- Marti Pellow
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Marti Pellow 
Background information Birth name Mark McLachlan Born 23 March 1965 Origin Clydebank, Scotland Genres Pop, soul Occupations Singer, songwriter Instruments vocals Years active 1982–present Associated acts Wet Wet Wet
Maggie Pie & The ImpostorsWebsite http://www.martipellowofficial.co.uk/ Marti Pellow (born Mark McLachlan on 23 March 1965) has been the lead singer of the Scottish pop group Wet Wet Wet since their formation in 1982. He has also recorded solo material.
Contents
Early life
In 1982, at the age of seventeen, McLachlan formed a band with three friends from Clydebank High School in his hometown. The friends were Tommy Cunningham, Graeme Clark and Neil Mitchell, and the band's name was Vortex Motion.[1] This was subsequently changed to Wet Wet Wet, a title taken from the Scritti Politti song, "Gettin, Havin' and Holdin'". McLachlan also changed his birth name in favour of the stage name, Marti Pellow.
Wet Wet Wet
Main article: Wet Wet WetPellow enjoyed success with Wet Wet Wet throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. However, in 1997 drummer Tommy Cunningham left the band and its success waned immediately. Pellow was by this time suffering from an addiction to heroin. On finally beating the drug, he stated: "It was textbook. I couldn't function without it. But there's no romantic side to heroin – it's no good."[2]
Pellow left Wet Wet Wet in May 1999, effectively disbanding the group.[3] They reformed, however, in March 2004.
Solo career
Pellow began his career as a solo artist in association with Chris Difford of Squeeze. In November 1999, Pellow began his first solo tour. On 4 June 2001, he released "Close to You" from his debut solo album, Smile. A further single, "I've Been Around the World", was released that November; towards the end of the year he embarked on a seven-date tour (the Smile Tour) around Britain. In 2002, he hosted and sang in Girls' Night Out, one of a week of shows in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust, at the Royal Albert Hall. This led to him, in 2002, being offered the part of Billy Flynn, the lawyer in the musical Chicago in London's West End and, in 2004, on Broadway.[4][5] Also in 2002, Pellow released Marti Pellow Sings the Hits of Wet Wet Wet & Smile, an 18-track compilation comprising three songs from the latter album.
In November 2003, he issued an album of cover versions, Between the Covers, the single from which was Neil Young's "A Lot of Love".
At the end of June 2004, the reformed band went to a secret location to record tracks for a new album and to prepare for a UK tour. At the tour's conclusion, Pellow recorded Moonlight Over Memphis, with the record producer Willie Mitchell (Al Green, Otis Clay, Ann Peebles, etc.), demonstrating a deep affinity with southern soul. The album was released in October 2006 on DMG TV, a label which has had some success previously with albums by such artists as Jane McDonald and Daniel O'Donnell. Pellow went on tour during October and November to support the album, with a helping hand from regular Wets contributor Graeme Duffin.
Pellow won the second series of the prime-time BBC1 show Just the Two of Us, which began on 2 January 2007, partnering actress Hannah Waterman.
Between February and July 2007, Pellow performed at several jazz clubs and at jazz festivals (Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and The Pigalle Club in London being two examples), the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and "Ronnie Scott’s in the Park" in Woburn. These gigs were followed in April 2008 by the release of his jazz album, Sentimental Me, on Rhino Records (UK), containing well-known jazz songs he sang at the above-mentioned gigs and a self-penned song, as well as an accompanying tour throughout the UK.
In May 2008, Pellow appeared in Sir Tim Rice's concert revival of his hit musical Chess, playing the "Arbiter". The concert took place at the Royal Albert Hall on 12 May and 13 May 2008. In June 2009 it aired on British and American television and was released on DVD.
From late August 2008 until early May 2009 he was playing the leading role in a revival of the musical The Witches of Eastwick.[6][7]
In May 2010, Pellow released his fourth studio album, entitled Devil and the Monkey to coincide with a seven date arena tour with George Benson, performing songs from his new album as well as hits from his solo and Wet Wet Wet career.
