PATH TO FAME: GARY BARLOW

Gary Barlow’sPath to Fame came to an abrupt halt when his career slumped in the mostspectacular way. Until his solo career crumbled, his pathway had been linedwith gold. Quite simply, he was a musical prodigy as a teenager growing up inthe small Cheshire town of Frodsham.The compère atthe local British Legion Club asked the bingo enthusiasts to listen politely toa song the schoolboy musician had just composed and give it a massive applause.Gary blew on the mic, as he always did, and began: ‘Put Your Head Against MyLife…’ It was the first public performance of A Million Love Songs andit did indeed bring the house down. When he firstfound fame, Gary was perceived as arrogant but that changed when his solocareer flopped and he became depressed and overweight, while the triumphs ofRobbie Williams were a constant reminder of his failure. But Take That returned,bigger than ever, and Gary got back on the path.And just likeRobbie, the first book of the unique Path to Fame series, he had to hit rockbottom before he could Rule the (pop) World again.