Selling more records than any other English group since The Beatles, Take That gave pop music a massive shot in the arm and became the biggest British boy band of the 1990s. Formed in 1990, the band celebrated their 30th anniversary last year, embarking on a huge 'Greatest Hits Live Tour 2019' to celebrate, performing across the country.
Sadly, the 13th of February 1996 was a sad for fans of the band, as Take That chose to split up following the departure of Robbie Williams in June 1995. Thankfully, they got back together - here's everything you need to know about the band...
Take That: Who is in the band?
The five-headed, 10-legged hit machine that was Take That, was originally made up of members Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and, of course, Robbie Williams.
Where are Take That from?
The band are predominantly from areas around Manchester; but specifically, Gary is from Frodsham in Cheshire, Howard is from Droylsden in Lancashire, Mark is from Oldham in Lancashire, Robbie is from Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire and Jason is from Crumpsall in Manchester.
How did Take That form?
They initially came together as trio of Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams and Mark Owen under the name The Cutest Rush. Both Gary and Robbie had showbiz backgrounds – Gary had played organ for Ken Dodd, while Robbie’s mum and dad had been a singer and a comedian respectively.
Mark, on the other hand, had tried out for Manchester United, but failed to make the team. Take That were assembled by original manager Nigel Martin Smith when Gary, Mark and Robbie were joined by Jason Orange and Howard Donald from the breakdancing troupe, Street Machine.
The band formed in Manchester in 1990, the group were led by songwriter and lead singer Gary Barlow. Robbie Williams and Mark Owen provided backing vocals at first, while Howard Donald and Jason Orange were the more physical wing of the group by acting mainly as dancers.
How did Take That get famous?
Originally conceived as Britain’s answer to New Kids On The Block, Take That began their career by touring the gay clubs of the UK. Given their good looks, it was an astute move by Nigel Martin Smith, and the risqué video for ‘Do What U Like’ created something of stir thanks to the semi-naked lads wrestling in trifle.
The band went properly ‘over ground’ with the release of their fourth single, a cover of Tavares’ ‘It Only Takes A Minute’, which reached Number 7 in 1992. Their debut album, ‘Take That & Party’ swiftly followed and peaked at Number 2. It would remain in the UK Top 75 album charts for an incredible 73 weeks.
What was Take That's first song?
Their first-ever single release was 'Do What U Like' in 1991, and their first album was 'Take That & Party', released on 17th August 1992.
How many Number 1 singles have Take That had?
The band have had a massive 12 Number 1 singles in the UK. Their first Number 1 was ‘Pray’ back in 1993 and their most recent Number 1 was ‘These Days’ in 2014. They've also had six Number 1 albums out of the eight they have released since 1992.
They scored four consecutive Number 1s in the UK singles charts with ‘Pray’, ‘Relight My Fire’ (featuring a guest appearance from the fabulous Lulu), ‘Babe’ and Everything Changes’.
Their next single, ‘Love Ain’t Here Anymore’, only managed to get to Number 3, but that’s only because it was the sixth single to be taken from their second album, ‘Everything Changes’, the third highest-selling album of 1993.
It was business as usual when their next four songs – ‘Sure’, ‘Back For Good’, ‘Never Forget’ and ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ – were sent rocketing to the top of the charts. Meanwhile, Take That’s third studio album, ‘Nobody Else’, debuted at Number 1 and sold 163, 399 copies in its first week. It’s since gone on to sell six million copies worldwide.
When did Robbie Williams leave Take That?
With the band at the height of their popularity, Robbie quit in June 1995 to embark on a solo career.
When did Take That split up?
The remaining members of the group carried on, but announced their decision to call it a day on 13th February 1996. So distressed were their fans, that the government promptly set up a telephone helpline to help them cope.
When did Take That reunite?
Following varying degrees of solo success, the 2005 compilation album, ‘Never Forget: The Ultimate Collection’ was released. Selling over 2.3 million copies and hitting Number 2 in the UK album chart, it was pretty obvious that interest in the band was still there.
And so, 10 years after they announced their split, Take That reformed as a quartet, without Robbie. Their comeback album, ‘Beautiful World’ went to Number 1 and the single, ‘Patience’, held the top spot for four weeks.
