Marti Pellow

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Marti Pellow
Background information
Birth name	Mark McLaughlin
Born	March 23, 1965 (age 41)
Origin	Clydebank, Scotland
Genre(s)	Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer Songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	1986 - Present
Associated acts	Wet Wet Wet Maggie Pie & The Imposters

Marti Pellow (born Mark McLaughlin on 23 March 1965 in Clydebank) is the lead singer of the Scottish pop group Wet Wet Wet. He also has achieved a successful solo career.

Pellow enjoyed success with Wet Wet Wet throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. However, in 1997 drummer Tommy Cunningham left the band and its success waned immediately. Pellow was by this time suffering from an addiction to heroin. He famously quoted, on finally beating the drug, "It was textbook. I couldn't function without it. But there's no romantic side to heroin - it's no good."^{[citation needed]}

In May 1999, Pellow left Wet Wet Wet in order to embark on a solo career in association with Chris Difford of Squeeze. November of that year saw Pellow begin his first solo tour. On 4 June 2001, he released "Close To You" from his debut solo album, Smile. A further single, "I've Been Around the World", was released that November; towards the end of the year he had a seven-date tour (the Smile Tour) around Britain. In 2002, he hosted and sang in Girls' Night Out, one of a week of shows in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust, at the Royal Albert Hall. This led to him being offered the part of Billy Flynn, the lawyer in the musical Chicago in London's West End.

Also in 2002, Pellow released Marti Pellow Sings the Hits of Wet Wet Wet & Smile, an 18-track compilation of Wets hits and half of his debut solo album.

In June 2004, Wet Wet Wet reformed and played a number of reunion shows.

Following this, Pellow took the opportunity to record at his own expense Moonlight Over Memphis with legendary soul producer Willie Mitchell (Al Green, Otis Clay, Anne Peebles, etc.), demonstrating a deep affinity with southern soul. The album was released in October 2006 on DMG TV, a label which has had some success previously with albums by such artists as Jane McDonald and Daniel O'Donnell. Pellow went on tour during October and November to support the album, with a helping hand from regular Wets contributor Graeme Duffin.

[edit] External links

Marti Pellow fansite

Wet Wet Wet

Marti Pellow - Tommy Cunningham - Graeme Clark - Neil Mitchell - Angus Cameron

Other musicians: Graeme Duffin

Discography

Studio albums: Popped In Souled Out - The Memphis Sessions - Holding Back the River - High on the Happy Side - Cloak & Dagger - Picture This - 10