BIOGRAPHY

Robert Peter Williams was born on February 13th, 1974 and spent his childhood growing up with his mum, Jan, and older sister, Sally, in Stoke-On-Trent. He attended St. Margaret Ward High School in Stoke-On-Trent and had a special talent for singing and acting. Along with his mother, he joined a local theatre group, and was often seen in various plays and musicals, with his biggest part playing ‘Dodger’ in Oliver.

Not being hugely successful at school, he didn’t have a lot of options so he got a job as a salesman. He worked as a florist and as a double glazing salesman. However this didn’t last long, as he would tell all the customers how bad the glazing was!

Rob’s mum saw an advert for a band and suggested that he apply, and he did. The other band members took a shine to him immediately and asked him to join the band. So, at 16, Rob was the fifth member to join Take That. For five years, he was known as the joker of the band, playing jokes and always smiling, as they rose to stardom.

However, during their super stardom, Take That had strict rules about how they were to behave and act and Rob found these rules unbelievably difficult. (He said that being in the band was very constricting and he was not allowed to be his own person. He felt that no one took him seriously and gave up giving input into the band.) He often referred to this time as being similar to that in a prison and thus seeked refuge in cocaine and alcohol which were readily available to him.

Eventually, on July 17th 1995, the super stardom stopped, when he left Take That. The newspapers reported everywhere that he had quit, but after a few weeks, Rob revealed that he was more pushed.

By the time Take That had broken up they had notched up eight number ones and three hit albums not to mention millions of adoring fans worldwide, so the news that he was leaving was taken very badly by fans. There were rumors that hot lines had been set up to help young girls contemplating suicide.

After a lengthy legal battle, it was reported that his record label had a clause in the contract that prevented him from releasing any solo singles, Rob held a press conference on June 27th 1996 announcing that his contract with BMG was ending and that he had now signed to Chrysalis Records.

His first ever-solo recording on this label was a remake of George Michaels Freedom. It was released on July 29 1996, exactly one year after his departure from Take That. It reached no. 2 in the charts.

It would be another year until his next single was released. Old Before I Die was released on April 14 1997, which also reached no.2 in the charts.

At the beginning of June 1997 after many bad reports in the media, Rob checked himself into Clouds House Drink and Drugs Rehab Clinic in Salisbury, Wiltshire to undergo treatment for drugs and alcohol, After spending just 4 weeks at the centre a much trimmer and fitter Rob emerged. He was also sporting a new extremely short haircut.

The next single to be released was Lazy Days in July which reached no.8 followed by South of The Border. His album Life Thru A Lens was released on 29th September 1997.

December 1997 would become a turning point in his career with the release of Angels. No one quite knew what an impact it would have on the market. Angels was still in the charts in the new year of 1998 and Life Thru A Lens shot back into the charts and stayed there for a remarkable 117 weeks.

He began to gain respect from every quarter of the music business. His next album Ive Been Expecting You was released in October 1998 and had such hits as ;Strong, No Regrets, Shes The One and Millenium which would be his first solo number one. Williams was also announced to be the biggest selling album artist of 1998. In 1999 Rob set about trying to woo America, touring in support of The Ego Has Landed, a selection of the best tracks from both albums.

In August 2000 came the first airing of new material with the release of Rock DJ whish was promoted by a controversial but award winning video featuring Rob tearing lumps of flesh from his body. The next album Sing When Youre Winning proved beyond all doubt that Williams had won over the UK tabloids, music press and record buying public. Rarely has a dark horse enjoyed such sweet victory. The album, with such hits as Supreme, Let Love Be Your Energy, The Road To Mandalay, and Kids the duet with Kylie Minogue would become the second biggest selling album of 2000.

'Swing When You're Winning' was the next album to be released which contained songs of a golden era (and music that Rob grew up with). It included a beyond-the-grave duet with Frank Sinatra himself on It Was A Very Good Year and an entertaining collaboration with actress Nicole Kidman on Somethin Stupid. The album was another huge bestseller, being the second biggest selling album for 2001, and Williams was able to fulfill a lifetimes dream by appearing in a one man showcase at Londons Royal Albert Hall.

In October 2002, Rob signed a record-breaking 80 million-pound contract with his label EMI Records. The contract featured a number of provisos, including the label ceding greater creative control to the artist and a commitment to breakingWilliams in the US market. In return, EMI affirmed they would benefit from a cut of Williams’ non-recording activities, including touring, publishing and merchandising, thus protecting the company from any commercial downturn in the singers album sales. Williams was claimed to be ecstatic and richer beyond my wildest dreams, and his new album Escapologyduly topped the UK charts the following month. Despite only being released in November 2002 it would become the biggest selling album of the year.

The first single from the album was Feel which was accompanied by a fantastic video which featured American actress Daryl Hannah. It was released on 2nd December and immediately went to no.1 The next single is the upcoming Come Undone which is set to be released on 31st March in Europe and 14th April in Australia.

In February 2003, Rob won his ninth Brit Award for Best Male Solo Artist. This made it the ninth Brit Award since leaving Take That more than anyone else. He now holds 4 Best Male Solo Artist Awards winning them in 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2003 making music history.

The release of The Robbie Williams Show DVD pushed the release dates of 'Come Undone' to 14th April in Europe and 21st April in Australia. The videoclip to the single came with its fair share of controversy. It was directed by Jonas Akerlund who filmed The Prodigy's Smack My Bitch Up. The video commences with Robbie waking up and remembering the events of the night before where he was guest of honour at a glitzy LA party. But the party becomes increasingly nightmareish as women start pulling insects from their mouths and snakes crawl across the floor. The video became censored and the Director's Cut, which shows a body swinging from a noose, partygoers snorting lines of drugs and walls spattered with blood, has a UK rating of 15+. The single debuted in the UK charts at no.4. 'Something Beautiful' followed being released in July. Robbie decided to do something different for this clip, instead of him starring in the clip, he advertised for ordinary people to attend auditions and do their best 'Robbie'. Thousands came for the auditions and in the end it came down to three who were then voted for by the general public on his website. The clip took the form of a mock 'Pop Idol' show and was named 'Rob Idol'.The winner was then announced at the end of the video clip.
In November the fourth single from Escapology was released. This time Robbie appeared in the video to 'Sexed Up' , which was also directed by Jonas Akerlund. The clip also starred American model/actress James King.