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Williams rose to fame in Take That's first run in the early-to-mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and group members, Williams left the group in 1995 to launch a solo career, in which all but one of his 11 studio albums have reached number one in the UK. Williams also released seven number-one singles.[1] On 15 July 2010, he rejoined Take That. The group's subsequent album Progress became the second fastest-selling album in UK chart history[2] and the fastest-selling record of the century at the time.[3] Gary Barlow has since confirmed that Williams had left for a second time, although the departure was amicable and that Williams was welcome to rejoin Take That in the future.[4]
He is the best-selling British solo artist in the United Kingdom and the best selling non-Latino artist in Latin America. Six of his albums are among the top 100 biggest-selling albums in the United Kingdom–four albums in the top 60–and in 2006 he entered the Guinness Book of World Records for selling 1.6 million tickets of his Close Encounters Tour in a single day.[5]
Williams has received a record eighteen Brit Awards—winning Best British Male four times, and two awards for Outstanding Contribution to Music and the 2016 Brits Icon for his "lasting impact on British culture", eight German ECHO Awards, and three MTV European Music Awards.[6] In 2004, he was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame after being voted the "Greatest Artist of the 1990s". According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), Williams has been certified for 19.8 million albums and 6.6 million singles in the UK as a solo artist.[7] He is also one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold 75 million records worldwide. Williams also topped the 2000–2010 UK airplay chart, racking up almost 50% more plays than the Sugababes at number 2. In 2014, he was awarded the freedom of his home town of Stoke-on-Trent, as well as having a tourist trail created and streets named in his honour.
Contents
1 Early life
2 Take That
2.1 1990–95: First stint
2.2 2009–Present: Second stint
3 Solo career
3.1 1996–98: Life thru a Lens and I've Been Expecting You
3.2 1999–2001: Sing When You're Winning and Swing When You're Winning
3.3 2002–05: Escapology and Intensive Care
3.4 2006–09: Rudebox and Reality Killed the Video Star
3.5 2010–12: In and Out of Consciousness and Take the Crown
3.6 2013–14: Swings Both Ways and Under the Radar Volume 1
3.7 2016–present: The Heavy Entertainment Show and Under the Radar Volume 2
4 Other projects
4.1 Collaborations
4.2 Other work
4.3 Video game
4.4 Los Angeles Vale F.C.
4.5 Farrell clothing
4.6 Musical theatre
5 Achievements
6 Personal life
6.1 Health issues
6.2 Interests
6.3 Relationships and fatherhood
6.4 Wealth
6.5 Charity
7 Awards and nominations
8 Discography
9 Tours
10 Robbie Williams Band
10.1 Timeline
11 References
12 Further reading
13 External links
Early life
Williams was born on 13 February 1974 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. His parents, Janet (née Farrell) and Peter Williams (also known as Pete Conway), ran a pub called the Red Lion in Burslem, before his father became the licensee at the Port Vale FC Social Club; this led to Williams' lifelong affinity for the team.[8] His maternal grandfather was Irish and hailed from Kilkenny.[9] Williams attended St Margaret Ward Catholic School in Tunstall,[10] before attending dance school UKDDF in Tunstall. He participated in several school plays, and his biggest role was that of the Artful Dodger in a production of Oliver!, the musical adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist.[11]
Take That
Main article: Take That
1990–95: First stint
In 1990, the sixteen-year-old Williams was the youngest member to join Take That. According to the documentary Take That: For the Record, his mother read an advertisement seeking members for a new boy band and suggested that he try out for the group. He met fellow member Mark Owen on the day of his audition/interview with Nigel Martin-Smith. During the heights of the band's popularity, Williams was known as the extrovert and cheeky practical joker of the band. Although the majority of the band's material was written and performed by Gary Barlow, Williams did perform lead vocals on their first Top Ten hit "Could It Be Magic", "I Found Heaven", and "Everything Changes". However, he had conflicts with Martin-Smith over the restrictive rules for Take That members, and he began drinking more alcohol and dabbling in cocaine.[12]
In November 1994, Williams's drug abuse had escalated to the point of his having a near drug overdose the night before the group was scheduled to perform at the MTV Europe Music Awards.[13] According to the documentary For the Record, he stated that he was unhappy with his musical ideas not being taken seriously by lead singer Barlow and Martin-Smith, because his desire to explore hip hop and rap conflicted with the band's usual ballads. Barlow explained in interviews that Williams had given up trying to offer creative input and merely did as he was told. As well as Williams's friction with the management of the band, Jason Orange had problems with his increasingly belligerent behaviour, his lack of interest in performing, and his frequent habit of missing the band's rehearsals.
