Simon Cowell Biography - Simon's Early Life Through To The Present Day
This was Simon’s first important step into the music business…..
Simon Cowell Biography The Early Years
Julie, Eric, Tony, Nicholas and Simon
Simon Philip Cowell was born to Eric and Julie Cowell on 7th October 1959, Simon has a younger brother Nicholas and four half siblings. Michael and Tony from his Mothers first marriage, with John and June from his Fathers. He had by his own admission, a privileged upbringing in the leafy suburbs of Hertforshire. His home was in Elstree, which was also famous for its film and television studio, where Simon grew up alongside some illustrious neighbours from the film world. Simon’s school days were spent at a boarding school in Dover, which he never liked and rebelled against. He even sent a letter home to his parents trying to make them feel guilty for sending him there. He was at one time suspended and left school as soon as he could at sixteen.
Simon's Career in Music
Simon’s first job was as a runner at Elstree studios, when that came to an end he took a job as a mailroom boy at EMI music. Simon got bored working as a mail boy with little chance of moving up the ladder, so he left and briefly got a job in an Estate Agents, which he hated.
Simon received a surprise call from EMI asking him to go back and work in a different department. It was here Simon met up with Pete Waterman, who went on to become his mentor and to this day Simon always thanks him for his start in the music business.
When Simon left EMI he started a working partnership with a former colleague named Ellis Rich, this didn’t work out and they went their separate ways. He then went on to work with Iain Burton and Fanfare Records was born. Fanfare needed an artist to work with and Simon found Sinitta, he signed her to the label and she went on to have a number two hit with ‘So Macho’, followed by ‘Toyboy’ which Simon asked Pete Waterman his former mentor at EMI to write for her. Several other hits followed during the 80’s and things were beginning to look up…..
Soldier, Soldier was a huge television hit in the early nineties. It starred Robson Green and Jerome Flynn. In the program they sang ‘Unchained Melody’, Simon knew it would be a hit record and went to great lengths to sign them up. They produced Simon’s first number one record. Their second record of the old Bachelors hit ‘I Believe’ also went to number one, followed by the album becoming the best selling album of 1995.
Simon was now top of his tree, there were some disappointments along the way, he narrowly missed out on signing The Spice Girls, but little did he know then, that Westlife were just around the corner.
Simon met with Louis Walsh their manager and between them they created probably the biggest boy band this country has seen in recent years.
Unfortunately for Simon, the day their first record went to number one, was the day his father died, so the euphoria was obviously sadly diminished. Westlife went on to sell millions of singles and albums, including the number one millennium single.
Simon formed Syco Entertainment in 2002, which is made up of Syco Music and Syco TV. Further information can be found on Syco’s own page HERE
Television then took hold…….
The Turbulent Years
Television Breakthrough
In 2001 Simon decided to join forces with Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and Pop Idol was created. Joining Simon on the judging panel were Pete Waterman, Neil Fox and Nicki Chapman, with Ant and Dec hosting the show. It ran for two seasons, after which Simon Fuller took Idol over to the States, with the new name of American Idol, which as we know had Simon on the judging panel, together with Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.
It is doubtful that Simon had any idea at that stage just how big a profile Idol would give him in the States. The American audience wasn’t used to someone being so honest with their opinions, he even took his fellow judges by surprise. But his charm and charisma carried him through and they loved him. We did see a different Simon start to emerge, the teeth got whiter, the wrinkles disappeared, with an all year round tan appearing, he was certainly embracing the LA lifestyle. Simon left Idol in 2010 to move on to launching the X Factor in America.
The X Factor UK
Simon launched the hugely successful X Factor in Britain in 2004 and still has the prestige position of being the number one show on television. The biggest stars to come out of the show to date are Leona Lewis, who will ever forget her performance of ‘Summertime’ and One Direction who are enjoying global success on a phenomenal scale.
The judges have changed over the years, but the production of the show gets bigger and better each year and we see the biggest names in music making guest appearances. Which other television production has so many people talking about it. The X Factor is entertainment at its very best.
Britain's Got Talent
Britain’s Got Talent was first screened in 2007, Simon again is involved in the production as well as being a judge. Joining him on the judging panel were Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan. Piers has now left the show and Simon only appeared on the live shows in 2011.
Two new judges appeared on our screens in 2011, Michael McIntyre and David Hasselhoff, who of course is used to the Got Talent format as he was previously a judge on the American version.
Simon joined the panel for the live shows in 2011 and returned full time for the 2012 series, with David Walliams, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon. The format of Got Talent has taken off all over the world, there is also a possibility of there being a World’s Got Talent in the future.
Red or Black
Red or Black, a roulette themed game show hit our screens in September 2011. The show ran for 7 consecutive nights, giving one contestant each night the chance to win a million pounds by choosing red or black on the spin of the roulette wheel. The show paid out record prize money over a seven day period to 4 winners, each winning a million pounds. The critics didn't give the show an easy ride, but it will be back in 2012 with a revised format
The X Factor USA
X Factor USA launched in America in the fall of 2011. Simon was joined on the panel by LA Reid, Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger. The host was Steve Jones. ITV2 bought the rights to the show, so the UK watched it too. Season 2 saw Britney Spears and Demi Lovato replacing Paula and Nicole, with two new hosts Mario Lopez and Khloe Kardashian. Fox annouced in October they have signed another series of X factor for 2013,.
Personal Life
Simon has a house in West London and Los Angeles. A villa in Marbella, A house which is in the process of being built, on the West Coast of Barbados and reportedly an investment property in Dubai.
Simon makes no secret of his love for cars and currently owns several, including a Rolls Royce Phantom, a Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari California and in 2011 he surprised everyone by buying a SMART car.
He usually holidays over Christmas and the New Year in Barbados. Sandy Lane was always a favourite, but recently he has favoured the privacy of villas and the luxury yacht 'Slipstream'. On his summer break he favours the Mediterranean, it used to be at his Marbella villa, but the last few years he has been afloat on Slipstream around Sardina and the South of France.
Relationships
Simon has had relatively few serious relationships over the years. One of his first was with Jackie St Clair, a model who he dated for a short while in the early eighties. Although the relationship didn’t take off, Jackie has always been one of his closest and most trusted friends to this day. Jackie and her husband still accompany him on holiday and they are often seen dining out together.
Simon went on to date Sinitta in the mid eighties, how long for is unclear, but it seems the relationship was on and off over several years. Sinitta however, like Jackie, remains a close personal friend. His longest most sustained relationship probably came with Terri Seymour, a stunningly attractive brunette who he first met in the early nineties, but didn’t start going out with until 2001/2002 during the airing of Pop Idol. They split in the spring of 2008, although it wasn’t made public until later that year. Again Terri remains a good friend and when together you can see the chemistry is still there.
In the Spring/Summer of 2009 Simon started a relationship with Mezhgan Hussainy, although this wasn’t publicly acknowledged until January 2010. He had known Mezhgan for several years as she was his make up artist on American Idol. Simon proposed to Mezhgan on Valentines Day 2010. The engement was called off in 2011.
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