Then they released ‘Shine’, their 10th chart-topper, which made them one of only seven acts in UK chart history to achieve more than nine Number 1 hit singles. They embarked on the highly successful stadium tour 'Beautiful World Tour 2007', followed by the 'Take That Present: The Circus Live' tour and their popularity was as big as ever.
Robbie rejoined the band in July 2010 after 15 years away, performing on the band's sixth album, 'Progress', released in November 2010, and went on tour for the 'Progress Live' tour. He left the band once again in 2011.
When did Jason Orange leave Take That?
Jason Orange was an original member from the beginning, but on 24th September 2014, it was announced that he had left the band. A statement on the band’s official website said, ‘I want to start by saying how proud I am of what we have achieved together over the years.
'However, at a band meeting last week I confirmed to Mark, Gary and Howard that I do not wish to commit to recording and promoting a new album. I have spent some of the best years of my life with Take That and I’d like to thank everyone who has been a part of my journey, including my band mates, who I feel are like brothers to me.
'Most especially my gratitude goes to all of the good and kind, beautiful and ever-loyal fans of the band, without whom none of this could have been possible. Thank you.’
Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that he will reunite with Take That any time soon, especially given that he didn't take part in the latest reunion during the Coronavirus lockdown. On Loose Women in 2018, former bandmate Howard Donald said that Jason has "gone off the grid."
Is Robbie Williams rejoining Take That?
In 2017, Robbie hinted that he might reunite with Mark Owen, Gary Barlow and Howard Donald, viewers of The X Factor were later treated to a surprise on the final show, when Robbie Williams reunited with Take That on stage.
After many rumours, Take That performed during the final of The X Factor WITH Robbie Williams. Mark Owen, Gary Barlow and Howard Donald first performed their 2007 hit 'Shine', before their former member Robbie Williams, who had been sitting with the other judges, joined them on stage to sing one of their early hits, 'Everything Changes'.
In 2018, rumours circulated that Robbie could be due to join the band again for their 30th anniversary tour. Appearing on Lorraine, along with the other X Factor judges, his wife, Ayda Williams (née Field), Louis Tomlinson and Simon Cowell, Robbie was also asked if he would reunite with his former bandmates.
Robbie replied, "Am I getting back with Take That? I'm sure at some point, but there's nothing in the diary."
Despite nothing being confirmed, Robbie addressed the possibility of him joining his former group in the future. In December 2018, Robbie revealed, "As long as we stay healthy, I’m sure there’ll be another moment where we all get together. Maybe we can coax Jason back, who knows? We shall have to see. But definitely, definitely in the future. We will all ride again."
Are Take That still together?
They are, albeit with a truncated line-up as Robbie Williams went back to his solo career and Jason Orange quit in 2014.
But we need not worry! Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald decided to continue and released the albums ‘III’ and ‘Wonderland’ in 2014 and 2017 respectively.
When did Take That release 'Odyssey'?
As well as announcing their 30th anniversary tour, Take That also released ‘Odyssey’ a re-imagined greatest hits album, taking you through the incredible history of one of the UK’s most successful bands of all time. Their success has just been reconfirmed with the presentation of their platinum discs for their latest album.
Taking to Twitter the band told their fans, 'Whilst in London we were presented with our platinum discs for #Odyssey and we couldn’t be prouder. To be 1 of only 4 artists to achieve this from last year’s sales is incredible... it simply wouldn’t be possible without all of you. So, thank you x #TT30'.
In September 2018 Gary Barlow revealed some details about the album, which celebrated their 30th anniversary. Taking to Twitter, Gary said, 'Our Greatest hits album is now finished and mastered. Every track has had a face lift. Some have been completely re recorded. 3 brand new songs. There’s guests and lots of interesting links between songs. What a journey #TT30'.
When was Take That's 'Greatest Hits' tour?
Take That announced that they would be going on tour again back in March 2018, when Gary said, "We're planning a world tour next year."
Howard added, "We're recreating some of the songs for the 'Greatest Hits'. We've got three new songs that we're going to put on the 'Greatest Hits'. We want to go to all of the territories that we've never been to before, like South America."
The tour began on Friday 12th April 2019 in Sheffield, and continued through to 30th June, in Zürich, Switzerland, totalling up 52 shows. In the run up they tweeted a photo of themselves practising for their tour; the black and white photo shows Mark Owen, Gary Barlow and Howard Donald standing around a microphone, looking at their phones.
