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 big impact on the music world. He is best known for starting the famous record label Creation Records. A record label is a company that helps artists record and sell their music.
McGee has worked as a record label owner, a musician, a manager for bands, and a music writer for the newspaper The Guardian. Through his work, he helped many bands become famous. Some of these include the Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, and the world-famous rock band Oasis. He was also the lead singer and guitarist for his own band, Biff Bang Pow!.
Contents
Early Life and First Bands
Alan McGee was born in Partick, a part of Glasgow, Scotland, on September 29, 1960. He went to King's Park Secondary School, where he became friends with Bobby Gillespie, who would later start the band Primal Scream. McGee and Gillespie both loved punk rock music. In 1978, they joined a local punk band called the Drains.
After the Drains broke up, McGee moved to London. In 1983, he decided to start his own record label with his friends. He called it Creation Records, named after a 1960s band he liked called the Creation. At the same time, he started his own band called Biff Bang Pow!, which was also named after a song by the Creation.
A Career in the Music Industry
Creation Records
Creation Records became a very important label for the indie music scene in the 1980s. "Indie" is short for independent, meaning the music was made outside of the big, major record companies. The label released music for bands like Primal Scream and the Jesus and Mary Chain.
McGee was great at promoting his bands and getting people excited about their music. He helped Creation Records become well-known, even if the records didn't sell millions of copies at first. He also became interested in the dance and acid house scenes. This led to him releasing popular albums by bands like My Bloody Valentine and Teenage Fanclub.
By 1992, the label needed more money to keep going, so McGee sold half of the company to Sony Music.
The Rise of Oasis
Everything changed when McGee discovered a band from Manchester called Oasis. The band's music became incredibly popular, and they were a leading part of the Britpop movement in the mid-1990s. Britpop was a style of British rock music that was very popular at the time.
Oasis's success was huge for an indie label. Their second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, became the best-selling British album of the 1990s. This made Alan McGee very famous. Because of his success, the British government asked for his help on a project to support young musicians.
In 1999, McGee announced that Creation Records would be closing down. The last album released by the label was XTRMNTR by Primal Scream in 2000.
After Creation Records
After closing Creation, McGee didn't stop. In 2000, he started a new label called Poptones. He also ran a popular club night called Death Disco in cities around the world, including London, New York, and Glasgow. Many famous bands played at these club nights.
In 2008, McGee decided to take a break from managing bands to spend more time with his family. However, he couldn't stay away from music for long. In 2013, he started another new label called 359 Music to help new artists get discovered.
In 2014, he restarted his management company, Creation Management. He began managing bands again, including the Jesus and Mary Chain and Happy Mondays. In 2018, he launched another small label called Creation23, which releases music on 7-inch vinyl records.
Political Views
In the 1990s, McGee was a big supporter of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom and its leader, Tony Blair. He even gave the party a large amount of money. The Labour Party is one of the main political parties in the UK.
However, over time, his views changed. By 2009, he was no longer a supporter of Labour. He later said he voted for the Liberal Democrats in the 2010 general election.
Other Projects
Writing and Films
Besides his work in music, Alan McGee has also been a writer. For several years, he wrote a weekly music blog for The Guardian newspaper. He later wrote for The Huffington Post UK. In 2013, he published his life story in a book called Creation Stories.
His life and the story of Creation Records have been the subject of several films. A documentary called Upside Down was released in 2010. In 2021, a movie based on his book, also called Creation Stories, was released. McGee also appeared as himself in the 2013 film Svengali.
Personal Life
During the mid-1990s, the pressure of running a successful record label became very intense for McGee, and he experienced a period of extreme stress and exhaustion.
Since 1998, McGee has been married to Kate Holmes, who is also a musician. They have one child together. McGee is a fan of the Rangers football club.
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
