Marti Pellow
Marti Pellow | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Mark McLachlan |
Born | 23 March 1965 |
Origin | Clydebank, Scotland |
Genres |
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Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 1982–present |
Website | martipellowofficial |
Marti Pellow (born Mark McLachlan; 23 March 1965) is a Scottish singer. He was the lead singer of the Scottish pop group Wet Wet Wet for 28 years: from their formation in 1982 until their split in 1997, and again from their reformation in 2004 to his departure in 2017. He has also recorded albums as a solo artist, and performed as an actor in musical theatre productions in both the West End and on Broadway.
Early life
Pellow's first exposure to music occurred around the age of 7. He would listen to his mother's
When he told his father about the direction he wanted his life to take, he was less than enthusiastic. "'Are you on a
In 1982, at the age of seventeen, McLachlan, who was training to be a
Wet Wet Wet
Pellow enjoyed success with Wet Wet Wet throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. However, in 1997 drummer Tommy Cunningham left the band over a royalties dispute and its success waned immediately. Pellow was by this time addicted to heroin. On finally overcoming his addiction, he stated: "It was textbook. I couldn't function without it. But there's no romantic side to heroin – it's no good."[3]
Pellow left Wet Wet Wet in May 1999, effectively disbanding the group.[4] They reformed, however, in March 2004. On 28 July 2017, Pellow departed from Wet Wet Wet to focus on his solo career.[5]
Solo career
Pellow began his career as a solo artist in association with
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.[7] Also in 2002, Pellow released Marti Pellow Sings the Hits of Wet Wet Wet & Smile, an 18-track compilation that included three songs from the latter album.
In November 2003, he issued an album of
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
Pellow won the second series of the prime-time
Between February and July 2007, Pellow performed at several
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.[8][9]
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 saw the release of his Love To Love album, a fully orchestrated and romantic tribute to his favourite love songs that saw Pellow back in the UK charts, as well as starring in a touring production of Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde, beginning in January at The Churchill Theatre, Bromley, and ran to the end of July 2011.[10]
On 17 August 2012, Pellow performed his new concert show Boulevard of Life with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra at Dublin's National Concert Hall. The conductor for the show was Fiachra Trench, a previous collaborator. It showcased songs from his 30-year career, both with the band and from his work in musical theatre.
He performed the role of The Sung Thoughts of the Journalist in the 2012–13 arena tour of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds – Alive on Stage! The New Generation.
Pellow appeared as Che Guevara in Evita on tour around the UK in 2013, and subsequently reprised the role in a limited-run West End production of the musical from 15 September 2014 at the Dominion Theatre.
Pellow played the narrator in Willy Russell's Blood Brothers at Hastings White Rock Theatre between 23 and 28 March 2015.
In 2021, he confirmed the release of new single "These Are the Days" and album Stargazer.[11][12]
Personal life
In October 2003, Pellow's then-ex-bandmates attended his mother's 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."[7]
Discography
Albums
Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certification | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [14] |
GER
[15] |
IRE [16] |
NL
[17] | ||||||
2001 | Smile
|
7 | 71 | 41 | 44 | ||||
2002 | Marti Pellow Sings the Hits of Wet Wet Wet & Smile
|
34 | — | — | — |
| |||
2003 | Between the Covers
|
66 | — | — | — | ||||
2006 | Moonlight Over Memphis
|
27 | — | — | — | ||||
2008 | Sentimental Me
|
161 | — | — | — | ||||
2010 | Devil and the Monkey
|
— | — | — | — | ||||
2011 | Love to Love
|
27 | — | 15 | — | ||||
2013 | Hope
|
60 | — | — | — | ||||
2014 | Boulevard of Life
|
— | — | — | — | ||||
2015 | Love to Love - Volume 2
|
— | — | — | — | ||||
2017 | Mysterious
|
54 | — | — | — | ||||
2021 | Stargazer
|
18 | — | — | — | ||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. |
Singles
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [14] |
IRE [16] |
NL
[17] | |||||
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 | ||
2011 | "Don't Know Much" | — | — | — | Love to Love | ||
2014 | "Goodbye My Sweet Lady" | — | — | — | Boulevard of Life | ||
2017 | "Sound of My Breaking Heart" | — | — | — | Mysterious | ||
"Mysterious" | — | — | — | ||||
2021 | "These Are the Days" | — | — | — | Stargazer | ||
"Stargazer" | — | — | — | ||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or was not released. |
References
- ^ a b From Glasgow to Memphis documentary
- ^ "About Marti". Marti Pellow's official website. Archived from the original on 17 February 2007. 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. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ Clarke, Emily (28 July 2017). "Marti Pellow announces Wet Wet Wet departure". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ^ Behind The Smile documentary, 2004
- ^ a b "Marti Opens His Heart About Mother's Death" – Daily Record, 10 November 2003
- ^ "Horny Devil Marti Is On A Witch Hunt", Sunday Mail, 6 January 2008
- ^ Witchesofeastwickthemusical.com Archived 28 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Marti Pellow Fronts Jekyll & Hyde National Tour", Whatsonstage.com, 11 November 2010
- ^ "Marti Pellow returning with new solo album Stargazer". Retropopmagazine.com. 23 February 2021.
- ^ "Marti Pellow: Greatest Hits Tour 2021". Martipellowofficial.co.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ McGurk, John (27 July 2013). "Wet Wet Wet singer Marti Pellow is keen to bury false stories". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
- ^ a b "UK Charts > Marti Pellow". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "Charts.de – Albums / Marti Pellow". charts.de. Retrieved 15 April 2011.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Irish Charts > Marti Pellow". irishcharts.com Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Dutch Charts > Marti Pellow". dutchcharts.nl Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
- ^ a b "BPI Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2011.