2011 has seen the release of his "Love To Love" album, a fully orchestrated and romantic tribute to his favourite love songs which saw Marti Pellow back in the UK charts - as well as starring in a touring production of Broadway musical Jekyll and Hyde, beginning in January at The Churchill Theatre, Bromley and running through to the end of July 2011.[8]
Personal life
On 27 February 1999, Pellow collapsed at the Conrad Hotel in London and was taken to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for tests. He was released the same night.[9]
In October 2003, Pellow's 66-year-old mother, Margaret McLachlan, died after a long battle with kidney disease.[10] Pellow's then-ex-bandmates attended her funeral, a show of support that touched the grieving frontman. "I thought it was a powerful gesture," Pellow said. "Moments like that put things into perspective - it wasn't all about music, it was more about a kinship between us. I remember my mother once saying, 'Maybe Wet Wet Wet will get back together again one day'. She must have had a wee vision. I'd never closed the chapter on the band; I'd always left the door open."[4]
Pellow has been in a long-term relationship with his now-fiancée, former "Miss Scotland" Eileen Catterson.[9][11]
Pellow placed sixth in a 2003 Glasgow Herald poll to determine "The Most Scottish Person in the World".[citation needed]
He resides in Ascot, Berkshire.[citation needed]
Discography
- For the Wet Wet Wet discography, see here.
Albums
Year Album details Peak chart positions Certification UK
[12]GER
[13]IRE
[14]NL
[15]2001 Smile 7 71 41 44 *UK: Gold[16] 2002 Marti Pellow Sings the Hits of Wet Wet Wet & Smile - Released: 18 November 2002
- Label: Universal
- Formats: CD
34 — — — *UK: Gold[16] 2003 Between the Covers - Released: 17 November 2003
- Label: Universal
- Formats: CD
66 — — — 2006 Moonlight Over Memphis - Released: 2 October 2006
- Label: DMG TV
- Formats: CD
27 — — — 2008 Sentimental Me - Released: 14 April 2008
- Label: Warner Music UK / Rhino
- Formats: CD
161 — — — 2010 Devil and the Monkey - Released: 23 May 2010
- Label: D&M Records
- Formats: CD, Download, LP
— — — — 2011 Love to Love - Released: 24 January 2011
- Label: Marti Pellow Records
- Formats: CD
27 — 83 — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions Album UK
[12]IRE
[14]NL
[15]2001 "Close to You" 9 25 66 Smile "I've Been Around the World" 28 — — 2003 "A Lot of Love" 59 — — Between the Covers 2006 "Come Back Home" — — — Moonlight Over Memphis "It's All About" — — — 2008 "Take A Letter Miss Jones" — — — Sentimental Me 2010 "Devil and the Monkey" — — — Devil and the Monkey "—" denotes releases that did not chart or was not released. References
- ^ "About Marti". Marti Pellow's official website. http://www.martipellowofficial.com/html/about_marti.html. Retrieved 15 January 2007.
- ^ "Pellow shocked at the depth of his heroin abuse" - ContactMusic.com
- ^ "Pellow quits Wet Wet Wet". BBC News. 11 May 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/340814.stm. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ a b http://www.webma.nl/martipellow8m/news/wets.html
- ^ Playbill News: "Chicago Star Pellow Chats About Long-Awaited Broadway Debut", Aug. 3
- ^ "Horny Devil Marti Is On A Witch Hunt", Sunday Mail, 06.01.2008
- ^ Witchesofeastwickthemusical.com
- ^ "Marti Pellow Fronts Jekyll & Hyde National Tour", whatsonstage.com, 11.11.2010
- ^ a b "Pop star Pellow back at work". BBC News. 1 March 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/288060.stm. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ http://www.webma.nl/martipellow8m/press/dr_october2003.html
- ^ Scotsman.com Living
- ^ a b / "UK Charts > Marti Pellow". Official Charts Company. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/marti%20pellow /. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
- ^ "Charts.de - Albums / Marti Pellow". charts.de. http://www.charts.de/search.asp?search=marti+pellow&x=1&y=11&cat=a&country=de. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
- ^ a b "Irish Charts > Marti Pellow". irishcharts.com Hung Medien. http://irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Marti+Pellow. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
- ^ a b "Dutch Charts > Marti Pellow". dutchcharts.nl Hung Medien. http://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Marti+Pellow. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
- ^ a b "BPI Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
External links
Discography Studio albums Singles Close to You · I've Been Around the World · A Lot of Love · Come Back Home · Devil and the MonkeyCover albums Wet Wet Wet Categories:- 1965 births
- Living people
- Wet Wet Wet members
- Scottish male singers
- Scottish pop singers
- Scottish singer-songwriters
- Scottish actors
- Reality show winners
- People from Clydebank
- People self-identifying as substance abusers
- People educated at Clydebank High School
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