Otway at Glastonbury Festival, 2002.

John Otway, (born 2 October 1952, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England) is a self-confessed unsuccessful singer-songwriter, who built a large cult audience through unrelenting touring, a surreal sense of humour and a winning underdog personality. John Otway, with trademark double-necked guitar; Glastonbury Festival, 2002 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... John Otway, with trademark double-necked guitar; Glastonbury Festival, 2002 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury Festival or Glasto, is the largest [1] greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world. ... October 2 is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in south east England. ... Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is one of the home counties in South East England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... This article does not discuss cult in its original sense of religious practice; for that usage see Cult (religious practice). ... This photograph, a cow with antlers standing on a pole, is an example of surreal humour. ... Look up humour in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Biography

Arriving on the back of punk rock and a gymnastic performance on The Old Grey Whistle Test, his first single, the half-spoken love song "Really Free" soared to number 27 in the UK Singles Chart. It would be his greatest success for some time. However, the song did earn him a five album deal with Polydor Records, who thought he was a punk rather than merely eccentric. His first album, recorded with Wild Willy Barrett, was produced by Pete Townshend but sold only fitfully. The follow up singles fared no better despite some imaginative promotion, which included an offer for Otway to come to a lucky buyer's house and perform the single if their copy was one of the few from which the vocal had been omitted. Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... The Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC television music show that ran from September 1971 until 1987. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... A song is a relatively short musical composition. ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... 1920s vintage Polydor export label with its double-horn gramophone logo In 1954 Polydor Records introduced their distinctive orange label. ... Punks at a music festival The punk subculture is a subculture/counterculture based on punk rock. ... At the 2003 Cambridge folk festival Wild Willy Barrett is an English folksinger best known for his collaborations with John Otway. ... It has been suggested that Bob Pridden be merged into this article or section. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Scale model of a Wheaties cereal box at a pep rally Promotion is one of the four aspects of marketing. ... The human voice consists of sound made by a human using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, screaming. ...

Despite that, his live audience remained loyal, due to Otway's manic energy and the probability of physical injury during renditions of songs such as "Headbutts". His autobiography (subtitled "Rock and Roll's greatest failure") was a study in self-deprecation, and his touring continued to sustain him. By 1993 he could draw 2,500 fans to a gig in London and in 1998 4,000 celebrated his birthday with him at the Royal Albert Hall, coinciding with the release of Premature Adulation, his first album of new material for over ten years. 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... A classical music concert in the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne 2005 A concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences is an arts venue dedicated to Queen Victorias husband and consort, Prince Albert. ...

By then, Otway had realised he could use his fanbase, who were in on the joke, to engage in minor publicity stunts. A well orchestrated grassroots campaign saw his "Beware Of The Flowers Cause I'm Sure They're Going To Get You Yeah" voted the seventh greatest lyric of all time in a BBC poll, but his finest moment came in 2002. Asked what he wanted for his 50th birthday, he requested "A second hit". A concerted drive, including a poll, scrutinised by the Electoral Reform Society, to select the track, saw "Bunsen Burner" — with music sampled from the Trammps classic "Disco Inferno" and lyrics devised to help his daughter with her chemistry homework — reach the UK number 9 on 6 October, and earned Otway an appearance on Top Of The Pops, BBC Television's flagship popular music programme. The media itself often stage stunts for movies and television shows. ... A grassroots political movement is one driven by the constituents of a community. ... Look up Campaign in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion (US$7. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... The Electoral Reform Society is a campaign group based in the UK which promotes electoral reform. ... The Trammps, based in Philadelphia, were one of the first disco bands. ... Disco Inferno was a band formed in Essex in the late 1980s by Ian Crause (guitar & vocals), Paul Wilmott (bass), Rob Whatley (drums) and Daniel Gish (keyboards) After the departure of Gish (who would later join Bark Psychosis) the three-piece Disco Inferno recorded the single Entertainment with producer Charlie... Lyrics are the words in songs. ... It has been suggested that the central science be merged into this article or section. ... Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, was a long-running British music chart television programme, made and broadcast by the BBC. It was originally shown each week, mostly on BBC One, from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. ... BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which began in 1932. ... Popular music is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more of the mass media. ...

To encourage fans to buy more than one copy each of the single, he released three different versions. The flip side of "Bunsen Burner — The Hit Mix" was a cover of "The House of the Rising Sun" recorded at Abbey Road Studios and featured 900 of his fans on backing vocals, each of whom was credited by name on the single's sleeve. The House of the Rising Sun is a folk song from the United States. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Thanks to this second hit he has now been able to release his Greatest Hits album (note the s, he's very proud of it).

John Otway currently tours as a solo act; as a duo with Richard Holgarth (also of Eddie and the Hot Rods; and often with his Big Band which includes Murray Torkildsen, Seymour, Adam Batterbee and guest keyboard player Barry Upton. The duet, by Hendrik ter Brugghen A duet is a musical composition or piece for two performers, most often used for a vocal or piano duet. ... ... Murray Torkildsen is a singer and songwriter based in the United Kingdom. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... Barry Upton is a British hit songwriter, arranger, musician and producer of various forms of popular music. ...

He also delivers occasional (humorous) lectures on the theme, "Making success out of failure".

A world tour was planned in October 2006. Otway, his band and 300 fans were to embark on a world tour with gigs in Las Vegas, Sydney, Shanghai and Dubai. However, due to insufficient numbers (150 signed up) the tour was cancelled. This article is about the city of Las Vegas in Nevada. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of over 4,200,000 people, and 151,920 within the city centre. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Coordinates: Emirate Dubai Government  - Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Area [1]  - Metro 4,114 km² (1,588. ...

Image File history File links John_Otway_And_Wild_Willy_Barrett_-_Really_Free_excerpt. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ...

Discography

• John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett - John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett (1977) album
• Deep & Meaningless - John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett (1978) album
• Where Did I Go Right - John Otway (1979) album
• Way & Bar - John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett (1980) album
• Gone With The Bin - The Best Of Otway And Barrett (1981) compilation
• All Balls and No Willy - John Otway (1982) album
• The Wimp and The Wild - John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett (1989) album
• Cheryl A Rock Opera - John Otway & Attila The Stockbroker (1991) album
• Under The Covers and Over The Top - John Otway (1992) album
• Premature Adulation - John Otway (1995) album
• OT-AIR - John Otway (2004) album
• Bunsen Burner - The Album - John Otway (2006) album
• Scraps - John Otway (2006) (triple) album
• The Ultimate and the Pen-Ultimate - John Otway (2007) album

An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... A rock compilation album, released in 1981, of tracks by John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett (spanning 1977 to 1980). ... A compilation album is an album (music or spoken-word) featuring tracks from one or multiple recording artists, often culled from a variety of sources (such as studio albums, live albums, singles, demos and outtakes. ... Attila the Stockbroker (born John Baine, October 12, 1957) is a poet, musician and songwriter from Southwick, West Sussex, England. ...

Reference

• Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X

The cover of the 1989 7th edition of the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles Guinness World Records - British Hit Singles & Albums is a music reference book, published in the United Kingdom, by Hit Entertainment, the company that owns such childrens entertainment brands as Bob the Builder and Thomas...

External links

• The BBC Poll
• Otway's news website
• Otway's official website
• John Otway World Tour 2006 official website