Is there going to be a Take That film?
Yes! Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald are executive producing a musical film called Greatest Day, based on their jukebox production The Band, which ran in 2017.
Gary spoke out last tear and revealed that the film is set to be released in 2021 and even teased some cast members!
Gary Barlow's Wine Company
Gary Barlow excited fans when he announced that he was taking on a new venture on 7th October 2021. He revealed the brand new company called Gary Barlow Wines and posted a photo of himself holding a glass of wine, sitting next to a branded bottle on his Instagram.
He wrote: 'Did anybody guess correctly ? I've been very excited to share this project with you all... My most memorable evenings are spent with good friends and family. They are full of laughter and, of course, great wine. So, I’m thrilled to announce that @garybarlowwines is here ! 🍷 Head over for more…. !'
Fans were thrilled and showed their support for Gary, some people were very keen to get their hands on a bottle of his wine!
What's Gary Barlow up to in 2022?
On the 20th January 2022, Gary Barlow announced a brand new one-man stage show called A Different Stage. The show premiered at the Brindley in Runcorn in February 2022 before embarking on a UK Tour. The show tells the story of Gary's life and features his own music and lyrics. It's perfect for fans of theatre that want to know that extra bit about Gary's life.
This news may have come as a surprise to those only familiar with his work in Take that, but this isn't Gary's first time working in theatre. In 2013 he worked on music for the musical version of Finding Neverland and he co-wrote calendar Girls The Musical.
What's Howard Donald up to in 2022?
Outside of his work as part of Take That, Howard Donald has been relatively quiet in recent years. In 2021 he took part in The Masked Singer. He competed as Zip and did very well for himself making it to the final. Whilst he sadly didn't win the show, he still finished in a strong third place.
What's Mark Owen up to in 2022?
In February 2022 it was revealed that Mark Owen had been working on solo material. It's unclear if this is for a new album or not, but according to the Sun a source close to Mark said: "Mark has had some free time during COVID while Take That have been on a break to think about what he wants to do next.
"He has been writing some songs and they are sounding pretty good."
They went on to say: "It is early days but he is dipping his toe back in with his set at Isle of Wight Festival and is toying with the idea of another solo record.
"Nothing is nailed down, but given he has done a solo album every 10 years or so for the last two decades, now feels like a nice time to think about it again."
Hopefully this means new material from Mark Owen is just around the corner 👀.
Take a look at Take That through the years:
Take That through the years stacked
1 of 251989
Starting with a line-up of five young men, Take That consisted of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams, with the original (short lived) name of Kick It.
2 of 251991
Take That's original line-up of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Thankfully they changed their name and after a few unsuccessful songs in the early 90s Take That's breakthrough hit 'It Only Takes A Minute' was released. The song was a cover of a 1975 song by Taveres and reached number 7 in the charts.
3 of 251992
In 1992 Take That had hits with 'A Million Love Songs' and 'Could It Be Magic'. The boys' follow-up single 'Could It Be Magic' quickly propelled them to super-stardom with a string of number 1s not far away.
4 of 251993
Take That had huge success in 1993 with 'Pray', 'Relight My Fire' (featuring Lulu) and 'Babe'.
5 of 251994
The band's success continued in 1994 with 'Everything Changes' and 'Sure'. Here they are performing at The BRITs 1994.
6 of 251995
However, in July 1995 after countless hits, fans heard the devastating news; Robbie Williams would be leaving the band following friction with other band members. Robbie later admitted in a TV documentary in 2005, that he did some "stupid stuff" after parting ways with the band over 20 years ago, but said he didn't regret it because he was young.
7 of 251995
The remaining members of Take That continued to perform as a quartet.
8 of 251996
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange performed at The BRITs in 1996. The remaining group of four continued to tour and release songs for another year, releasing 'Never Forget' and the Bee Gees cover 'How Deep Is Your Love', finally announcing they would be disbanding in February 1996. 'How Deep Is Your Love' became the band's final number 1 before they reformed 10 years later.
9 of 25Late 90's
During the late 90s three of the band members, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams, enjoyed solo singing careers with varying degrees of success. Jason Orange went into acting and Howard Donald, despite being the lead singer on a number of Take That songs, made a name for himself as a club DJ across Europe.
