Liam Gallagher

William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He achieved fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis from 1991 to 2009, and later fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2009 to 2014, before starting a successful solo career in 2017. Oasis had various line-up changes, though Gallagher and his older brother Noel remained the only staple members. One of the most recognisable figures in British rock music, Gallagher is noted for his distinctive vocal style and outspoken, arrogant, and volatile personality. His demeanour during Oasis' commercial peak in the mid-1990s garnered much attention from British tabloids, which often ran stories concerning his drug use and self-destructive behaviour.

Gallagher was interested in joining a band called the Rain, which they agreed to rename. It became Oasis, and they invited Noel to join them as the lead guitarist. The band's debut album, '' Definitely Maybe'' (1994), was a critical and commercial success. Their second album, ''(What's the Story) Morning Glory?'' (1995), reached the top of the album charts in many countries, and their third studio album, '' Be Here Now'' (1997), became the fastest-selling album in UK chart history. Britpop eventually declined in popularity and Oasis failed to revive it, however all of their subsequent albums topped the UK charts. In August 2009, following Noel's departure from Oasis, Gallagher and the remaining band members would go on to form Beady Eye, with whom he released two studio albums before they disbanded in 2014.

In 2017, Gallagher began his solo career with the release of his debut solo album, '' As You Were'' (2017), which proved to be a critical and commercial success. It topped the UK Albums Chart and was the ninth fastest-selling debut album of the 2010s in the UK, with over 103,000 units sold in its first week. In 2018, the album was certified platinum with over 300,000 units sold in the UK. His second album, '' Why Me? Why Not'', received mostly positive reviews and topped the UK charts upon its release in September 2019. This made it his tenth chart-topping album including eight with Oasis, and it also became the fastest-selling vinyl of 2019. In March 2010, he was voted the greatest frontman of all time in a reader poll by '' Q'' magazine. In 2019, he received the MTV Europe Music Award for "Rock Icon".

Early life

William John Paul Gallagher was born in the Longsight area of Manchester on 21 September 1972, the son of Irish immigrant parents Peggie and Thomas Gallagher. The family later moved to the city's Burnage area. When he was 10, Peggie took him and his brothers and left Thomas, whom she divorced four years later. Although Liam maintained sporadic contact with his father throughout his teens, their issues remain unresolved; notably, while drinking at a pub after an Oasis show in Ireland during the height of their fame, Liam noticed his father from across the room and had to be calmed down by Noel. A leaked phone call later revealed that he subsequently called his father and threatened to break his legs if he ever saw him again.'' Oasis: Supersonic'' (2016) The Gallagher brothers were troubled, especially in their mid-teens, and Liam often shoplifted bicycles from local shops.

Gallagher was educated at St. Bernard's RC Primary School and the Barlow Roman Catholic High School in Didsbury. Despite common reports that he was expelled at age 16 for fighting, he was actually suspended for three months. He then returned to school, where he completed his last term and gained four GCSEs in 1990.Gallagher, Paul & Terry Christian. Brothers: From Childhood to Oasis. Virgin Books, 1996. pp. 17, 33. VH1 Behind the Music, VH1, 2000 He preferred sports at a young age, having no interest in music. During his teens, he suffered a blow to the head with a hammer from a student at a rival school, which he credits with changing his attitude towards music. After this incident, he became infatuated with the idea of joining a band. He became confident in his ability to sing and began listening to bands like the Beatles, the Stone Roses, the La's, the Who, the Kinks, the Jam, and T. Rex. In the process, he became obsessed with the Beatles' John Lennon, and would later sarcastically claim to be Lennon reincarnated despite being born eight years prior to Lennon's death. He would also help Noel with his job as a roadie for Inspiral Carpets and worked as a tax collector for HM Revenue and Customs.

