Marti Pellow
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Marti Pellow | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Mark McLachlan | |
| Born | March 23, 1965 (age 41) | |
| Origin | Clydebank, Scotland | |
| Genre(s) | Pop | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer Songwriter |
|
| Instrument(s) | Vocals | |
| Years active | 1986 - Present | |
| Associated acts |
Wet Wet Wet Maggie Pie & The Imposters |
|
Marti Pellow (born Mark McLachlan on 23 March 1965 in Clydebank) is the lead singer of the Scottish pop group Wet Wet Wet. He also has achieved a successful solo career.
Pellow 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. He famously quoted, on finally beating the drug, "It was textbook. I couldn't function without it. But there's no romantic side to heroin - it's no good."[citation needed]
In May 1999, Pellow left Wet Wet Wet in order to embark on a solo career in association with Chris Difford of Squeeze. November of that year saw Pellow begin 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 had 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 being offered the part of Billy Flynn, the lawyer in the musical Chicago in London's West End.
Also in 2002, Pellow released Marti Pellow Sings the Hits of Wet Wet Wet & Smile, an 18-track compilation of Wets hits and half of his debut solo album.
In June 2004, Wet Wet Wet reformed and played a number of reunion shows.
Following this, Pellow took the opportunity to record at his own expense Moonlight Over Memphis with legendary soul producer Willie Mitchell (Al Green, Otis Clay, Anne 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.
He has been announced as one of the artists taking part in the prime time BBC 1 Show Just The Two Of Us which will begin on January 2nd 2007
