What Is Gary Barlow's Net Worth?
Gary Barlow OBE is a British-born musician who has a net worth of $125 million. Gary Barlow is a singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer. Gary has received recognition and fame as both the primary vocalist for the band Take That and for his solo work. He is a prolific songwriter who was even voted the greatest British songwriter of all time, beating out both John Lennon and Paul McCartney. In 2012, he was an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contribution to the fields of music and art. As of this writing, Barlow has sold over 50 million albums around the world during his career.
Early Life
Gary Barlow was born on January 20, 1971 in Frodsham, Cheshire, England. He attended Weaver Vale Primary School and moved on to Frodsham High School in 1982. He was heavily influenced by late '70s and early '80s pop artists such as Depeche Mode and has credited Elton John with inspiring him to learn to play the piano. Gary entered a BBC Pebble Mill at One Christmas competition at age 15 and made it to the semi-finals, after which he was invited to London's West Heath Studios to record his song. His first performance was in Wales at the Connah's Quay Labour Club in the late '80s.
Career
In 1989, Barlow appointed show business agent Barry Woolley to be his manager, and he recorded a single, "Love Is in the Air," which was never released commercially. Gary was put in touch with casting agent Nigel Martin-Smith, who was interested in starting a boyband. Martin-Smith decided to use Barlow as the lead singer of said band after being impressed by his self-written songs, including an early demo of his own "A Million Love Songs."
Barlow wrote the majority of the group's songs and is widely recognized now as the lead singer of the boyband Take That. After Gary was chosen as the group's lead singer, Martin-Smith brought Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen, and finally, Robbie Williams into the fold. The group was signed by RCA Records, and they scored their first #1 song with "Pray." Other hits included "A Million Love Songs," "It Only Takes a Minute," and "Could It Be Magic." Take That's debut album, "Take That & Party," was released in August 1992. It quickly reached #2 on the UK Album Chart.
Their second album, "Everything Changes," was based almost solely on Barlow's own material. It shot straight to #1 in the UK and spawned four #1 singles. Gary won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song in 1994 for the #1 hit "Pray." Later that year, Barlow did backing vocals for Elton John's rendition of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from "The Lion King." Take That's third album "Nobody Else," also based on Barlow's own material, went straight to #1 and produced three #1 singles, including Barlow's "Back for Good," arguably still their best-known song today. A greatest hits collection followed, again reaching #1. The album's single "How Deep Is Your Love" was their last single until they reformed in 2005. On February 13, 1996, Take That announced they were disbanding.
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After the break up of Take That, Gary embarked on a solo career that proved to be very successful. His first two singles, "Forever Love" and "Love Won't Wait," both leaped to #1 in the UK. His debut album "Open Road" reached #1 on the UK Albums Chart and sold two million copies worldwide. Barlow's first single to be released in the United States as a solo artist was "So Help Me Girl," which reached #44 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the US "Billboard" Contemporary chart. He achieved another top ten hit in the UK with his single "Open Road," which peaked at #7. Gary released his second LP, "Twelve Months, Eleven Days," in 1999. It received little promotion and peaked at a disappointing #35. In late 1999, Barlow quit his career as a singer. From 2000 to 2004, he was a producer for multiple other artists. In 2005, he resumed his singing career after a six-year break. Gary sold millions of records as a solo artist.
Take That made a comeback in 2005 after they were thrust into the spotlight following the successful TV documentary "Take That: For the Record." New success and renewed interest resulted in Take That experiencing a career renaissance in 2005 when the post-Robbie Williams line-up re-formed for a sold-out arena and stadium tour. Their comeback single "Patience" went to #1 for four weeks in the UK while also topping the charts across Europe. "Patience" won a Brit Award for single of the year. The following single, "Shine," became the band's tenth #1 single. Take That released their first album of new material in over ten years, "Beautiful World." The album peaked at #1 on the UK album chart, and the band was nominated for four Brit Awards (Best British Group, Best British Album, Best British Single, and Best British Live Act) in 2008. They won for Best British Single and Best British Live Act. They later released their second album since their reunion, "The Circus," which went straight to the top of the UK album chart and went multi-platinum just four days after its release.
Since then, the band has released three more very successful albums: "Progress" (2010), "III" (2014), and "Wonderland" (2017). Barlow has also released three more solo studio albums: "Sing" (2012), "Since I Saw You Last" (2013), and "Music Played by Humans" (2020).
In addition to his work with the band and his solo work, Gary has written for fellow Take That member Robbie Williams, Elton John, Lily Allen, and many more. Even the Queen of England asked Barlow to co-write a song for her diamond jubilee along with Andrew Lloyd Webber. He was hired to be the main judge on "The X Factor UK" for the show's eighth, ninth, and tenth seasons. To date, Gary has been nominated for dozens of music industry awards. He has won five Ivor Novello Awards for songwriting.
Personal Life
Barlow married Dawn Andrews in 2000. Dawn was a dancer on Take That's 1995 "Nobody Else" tour. They have three children: Daniel (born 2000), Emily (born 2002), and Daisy (born 2009). In 2012, the couple revealed that their daughter Poppy was stillborn. Despite the loss of his daughter a week prior, Gary performed at the London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony, singing the hit "Rule the World."
