Gary Glitter

Born: May 8th, 1944 (Banbury, Oxfordshire). Flamboyant glam-rock singer whose over-the-top performances made him one of the most successful UK acts of the 1970s. Gadd started his recording career as [a809714] in 1960, although a succession of singles under this name (and later as Paul Monday) made little impact.

In 1971, with management by [a224754], he jumped on the glam bandwagon, releasing the single "Rock N Roll" under the name Gary Glitter. It reached the top ten in both the UK and USA. Although his only major hit state-side, it was the first of many in the UK, under the guidance of [l364229].

Glitter's releases were, for the most part, fairly basic, but were made successful by his bravado and strutting showmanship. The hits dried up in the mid-70s, though he remained in the public eye via live performances and a 1984 comeback "Another Rock N Roll Christmas", as well as being sampled by (and appearing on TV with) The Timelords for their 1988 chart-topper "Doctorin' The Tardis". He went into semi-retirement in the 1990s, putting most of his musical energy into his annual Christmas gigs. However, his musical career ceased in 2000 after a 1999 conviction for child pornography, although he has stated plans to make a comeback as a musician, with at least one album planned.

On 5 February 2015 Paul Francis Gadd was found guilty of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one of having sex with a girl under the age of 13, between 1975 and 1980. He was sentenced, on 27 February, to 16 years imprisonment.