Marti Pellow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marti Pellow
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Pellow in 2014
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mark McLachlan |
| Born | 23 March 1965 |
| Origin | Clydebank, Scotland |
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| Years active | 1982–present |
Marti Pellow, whose real name is Mark McLachlan, was born on March 23, 1965. He is a famous singer from Scotland. For 28 years, he was the lead singer of the popular band Wet Wet Wet. He sang with them from when they started in 1982 until they split in 1997. He rejoined them when they reformed in 2004 and stayed until 2017. Marti Pellow has also released his own music as a solo artist. Plus, he has acted in musical plays in famous theaters like the West End in London and on Broadway in New York.
Contents
Marti Pellow: A Scottish Singer's Journey
Early Musical Beginnings
Marti Pellow first started enjoying music when he was about seven years old. He would listen to his mom's music collection, especially songs by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. But it was the soulful music that really caught his attention. Singers like early Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke truly amazed him.
Later, he discovered the excitement of live music. He realized that not only was the music incredible, but the artists performed it right there on stage! This made him want to be a performer too.
In 1982, when he was seventeen, Mark McLachlan was learning to be a painter and decorator. He decided to form a band with three friends from his hometown of Clydebank. These friends were Tommy Cunningham, Graeme Clark, and Neil Mitchell. Their first band name was Vortex Motion. They later changed it to Wet Wet Wet, which came from a song by another band called Scritti Politti. Mark McLachlan also changed his name to Marti Pellow for the stage. He used his mother's maiden name, Pellow, and a nickname he had at school, "Smarty."
Life with Wet Wet Wet
Marti Pellow and Wet Wet Wet became very successful in the late 1980s and 1990s. They had many hit songs. However, in 1997, their drummer, Tommy Cunningham, left the band after a disagreement about money. After this, the band's success started to slow down.
Marti Pellow left Wet Wet Wet in May 1999, which meant the band effectively broke up. But they got back together in March 2004! On July 28, 2017, Marti Pellow decided to leave Wet Wet Wet again. He wanted to focus completely on his own music career as a solo artist.
Marti's Solo Adventures
Marti Pellow began his solo music career with the help of Chris Difford from the band Squeeze. They met in March 1999. Chris Difford later helped Marti write songs and became a good friend.
In November 1999, Marti Pellow went on his first solo tour, performing by himself. On June 4, 2001, he released his first solo song called "Close to You." This song was from his first solo album, Smile. He released another song, "I've Been Around the World," later that year. He then went on a seven-show tour around Britain called the Smile Tour.
In 2002, Marti Pellow hosted a show called Girls' Night Out at the Royal Albert Hall. He also sang in it. This show helped raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Because of this, he was offered a role in the musical Chicago in London's West End. He played the lawyer, Billy Flynn. In 2004, he even performed this role on Broadway in New York! Also in 2002, Marti released an album called Marti Pellow Sings the Hits of Wet Wet Wet & Smile. It had 18 songs, including some from his Smile album.
In November 2003, he released an album of cover versions called Between the Covers. The main song from this album was "A Lot of Love," originally by Neil Young.
After the reformed Wet Wet Wet band finished their UK tour in 2004, Marti Pellow recorded another solo album. It was called Moonlight Over Memphis. He worked with a famous music producer named Willie Mitchell. This album showed Marti's love for southern soul music. It was released in October 2006. Marti went on tour in October and November to share his new album with fans.
Marti Pellow also won the second season of the TV show Just the Two of Us on BBC1. He partnered with actress Hannah Waterman for the show, which started in January 2007.
Between February and July 2007, Marti performed at several jazz clubs and jazz festivals. These included famous places like Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. In April 2008, he released his jazz album, Sentimental Me. It had well-known jazz songs he sang at these shows, plus a song he wrote himself. He then went on a tour across the UK to support the album.
In May 2008, Marti Pellow appeared in a concert version of the musical Chess by Sir Tim Rice. He played the "Arbiter" at the Royal Albert Hall. This concert was later shown on TV and released on DVD.
From late August 2008 to early May 2009, he played the main role in a musical called The Witches of Eastwick.
In May 2010, Marti Pellow released his fourth studio album, Devil and the Monkey. He went on a seven-show tour with George Benson, singing songs from his new album and his past hits.
In 2011, he released his Love To Love album. This album featured romantic love songs with a full orchestra. It brought Marti back into the UK music charts. He also starred in a touring musical production of Jekyll & Hyde from January to July 2011.
On August 17, 2012, Marti Pellow performed his new concert show, "Boulevard of Life," with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in Dublin. This show featured songs from his 30-year career, including music from his band and his musical theater work.
He also performed in the 2012–13 arena tour of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds – Alive on Stage! He played the part of The Sung Thoughts of the Journalist.
Pellow played the role of Che Guevara in the musical Evita during its UK tour in 2013. He then played the role again in London's West End in 2014.
In March 2015, Marti Pellow played the narrator in Willy Russell's musical Blood Brothers at the Hastings White Rock Theatre.
In 2021, he announced new music, including a single called "These Are the Days" and an album named Stargazer.
Marti's Life Outside Music
In October 2003, Marti Pellow's former bandmates attended his mother's funeral. This support meant a lot to him. Marti said it was a powerful gesture and showed their friendship was more important than music. He remembered his mother once saying that Wet Wet Wet might get back together, and he had always hoped they would.
Marti Pellow supports the football team Glasgow Rangers.
Marti Pellow's Music Albums
Marti Pellow has released many albums throughout his solo career. Some of his albums include Smile, Between the Covers, Moonlight Over Memphis, and Stargazer. Many of his albums have appeared on the UK music charts. He has also released several singles, which are individual songs.
