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Simon
Cowell
is an internationally known television
and music producer who rose to fame in
popular culture through his work on British
shows Pop Idol, and Britain's Got Talent
and their American equivalents. His bold
personality as a judge on many of these
shows has won him both fame and criticism.
Simon
Cowell was born in Brighton, England on
October 7, 1959 to Eric Philip Cowell
and Julie Brett. He spent his childhood
in Elstree, Hertfordshire under the watchful
eye of his father, a music industry executive
and his mother, a former professional
ballet dancer. His parents' associations
with the entertainment world helped shape
Cowell's interests in music and art.
After
grade school, Cowell attended Dover College
for a short time and St. Albans for a
year. He left the college prior to graduating
and worked a series of jobs but his inability
to maintain friendly terms with coworkers
and bosses created a void for work. As
a result, Cowell's father found him a
job in the mail room of EMI Music Publishing.
Eventually,
Simon Cowell was hired on as an assistant
to an A&R (artists and repertoire)
man to help him scout talent and develop
the image of the music label. With some
experience behind him, Cowell was promoted
to a music publishing position within
the company. Instead of maintaining his
role with EMI, Cowell left the company
in the early 80s to form his own music
publishing company by the name of E&S
Music. The company did not do well and
the venture ended within a year.
Simon
Cowell ended up working for Iain Burton,
the manager of Arlene Phillips and co-founder
of the small record label Fanfare Records
Ltd. Cowell and Burton worked together
for eight years during which time Cowell
helped develop Fanfare into a highly successful,
well recognized 'indie pop' recording
label.
Although
Fanfare continued to do well, Cowell fell
into debt. When Public Company, Fanfare's
parent company, handed the label to BMG
in 1989, Cowell left the business for
a short time and moved back in with his
parents. Unable to stay away from the
business, however, Cowell soon returned
to BMG and became an A&R consultant
for the company.
Cowell
helped build the success of S-Records
through his work with BMG and helped launch
the careers of well-known stars such as
Sonia Evans, Five, and Westlife. In 2002
he started his own label under the name
Syco Records which eventually became part
of the Sony BMG Music Entertainment group
of labels. Syco has signed deals for contestants
from America's Got Talent and The X Factor.
During
the early 21st century, Simon Cowell also
started producing and appearing on television
programs, most notably Pop Idol in 2001
and American Idol in 2002. His harsh commentary
and criticisms have helped build him a
place as a television personality and
has won him support as well as resentment.
In
2004 Cowell took a short break from television
to focus on his music production and the
formation of a unique operatic pop group
called Il Divo. The group, consisting
of three male opera singers and one male
pop singer, has since become an international
success.
He
has helped develop and produce a number
of well-known television programs including
America's Got Talent, Grease is the Word,
and Celebrity Duets. Simon Cowell's charitable
activities, although less well known,
are just as diverse. He has spent years
contributing to organizations such as
The Association Of Children's Hospices
and PETA.
This Simon Cowell biography may
not be reproduced online.
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