Career

Oasis (1991–2009)

When school friend Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan invited Gallagher to join his band The Rain as a vocalist, he agreed. He was the band's co-songwriter, along with guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs. Noel has since openly mocked this writing partnership, describing them as being "just awful", and Liam also admitted that they were "shit". The band only rehearsed once a week and did not get many gigs. It was at one of their rare shows in 1991 at the Boardwalk in Manchester that Noel, having recently returned from touring internationally as a roadie for Inspiral Carpets, saw them perform. In 1993, Oasis played a four-song set at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow, where Alan McGee of Creation Records discovered them and signed them for a six-album deal. The band's debut album '' Definitely Maybe'' was released on 28 August 1994, and went on to become the fastest-selling British debut album of all time. Liam was praised for his vocal contributions to the album, and his presence made Oasis a popular live act. Critics cited influences from the Beatles and Sex Pistols. Liam's attitude garnered attention from the British tabloid press, which often ran stories concerning his alleged drug use and behaviour. In 1997, ''Definitely Maybe'' was named the 14th greatest album of all time in a "Music of the Millennium" poll conducted by HMV. In Channel 4's "100 Greatest Albums" countdown in 2005, the album was placed at No. 6. In 2006, '' NME'' placed the album at No. 3 in a list of the greatest British albums ever. In the 2006 book of '' British Hit Singles and Albums'', the album was voted the best album of all time, with the Beatles' ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' finishing second. '' Q'' placed it at No. 5 on their greatest albums of all-time list in 2006, and ''NME'' hailed it as the greatest album of all time that same year.

The band's second album ''(What's the Story) Morning Glory?'' was even more successful, becoming the third-best selling album in British history. Around this time, Oasis became embroiled in a well documented media-fuelled feud with fellow Britpop band Blur. The differing styles of the bands now leading the Britpop movement—Oasis a working-class northern band, and Blur a middle-class southern band—made the media perceive them as natural rivals. In August 1995, Blur and Oasis released new singles on the same day; Blur's "Country House" outsold Oasis' " Roll with It" by 58,000 copies during the week. When the band mimed the single on ''Top of the Pops'', Liam pretended to play Noel's guitar and Noel pretended to sing, taking a jibe at the show's lip-syncing format. ''(What's the Story) Morning Glory?'' is considered to be a seminal record of the Britpop era and as one of the best albums of the 1990s, and appears in several charts as one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' commented that "the album is a triumph, full of bluster, bravado, and surprising tenderness" and that it "capped a true golden age for Britpop". The magazine ranked the album at No. 378 on its 2012 list of " The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The album's enduring popularity within the UK was reflected when it won the BRITs Album of 30 Years at the 2010 BRIT Awards. The award was voted on by the public to decide the greatest Best Album winner in the history of the BRIT Awards. The album was also included in the book ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''.

Oasis's eagerly anticipated third album, '' Be Here Now'', was released on 21 August 1997 and set a new record as the fastest-selling album in UK Chart history. The album was denounced by Noel in later years, but Liam has defended it. On the first day of release, ''Be Here Now'' sold over 424,000 copies and became the fastest-selling album in British chart history; initial reviews were overwhelmingly positive. The band's long-time producer Owen Morris said the recording sessions were marred by arguments and drug abuse, and that the band's only motivations were commercial. As of 2008, the album had sold eight million copies worldwide. It was the best-selling album of 1997 in the UK, with 1.47 million units sold. The album topped the UK Vinyl Albums Chart in 2016, 19 years after its original release. Creation Records shut down in 1999, after which the Gallagher brothers set up their own label, Big Brother Recordings, for all future Oasis releases. Future album and singles were marked with codes starting with "RKID" ("our kid", Northern English slang for a sibling or younger relative). Oasis returned in 2000 with the album '' Standing on the Shoulder of Giants''. Founding members Bonehead and Guigsy left during the recording, leaving Liam as the only member remaining from the band's pre-Oasis lineup. The album featured the band's first song written by Liam, "Little James", written for his then-wife Patsy Kensit's son James. This song, along with the album as a whole, received generally mixed reviews.

