My Take
Gary Barlow and Richard Havers
Take That - the original, and the best, British boy band ever. Their records sold millions, and whenever they toured they sold out arenas in less time than it took to play one of their singles. Millions of girls followed their every move and the hysteria that surrounded the band was matched only by Beatlemania. But unlike most of the bands that followed in their wake Take That had a secret weapon. Gary Barlow their gifted, down-to-earth front man not only wrote most of their greatest hits - ‘Back for Good’, ‘Never Forget’, and ‘A Million Love Songs’ – he also sang them too.
After a comparatively short time at the top the band quit at the height of their fame. What followed for Gary is an inspiring journey of highs and lows: from the promising start to his solo career to his crisis in confidence and eventual humiliation at the hands of the media. The public who had once worshipped him almost seemed to forget he existed.
Much has been said about Gary, but he himself has remained silent until now. For the first time, Gary tells his story from his childhood in Cheshire to life after Take That: his early start at thirteen working in a social club; a career as a teenager working the northern clubs which taught him so much about what you needed to do to succeed. When Gary met Nigel Martin-Smith, a Manchester modeling agent, who wanted to put together a boy-band it was a life changing moment for them. Gary reveals what life on the road with Take That was really like and the truth behind the rumours of petty feuding that went on behind the closed doors. He will also finally settle the speculation around his painfully public fall-out with Robbie and his reactions to his former band mate’s runaway career.
Throughout his experiences before, during, and after Take That, Gary has remained as determined and as positive as he was when he was given his first keyboard aged eleven years old. Gary’s gift for writing brilliant pop songs established him as a songwriter who has helped the likes of Blue, Delta Goodrem, and Charlotte Church. After a ten year gap he made one of pop’s great comebacks as he and Take That embarked upon a thirty-date U.K. tour. Gary Barlow and Take That are back centre stage once again - where they belong.
`This is an honest and down-to-earth read' - The Sun
`Gary dishes the all the dirt on our favourite 90s boyband. An
absolute must for all hardcore Take That devotees' - Heat
