Marti Pellow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marti Pellow
Pellow in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Mark McLachlan
Born	(1965-03-23) 23 March 1965 (age 60)
Origin	Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Genres	Pop soul rock
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter actor
Years active	1982–present

Marti Pellow (born Mark McLachlan; 23 March 1965) is a Scottish singer. He is best known as the lead singer of the pop group Wet Wet Wet. He sang with the band for many years, from 1982 to 1997, and again from 2004 to 2017. Marti Pellow has also released his own music as a solo artist. He has performed as an actor in musical plays in famous theaters like the West End in London and on Broadway in New York.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Marti Pellow's First Music Experiences

Marti Pellow first started enjoying music when he was about seven years old. He would listen to his mother's music collection, which included artists like Burt Bacharach and Hal David. However, it was the soul songs that really caught his attention. Early songs by Marvin Gaye and especially Sam Cooke made a big impression on him. He then discovered the excitement of live music. He realized that these amazing songs could also be performed live, and he knew that was what he wanted to do.

Choosing a Career in Music

When Marti told his father about his dream to become a musician, his father was not very excited. His family had a history of working as builders. Marti's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all builders. But Marti felt strongly that music was his true calling. He believed it was what he was meant to do in life.

Forming the Band Wet Wet Wet

In 1982, when Marti Pellow was seventeen, he was training to be a painter and decorator. He decided to form a band with three friends from his hometown of Clydebank. His friends were Tommy Cunningham, Graeme Clark, and Neil Mitchell. Their first band name was Vortex Motion. Later, they changed it to Wet Wet Wet. This name came from a song by another band called Scritti Politti. Mark McLachlan also changed his name to Marti Pellow. He used his mother's maiden name, Pellow, and a nickname he had at school, "Smarty."

Marti Pellow and Wet Wet Wet

Success and Changes with the Band

Marti Pellow and Wet Wet Wet became very successful in the late 1980s and 1990s. They had many hit songs. In 1997, the band's drummer, Tommy Cunningham, left the group because of a disagreement about money. After this, the band's popularity started to decrease.

Marti Pellow left Wet Wet Wet in May 1999, which meant the band stopped performing together for a while. However, they got back together in March 2004. On 28 July 2017, Marti Pellow decided to leave Wet Wet Wet again. He wanted to focus more on his own music career.

Marti Pellow's Solo Career

Starting His Own Music Journey

Marti Pellow began his solo career with the help of Chris Difford from the band Squeeze. They met in March 1999. Chris Difford later became Marti's lyric writer and helped him a lot.

In November 1999, Marti Pellow started his first solo concert tour. On 4 June 2001, he released his first solo song, "Close to You." This song was from his first solo album, Smile. He released another song, "I've Been Around the World," in November of that year. Towards the end of 2001, he went on a seven-show tour around Britain called the Smile Tour.

Performing in Musicals and New Albums

In 2002, Marti Pellow hosted and sang in a show called Girls' Night Out. This show helped raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Because of this, he was offered a role in the musical Chicago. He played the lawyer, Billy Flynn, in London's West End. In 2004, he also performed this role on Broadway in New York. Also in 2002, Marti Pellow released an album called Marti Pellow Sings the Hits of Wet Wet Wet & Smile. This album 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.

Reforming Wet Wet Wet and More Solo Work

In June 2004, Wet Wet Wet got back together and recorded new songs for an album. They also prepared for a tour in the UK. After the tour, Marti Pellow recorded Moonlight Over Memphis. He worked with the record producer Willie Mitchell, who had worked with famous soul singers like Al Green. This album showed Marti's love for southern soul music. The album was released in October 2006. Marti Pellow went on tour in October and November to support the album.

Pellow in 2006

Marti Pellow also won the second season of the TV show Just the Two of Us on BBC1. The show started on 2 January 2007, and he partnered with actress Hannah Waterman.

Jazz Music and Theater Roles

Between February and July 2007, Marti Pellow 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. This album featured well-known jazz songs and one song he wrote himself. He also went on a tour across the UK to support the album.

In May 2008, Marti Pellow appeared in Sir Tim Rice's concert version of the musical Chess. He played the role of the "Arbiter." The concert took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In June 2009, the concert was shown on TV in Britain and America and was also released on DVD.

From late August 2008 to early May 2009, he played the main role in a new version of the musical The Witches of Eastwick.

Recent Albums and Performances

In May 2010, Marti Pellow released his fourth studio album, called Devil and the Monkey. This album came out around the same time as a seven-show tour with George Benson. Marti performed songs from his new album, as well as hits from his solo career and his time with Wet Wet Wet.

In 2011, he released his Love To Love album. This album was a romantic tribute to his favorite love songs and helped him get back into the UK music charts. He also starred in a touring musical production of Jekyll & Hyde. The tour started in January and ran until the end of July 2011.

On 17 August 2012, Marti Pellow performed his new concert show, Boulevard of Life. He performed with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra at Dublin's National Concert Hall. The show featured songs from his 30-year career, including music from Wet Wet Wet 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! The New Generation.

Pellow played the role of Che Guevara in the musical Evita during its UK tour in 2013. He later played the same role in a limited run of the musical in London's West End, starting on 15 September 2014.

In March 2015, Pellow played the narrator in Willy Russell's play Blood Brothers.

In 2021, he announced a new song called "These Are the Days" and an album titled Stargazer.

Personal Life

In October 2003, Marti Pellow's former bandmates from Wet Wet Wet attended his mother's funeral. This act of support meant a lot to him. He felt it was a powerful gesture that showed their friendship was more important than music disagreements. He remembered his mother once saying that Wet Wet Wet might get back together. Marti had always kept the possibility open for the band to reunite.

Discography

Albums

Singles