Oasis's next album, ''Heathen Chemistry'', was released in 2002 and featured three more songs written by Liam. One of them was "Songbird", an acoustic ballad about his love for Nicole Appleton, whom he would later marry. The song was the fourth single from the album and reached No. 3 in the UK charts. Later that year, Gallagher broke several teeth and sustained injuries to his face after a fight broke out at a Munich bar. He and Oasis drummer Alan White were arrested but released without charge. Oasis had to pull out of the shows in Munich and Düsseldorf due to Liam's injuries. 2005 saw the release of Oasis's sixth studio album, ''Don't Believe the Truth'', featuring a further three compositions by Liam: "Love Like a Bomb" (co-written with rhythm guitarist Gem Archer), "The Meaning of Soul", and "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel". The album won two Q Awards: a special People's Choice Award and Best Album. Gallagher joined the rest of Oasis to receive the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award at the BRIT Awards in 2007. As the band picked up the award, he commented on stage, "Seeing as we don't get nominated for this shit no more, this'll have to do." Around the same time, it was announced that he was in negotiations with the makers of Channel 4 afternoon quiz ''Countdown'' to appear as the weekly celebrity guest in "Dictionary Corner".

2008 saw the release of the band's final album '' Dig Out Your Soul'', which featured three Liam-written songs: "I'm Outta Time", "Ain't Got Nothin'", and "Soldier On". ''Dig Out Your Soul'' went straight to No. 1 on the UK Album Charts and reached No. 5 in the U.S. 200 Billboard Charts. In the UK, the album sold 90,000 copies on its first day of release, making it the second-fastest selling album of 2008, behind Coldplay's ''Viva la Vida''. It debuted on the UK Albums Chart at No. 1 with first-week sales of 200,866 copies, making it the 51st fastest selling album ever in the UK. The album debuted at No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the U.S. with 53,000 copies sold.Hasty, Katie
"T.I. Begins Second Week Atop Billboard 200"


. 15 Oct 2008. It is the highest chart position of any Oasis album in the U.S. since ''Be Here Now'', which debuted at No. 2, but fewer total opening week sales than ''Don't Believe the Truth''. It spent over 30 weeks in the French Albums Chart. Many critics lauded ''Dig Out Your Soul'' as one of the band's strongest albums, one opined that "it seems Oasis have made something that can happily play alongside ''Morning Glory''". In August 2009, during the Dig Out Your Soul Tour, tour in support of the album, the band split up due to Noel not being able to work with Liam any more.

Beady Eye (2009–2014)

In November 2009, Gallagher announced that he and former Oasis band members had written new material as part of a new project, and could be gigging as early as a couple of months, and stated that "Oasis are done, this is something new". On 19 November 2009, he announced that he would be recording an album with Gem Archer, Andy Bell, and Chris Sharrock around Christmas time, with a possible release date in July 2010. He told MTV: "We've been demoing some songs that we've had for a bit. Just doing that, on the quiet, not making a big fuss about it. After Christmas we might go in the studio and record them and hopefully have an album out in July." He later said that the band would "do it in a different kind of way now. I'll try and reconnect with a new band, new songs, and I'm feeling confident about the songs." He was reported to have been "feeling a million percent confident that they could be better than Oasis".

In March 2010, Gallagher was voted the greatest frontman of all time in a reader poll by '' Q'' magazine."Liam Gallagher crowned best frontman"
. ''The Daily Telegraph''. Retrieved 29 May 2010. On 16 March 2010, he announced that his new band would be releasing their first single in October with an album to follow the next year. On 9 November 2010, Beady Eye released their first single " Bring the Light" as a free download. The next single from the album, "The Roller", was released in January 2011. The band's debut album ''Different Gear, Still Speeding'' was released on 28 February 2011. On the album the songwriting is credited as a collaborative work between Gallagher, Andy Bell, and Gem Archer. The BBC
...