| Mark Owen | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mark Anthony Patrick Owen |
| Born | January 27 1972 |
| Origin |  Oldham, Lancashire, England |
| Genre(s) | Pop |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Keyboard, Guitar |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Associated acts |
Take That |
| Website | www.markowenofficial.com |
Mark Anthony Patrick Owen (born 27 January 1972) is an English singer/songwriter, but he may be best known for being a founding member of the hugely successful pop group Take That during the early 1990s and again in the mid 2000s. At a young age, he dreamt of becoming a professional football player, and had trials for Manchester United, Huddersfield Town and Rochdale football clubs, but due to serious injury, he had no choice but to give up his dreams.
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Early life
Born in Oldham, Lancashire, Mark's family lived in a small council house with his mum (Mary), his dad (Keith), his brother (Daniel) and his sister (Tracy). His dad was a decorator and then got a job in a police station. His mum was a supervisor in a bakery in Oldham. Mark was educated at the "Holy Rosary Primary" and "St Augustine's Catholic School" in Oldham and he starred in a lot of school plays. He showed no interest in music at school, preferring football. His first job was in Zutti's, a clothes boutique in Oldham. From there he went on to work at the local Barclays Bank, which is where he was working when he auditioned to eventually become a member of Take That. During Take That, he got to sing lead vocals on "Babe", which was released in December 1993 from the "Everything Changes" album - it reached Number One, but it was knocked off the top spot at Christmas by Mr Blobby. He also sang lead vocals on "The Day After Tomorrow" from the "Nobody Else" album. On the "Everything Changes" video, he took viewers on a tour around his house in Oldham. He was very close to fellow boyband member Robbie Williams, and was very upset at his departure in 1995. On the tour they performed very shortly after Williams left, Owen said, on a recent documentary, that he "had two weeks to learn how to rap".
After Take That
After Take That split, Mark became the first of the band's ex-members to release a solo record. He reached #3 in the UK charts with his debut single, "Child". His second single, "Clementine", also went to #3. In 1997 his album Green Man was released, charting at a disappointing #33. After another single, "I Am What I Am", charted at #29 Mark was dropped by BMG Records in late 1997. After six years away Mark won the second series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2002. He got a phone call from Robbie Williams who invited him to perform with him on stage live at Knebworth. This returned him to the spotlight and he signed a deal with Island/Universal Records. In August 2003, Mark returned to the charts with the Top 5 hit, “Four Minute Warning”, which remained in the Top 40 for 8 weeks. His second album, In Your Own Time, was released in November 2003, entering the charts at #39. After a second single, “Alone Without You”, charted at #26, Mark was dropped by Island/Universal Records. In April 2004 he established his own record company, Sedna Records. He was now due to write material for his next album. He then released his third solo album, How the Mighty Fall,recorded at sunset studios LA in 2004, and released in 2005. In February 2006 he released the single "Hail Mary". Mark completed a critically acclaimed sell-out tour with the re-formed Take That last year. The band released a brand new studio album entitled Beautiful World in November 2006. As at the end of 2007 three singles have been released off the album in the UK: “Patience” (in 2006), “Shine” (in 2007), which both reached #1 in the charts, and “I'd Wait for Life” in June 2007, which peaked at a disappointing #17. Mark is now rumoured to be working on his 4th solo album starting during Summer 2007. Take That wrote and recorded the theme song “Rule the World” for the film Stardust directed by Matthew Vaughn, which was released in cinemas across North America and Europe in August 2007. The track was released as a single in October 2007 and peaked at #2 (Leona Lewis' “Bleeding Love” preventing it reaching the top spot).
Personal life
Mark dated art student Joanna Kelly after leaving Take That. Then He dated and lived with actress Chloe Bailey in the Lake District. He's living with actress Emma Ferguson, who gave birth to his first child, Elwood Jack Owen, on 19 August 2006.
Discography
Albums
- 1996 Green Man UK #33 (UK Gold)
- 2003 In Your Own Time UK #39
- 2005 How the Mighty Fall UK #30 Indie Charts
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | |||
| 1996 | "Child" (UK Silver) | 3 | Green Man |
| 1997 | "Clementine" | 3 | Green Man |
| 1997 | "I Am What I Am" | 29 | Green Man |
| 2003 | "Four Minute Warning" | 4 | In Your Own Time |
| 2003 | "Alone Without You" | 26 | In Your Own Time |
| 2004 | "Makin' Out" | 30 | How the Mighty Fall |
| 2005 | "Believe In The Boogie" | 57 | How the Mighty Fall |
| 2006 | "Hail Mary" | 103 | How the Mighty Fall |
External links
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Members: Gary Barlow • Mark Owen • Howard Donald • Jason Orange Studio albums: Take That and Party • Everything Changes • Nobody Else • Beautiful World Related articles |
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| Big Brother | 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 |
| Celebrity Big Brother | 2001 · 2002 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 |
| Other Series | Teen Big Brother · Big Brother Panto · Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack |
| Current companion shows | Live Eviction · Little Brother · Big Mouth · On The Couch · Diary Room Uncut |
| Main Presenters | Current: Davina McCall · Dermot O'Leary* · Marcus Bentley · James Corden · Mathew Horne Former: Russell Brand (2004-07) · Natalie Casey (2001) · Jeff Brazier (2004) |
| Winners | Craig Phillips · Brian Dowling · Kate Lawler · Cameron Stout · Nadia Almada · Anthony Hutton · Pete Bennett · Brian Belo |
| Celebrity series winners | Jack Dee · Mark Owen · Bez · Chantelle Houghton · Shilpa Shetty |
| Related Articles | Big Brother · Channel 4 · Endemol · John de Mol · Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy |
| *Dermot O'Leary will not return in the summer after presenting Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack, which is his final series in the role. | |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Owen, Mark |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Owen, Mark Anthony Patrick |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | English singer/songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1972-01-27 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Oldham, Lancashire, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