10 of 252005
Skip nearly a decade and ITV reunited the group for a documentary called Take That: For the Record in which the former members of the boyband were interviewed, discussing how they were discovered and looking back at their experiences in the band.
11 of 252005
Following the successful reception of the documentary by fans and the press, the decision was made to reunite with the 'post Robbie' line-up and a 2006 tour titled the 'The Ultimate Tour' was announced. After a break of nearly 10 years, Take That members Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange reformed in 2005.
12 of 252006
Take That performed on The X Factor in 2006. In 2006 they had a Number 1 single with 'Patience'. Gone were the cheesy pop tunes of the 90s, Take That had grown up with their fans and the men, now in their 30s revealed a much more mature sound, with their 2006 comeback single 'Patience'. The song quickly hit the top spot in the UK and around Europe becoming the eighth best-selling single of 2006 spending a massive 11 weeks in the top 10.
13 of 252007
In 2007 Take That embarked on their 'Beautiful World' tour. Since their reunion as a four-piece, it was clear that they hadn't lost the momentum they had in the 90s with another string of hits including 'Shine', 'Rule the World' and 'Greatest Day'.
14 of 252009
After the release of fifth album 'The Circus' in December 2008, the boys headed out on their 'Take That Present: The Circus Live' tour to promote it - and what a spectacle it was! Tickets to the entire tour sold it in less than five hours, making it the fastest-selling tour in UK history.
15 of 252010
Robbie Williams made an unexpected return to the group in 2010, joining forces with Gary Barlow - the first time since 1995 - writing a song that would feature on both Take That and Robbie's albums. Then, later that year, the news that all Take That fans had been waiting for was confirmed, the original line-up would be reforming for the wildly successful album, 'Progress' and its live tour. Their lead single 'The Flood' was released and peaked at number 2 featuring both Gary and Robbie as lead vocals.
16 of 252011
Following the band's 'Progress Live' tour in 2011 they then decided to take a break.
17 of 252014
A couple of years later Take That reformed as a group to record their seventh studio album, but it was short-lived, in 2014 both Robbie and Jason decided to leave. Robbie had recently become a dad for the second time and saying he would find it difficult "logistically". The band continued as a trio made up of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen.
18 of 252017
Take That returned earlier this year with their new album 'Wonderland' and their single 'Giants' which peaked at number 13. 'Giants' was written by the remaining three members of Take That along with some co-writers and the lyric video can be seen below.
19 of 252019
After celebrating Take That's 30th anniversary in 2019, the band put out a Greatest Hits album called 'Odyssey', which featured song "re-imagined with new arrangements and production". It debuted at Number 1, and the group embarked on a huge UK tour in 2019.
20 of 25May 2020
Take That reunited with former member Robbie Williams for a very special performance in May 2020 during the lockdown amid the global pandemic of Coronavirus, performing a 40-minute set.
21 of 25June 2020
The band's musical film Greatest Day was confirmed in June 2020! Although it had been in the pipeline for a couple of years, things started to get in motion in the summer, which is based on the jukebox musical The Band, containing Take That songs.
22 of 25November 2020
Gary released his fifth solo studio album on 27th November, 'Music Played By Humans', which debuted at Number 1 in the UK! It features singles 'Elita' featuring Michael Bublé and Sebastián Yatra, 'Incredible' and 'This Is My Time'. Other album tracks feature vocals from the likes of Beverley Knight, Alesha Dixon and James Corden among others.
23 of 252021
On 7th October 2021, Gary surprised fans with the announcement that he was launching his own wine company. He shared photos from his new company Gary Barlow Wines on his social media.
24 of 252021
In October 2021, Gary announced his first Christmas album 'The Dream Of Christmas' would come out on 26th November. The album includes new songs like 'How Christmas Is Supposed To Be' as well as Gary's take on some classic tunes. 'Sleigh Ride' and 'The Dream Of Christmas' were released on 28th October ahead of the album.
25 of 252022
In January 2022, Gary Barlow announced he would be putting on a theatre performance show called 'A Different Stage', with dates being added throughout the year.
Make sure you listen to heat to hear all of Take That's hit songs!
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