Both Orange and Barlow confronted Martin-Smith about the internal conflict, because they did not want him dropping out while touring and before any possible future touring of America, which never took place. During one of the last rehearsals before the tour commenced, the group confronted Williams about his attitude and stated they wanted to do the tour without him. He agreed to quit and left the group in July 1995; it would be the last time for twelve years that they were all together. Despite the departure of Williams, Take That completed their Nobody Else Tour as a four-piece band. They later disbanded on 13 February 1996, Williams's 22nd birthday.[14]
Shortly afterwards, Williams was photographed by the press partying with the members of Oasis at Glastonbury Festival. Following his departure, he became the subject of talk shows and newspapers as he acknowledged his plans to become a solo singer, and he was spotted partying with George Michael in France. However, a clause in his Take That contract prohibited him from releasing any material until after the group was officially dissolved, and he was later sued by Martin-Smith and forced to pay $200,000 in commission. After various legal battles over his right to a solo career, Williams was victorious in getting released from his contract with BMG. On 27 June 1996, Williams signed with Chrysalis Records.
2009–Present: Second stint
On 27 March 2009, Williams stated he felt ready to re-join Take That. He said: "I'm in regular contact with them, even Gaz, and it's looking more likely by the week. The lads all seem up for it and some people think it's a done deal. I think it would be fun."[15] Williams was eager to re-join the band on their The Circus Live tour, but these plans never materialised. In September 2009, Williams was reported to be working in New York with Take That, however these rumours were never confirmed.[16]
While it was rumoured that Williams would reunite with Take That on 12 November 2009 for a Children in Need charity concert at The Royal Albert Hall, they merely greeted each other warmly on stage between performances. However, both did join with the other acts in the final song of the evening, with Williams putting his arm around Gary Barlow and singing "Hey Jude".
On 15 July 2010, Williams rejoined Take That. In November 2010 the Take That album Progress was released, becoming the fastest selling album since 2000 and the second fastest selling album in UK history. Williams explained that the long-standing feud between himself and Gary has been resolved, and how close they now were.[17] The band also announced the Progress Live tour which would travel across the UK, including a record breaking 8 nights at Wembley Stadium in London,[18] then continue across Europe. The tour was the fastest selling in UK history with ticket hotlines and websites crashing under the demand.[18]
In August 2012, Take That performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Williams was due to perform with the band but dropped out due to his wife giving birth at around the same time and thus the group performed as a four-piece.[19] Due to his solo-career commitments, Williams chose not to return for Take That's seventh and eighth studio albums and their accompanying tours. Despite his absence, Gary Barlow still considers Williams part of the band, stating that "the band is for us all to come and go and we please."[20] Williams continues to write music with his bandmates and has performed with the band on several occasions since 2011's Progress tour[21] and plans on returning for a full tour to celebrate Take That's 25th anniversary.[22]
Solo career
1996–98: Life thru a Lens and I've Been Expecting You
Main articles: Life thru a Lens and I've Been Expecting You
After leaving Take That, Williams launched his solo career starting off in 1996 by covering George Michael's "Freedom", the single reached number two in the UK Singles Chart.[23] Recordings for Williams's first album began at London's Maison Rouge studios in March 1997.
FO,A
I’m now convinced that the only reason this game is popular is the only equipment needed was something to kick around. And most of the world is poor.
Oh and there we go. The only thing to happen in this fuckfest is a guy heading the ball into his own goal. No doubt will be beheaded at midpitch.