But the glam-rock fashion died out and Glitter later went bankrupt, owing é170,000 to the Inland Revenue - and é60 to the Fulham Road Tandoori. It worked, and hit after hit penned by Glitter and his producer Mike Leander followed - I Didn't Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock And Roll), Do You Wanna Touch Me, and I'm The Leader Of The Gang (I Am) - the song that became his theme.īy 1975, he had sold 18 million records. On Top of the Pops he wore a silver outfit and thigh-length boots to make sure he lodged in the public consciousness. It reached number two in Britain and number one in America. Rock `N' Roll (Parts 1 and 2) was his first hit - a 15-minute drum-heavy chant with hardly any lyrics and a simple guitar hook, it went against pop rules but proved a quirky dancefloor smash. He picked the name Gary Glitter from the choice of Terry Tinsel, Stanley Sparkle and Vicky Vomit.
He went through a succession of stage personae over the years, including Paul Russell, Paul Raven and Paul Monday, but somehow he always failed to set the charts alight.īut at the age of 28 he finally did make it, when he got in at the start of the glam craze in 1972. He ran away constantly to London, and at 12 he was performing in clubs like La Condor, owned by the Krays. He was brought up by his grandmother and his young mother who could not always cope.Īt the age of 10, he and his brother were put into care. That Glitter achieved fame at all was a triumph over adversity, as he managed to escape a tough childhood.īorn Paul Gadd in Banbury, Oxfordshire, he was illegitimate and never met his father. The king of the comeback, he shot to fame in the early seventies and managed to outlast most of his glam rock contemporaries.įorever ludicrous in lame, his trademark eyebrows permanently cocked, he successfully convinced generations of fans that he was the Leader of the Gang. The court case caused shock waves around a nation that had adopted Glitter as a patently absurd but always unthreatening entertainer, as much pantomime turn as rock musician.īut in spite of Glitter's success - he sold almost 20 million records at the peak of his career - his fame and riches have been blighted by drink, drugs and bankruptcy. His first major downfall was in 1999, when he was convicted in Britain of possessing child pornography and given a four-month jail sentence. He said the verdict was part of a "conspiracy". Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, denied the charges and was stunned as the verdict was read out. The 61-year-old is today beginning a three-year prison sentence after being convicted of molesting two girls, aged 10 and 11, at his home in the resort town of Vung Tau. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at more stories like this, check our news page.THE jailing of Gary Glitter for committing child sex offences in Vietnam marked yet another spectacular fall from grace for the former glam-rock star. He will also remain on the sex offenders’ register for life. If he was released, Glitter would still be subject to conditions and could be recalled to prison throughout the rest of his sentence.
Universal Music Publishing Group said it owns the copyright and wouldn’t pay him anything. His songs are blacklisted on UK radio stations but are still played in the US, potentially earning him around £250,000-a-year.īut record companies said he wouldn’t receive any royalties when his song Rock and Roll Part 2 was used in the film The Joker in 2019. The singer is said to be worth anything from £1million to £6million. It’s terrifying to think he might soon be free, even though he is on the other side of the world from me.’ Now 26, she said: ‘He will always be a terrible danger to young girls. The woman, known as Diem to protect her identity, was molested by the popstar aged ten. Glitter sexually abused young girls at the height of his career (Picture: REX)
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