Alan McGee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alan McGee
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alan John McGee |
| Born | 29 September 1960 Partick, Scotland |
| Origin | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Record label owner, film producer, singer, songwriter, guitarist, DJ, music blogger |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1981–1991, 1997–1998 (as musician) 1983–2007 (as record label owner) |
| Labels | Creation, Poptones, 359 Music |
| Associated acts | The Drains, H2O, The Laughing Apple, Biff Bang Pow!, The Revolving Paint Dream, The Chemical Pilot |
Alan John McGee (born 29 September 1960) is a Scottish businessman who has had a huge impact on the music world. He is famous for owning record labels, being a musician, and managing many popular bands. He even wrote for The Guardian newspaper as a music blogger!
Alan McGee is best known for starting Creation Records, an independent record label. He ran it from 1983 until it closed in 1999. After that, he started another label called Poptones, which he ran until 2007. He helped launch the careers of many famous bands like the Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, and the super-successful Oasis. Alan was also the lead singer and guitarist for his own band, Biff Bang Pow!, from 1983 to 1991.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Alan McGee was born in East Kilbride, Scotland, on 29 September 1960. He grew up in Glasgow and went to King's Park Secondary School. There, he met Bobby Gillespie, who would later start the band Primal Scream.
Alan left school at 16. He and Bobby were big fans of punk rock music. In 1978, they joined a local punk band called The Drains. After The Drains broke up, Alan and another band member, Andrew Innes, briefly joined a band called H~2~O.
Later, Alan and Andrew moved to London. They formed a new band called The Laughing Apple. They released three singles in the early 1980s. In 1983, Alan quit his job at British Rail. He then started Creation Records with his friends Dick Green and Joe Foster. The label was named after a cool band from the 1960s called The Creation.
Alan also started his own band, Biff Bang Pow!, which lasted until 1991. He also ran a club night called "The Living Room" in London. Around this time, he began managing a new band called The Jesus and Mary Chain. Their first song was released on Alan's new label in 1984.
Alan McGee's Music Career
Creation Records' Rise to Fame
Creation Records quickly became a very important label in the 1980s. It was part of the "indie" music scene, which meant it was independent from big record companies. Early bands on the label included Primal Scream and the Loft.
When the Jesus and Mary Chain signed with a bigger label, Warner Brothers, Alan used the money he earned as their manager to help Creation Records. This allowed him to release music by other bands like Felt. Even if these songs weren't huge hits, Alan's passion helped Creation Records get a lot of attention in music magazines.
Later, Alan got into dance music and acid house. This led him to release amazing albums from bands like Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, and Teenage Fanclub.
Creation Records faced some money problems, so Alan sold half of the company to Sony Music in 1992. He felt this changed the original spirit of Creation Records. But then, a new band from Manchester called Oasis signed with the label. They started selling millions of albums and became one of the biggest bands in the "Britpop" movement of the 1990s.
Oasis's success was huge for an independent label. Their second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, became the best-selling British album of that decade! This made Alan McGee very famous.
In 1996, Alan received the 'Godlike Genius' award from NME, a famous music magazine. Creation Records was also named "independent label of the year" every year from 1995 to 1998 by Music Week.
Even though Oasis sold millions of records, other bands on Creation didn't have the same success. Alan started to feel unhappy with how things were going. In late 1999, it was announced that Creation Records would close down. The very last album released by the label was Primal Scream's XTRMNTR in 2000.
After Creation: Poptones and Death Disco
After Creation Records closed, Alan McGee started a new label called Poptones in 2000. It was named after a song by the band Public Image Limited. During this time, Alan also ran a popular club night called Death Disco. He would sometimes DJ at these events.
Death Disco clubs were held in cities all over the world, like Glasgow, London, and New York City. Many famous bands played there, including the Libertines, the Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, and Kasabian. Alan stopped being involved with Death Disco after 2009.
In 2007, Alan told The Independent newspaper that he was closing Poptones for financial reasons.
New Music Ventures
On 12 September 2008, Alan McGee decided to take a break from managing bands and running record companies after 25 years. He wanted to focus on raising his child. Even though he sold Creation Records to Sony, he still helped publish songs by bands like Oasis and Primal Scream under the name Creation Songs.
In 2007, Alan was recognized by the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts for his work with students. He also became a visiting fellow at the University of Gloucestershire in 2008, teaching about popular music.
In 2013, Alan announced a new record label called 359 Music. It was a partnership with Cherry Red Records. He wanted it to be a place for new artists to get started. He looked at 2500 music submissions and signed 20 new artists!
In 2014, Alan restarted his management company, Creation Management. He signed the Jesus and Mary Chain as his first clients. The company grew to manage other well-known bands like Happy Mondays and Glasvegas.
In 2018, Alan launched another new label called Creation23, which releases 7-inch vinyl records.
Alan also started the Creation Day festival in Wolverhampton, England. The festival features many great bands and was first planned for 2021 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now set to happen in May 2022.
Political Views
Alan McGee has been interested in politics and has used his influence to support causes he believes in. He was a big supporter of the Labour Party in the UK, even donating a lot of money to them. He helped change government rules so that musicians could get support while they developed their careers, instead of having to get other jobs.
However, he later changed his mind about the Labour Party. In 2009, he wrote an article for The Sun newspaper where he praised the leader of the Conservative party, David Cameron. In the 2010 election, he voted for the Liberal Democrat party.
Other Media Projects
From 2006 to 2010, Alan McGee wrote for The Guardian's weekly music blog. Since 2011, he has also written for The Huffington Post UK.
Autobiography and Films
Alan McGee wrote his own life story, called Creation Stories. It was published in 2013. This book was later turned into a film!
A film about Creation Records, called Upside Down, came out in 2011. It showed the story of the record label.
Alan also started a new film company called Escalier 39 in 2012. He even appeared in a film called Svengali in 2013, where he played himself. He also appears in the documentary film Teenage Superstars, which is about the music scene in Glasgow when Creation Records was starting.
The film Creation Stories, based on his autobiography, was released in 2021. It tells the story of Alan McGee and Creation Records.
Personal Life
Alan McGee has been married twice. He is currently married to Kate Holmes, who is also a musician and runs a fashion label. They have one child together.
Alan is a big fan of the Scottish football team Rangers.
Discography
with The Laughing Apple
- "Ha Ha Hee Hee" 7-inch (1981), Autonomy
- "Participate!" 7-inch (1981), Autonomy
- "Precious Feeling" 7-inch (1982), Essential
- "Wouldn't You" 7-inch flexi-disc (1983), Creation - included with The Legend!'s "'73 in '83" single
with Biff Bang Pow!
see Biff Bang Pow! discography
with The Chemical Pilot
- "Astral Dominoes" 12-inch/CD-single (1998), Eruption
- "Move a Little Closer" 12-inch single (1998), Eruption
- Journey to the Centre of the Mind album (1998), Eruption
