna. It was originally released in November 1982, it peaked at No. 2 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and was certified double platinum by May 1983.
The Christians are a musical ensemble from Liverpool, England. They had the highest selling debut album of any artist at Island Records and international chart hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The Flying Pickets is a British a cappella vocal group which had a Christmas number one hit in 1983 on the UK Singles Chart with their cover version of Yazoo's track "Only You".
Brian Hibbard was a Welsh actor and singer from Ebbw Vale, Wales, best remembered as the lead vocalist in the original The Flying Pickets.
"Ferry Cross the Mersey" is a song written by Gerry Marsden. It was first recorded by his band Gerry and the Pacemakers and released in late 1964 in the UK and in 1965 in the United States. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number six in the United States and number eight in the UK. The song is from the film of the same name and was released on its soundtrack album. In the mid-1990s, a musical theatre production, also titled Ferry Cross the Mersey, related Gerry Marsden's Merseybeat days; it premiered in Liverpool and played in the UK, Australia, and Canada.
"Fearless" is the third track on the 1971 album Meddle by Pink Floyd. It is a slow acoustic guitar-driven song written by Roger Waters and David Gilmour, and includes audio of football fans singing "You'll Never Walk Alone". It was also released as the B-side of the single along with "One of These Days", and was praised by critics as one of the better songs from Meddle.
"Only You" is a song by English synth-pop duo Yazoo. It was written by member Vince Clarke, while he was still with Depeche Mode, but recorded in 1982 after he formed Yazoo with Alison Moyet. It was released as Yazoo's first single on 15 March 1982 in the United Kingdom, taken from their first album, Upstairs at Eric's (1982), and became an instant success on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number two on 16 May 1982. It would also reach the top 10 in neighbouring Ireland as well as Australia. In the US, "Only You" was released as the band's second single in November 1982 and charted at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also made the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Eagle When She Flies is the thirty-first solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on March 7, 1991, by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Steve Buckingham and Gary Smith, with Parton serving as executive producer. It continues Parton's return to mainstream country sounds following 1989's White Limozeen. The album features collaborations with Lorrie Morgan and Ricky Van Shelton, with additional supporting vocals provided by Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris. The album was a commercial success, becoming Parton's first solo album to peak at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart since 1980s 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs. It was certified Platinum in by the RIAA in 1992. The album spawned four singles, the most successful being "Rockin' Years" with Ricky Van Shelton, which topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. In support of the album, Parton embarked on the Eagle When She Flies Tour, her only concert tour of the 1990s.
"Hello Little Girl" is one of the first songs written by John Lennon, credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. Written in 1957, it was used as one of the songs at the Beatles unsuccessful Decca audition in 1962, included on the 1995 compilation album Anthology 1. A 1960 home demo recording has never been officially released.
The Koobas were an English beat group from Liverpool. Their music, and their early history, is similar in some ways to that of fellow Liverpudlians The Beatles, though they never achieved widespread popularity.
Leslie Charles Maguire was an English musician and retired who was a principal member of the Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers from 1961 to 1966.
Sugar and Spice is the second studio album by the British rock band The Searchers released in 1963. This album features the band's second big hit single "Sugar and Spice". With two successful Top 5 albums in three months, and two other Top 3 hit singles at the time, the group proved to be the strongest to emerge from Liverpool next to the Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers. They solidified their position further with another album track, "Ain't That Just Like Me", which was later released in the US and hit #61 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Ode to Boy" is a song by English synth-pop duo Yazoo. Originally the B-side to their 1982 hit "The Other Side of Love", it was later included on their second and final studio album You and Me Both in 1983. Whereas Yazoo's version is a sparse atmospheric track with synths and percussion, vocalist Alison Moyet later recorded her own version of the song in an uptempo indie-rock style for her 1994 album Essex.
Faron's Flamingos were an English Merseybeat band. Despite their lack of commercial success, they remain an important part of Merseybeat history and have the distinction of being the first major example of the "Mersey Motown" sound with their release of "Do You Love Me".
"Mr Blue" is a song by English synth-pop duo Yazoo, which was released in 1983 on their second and final studio album You and Me Both. The song, written by Vince Clarke, was notably covered by Dutch singer René Klijn in 1993.
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