Robbie Williams, born Robert Peter Williams on the 13th of February 1974 in Stoke on Trent, joined Take That in 1990 aged 16.
Their first release ‘Do what u want’ did not enter the charts but they became noticed for the wrong reasons at one riotous gig. After two minor hit singles they reached the top ten in June 1992 with ‘It Only Takes A Minute.’
Between July 1993 and April 1994, they became the first artistes since The Beatles to log four consecutive number one singles.
Following reports of his alleged misuse of alcohol and cocaine, Robbie quit the band to pursue a solo career. Despite his departure his contract allowed him to continue to receive group royalties. Accordingly, Gary Barlow dissolved Take That in the following February.
Initially, Robbie’s chart success was overshadowed by Gary Barlow, whose first two solo singles were chart toppers.
From August 1996 onwards Robbie was a regular Top Ten entrant, with just one exception- ‘South Of The Border’. To date, he has achieved seven number one singles, 31 Top Ten hits and 38 hits in total. His bestseller, however. ‘Angels’ only reached number 4.
‘Kids’. his collaboration with Kylie Minogue reached number two in late 2000. A year later his duet with Nicole Kidman ‘Something Stupid’ went one place higher, equalling the feat of Nancy and Frank Sinatra 35 years earlier.
His albums have had stellar performances with 14 releases reaching the pinnacle, with the other two official albums peaking at number two.
Renowned as a consummate showman, he has been awarded 18 Brit Awards (including some as a member of Take That). This includes four as Best British Male Artiste.
Robbie is a lifelong supporter of Port Vale FC Including a spell as the largest shareholder.
In June of 2010, he rejoined Take That, and the original five members produced a new album,’ Progress.’ On its release in November, it rocketed to number one and amassed a total seven weeks at the summit.
After a stadium tour, he departed for a second time to concentrate on his own solo career again. When Robbie closes the Isle of Wight Festival presented by Barclaycard, it will be interesting to see if he pays homage to Take That’s back catalogue.