Song:Alone Again (Naturally)
Album:The Very Best Of Gilbert O'Sullivan: A Singer and his Songs
Gilbert O'Sullivan had his only number one hit with Alone Again (Naturally) in 1972. He was a much bigger deal in England. And though he hasn't had a hit in years, he's still around. He was born Raymond Edward O'Sullivan Dec. 1, 1946 in Waterford, Ireland. His father died when O'Sullivan was 11 and he moved with his mom to Swindon, England. He was in the band Rick's Blues led by Supertramp founder Rick Davies. Davies taught O'Sullivan to play piano and drums. O'Sullivan was in a couple of other bands while attending the Swindon College of Art. In 1967, O'Sullivan signed a publishing deal with CBS Records owned April Music. He recorded a couple of singles on CBS that went nowhere. O'Sullivan's big break was when he sent a demo to Gordon Mills. Mills was manager of Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck and was starting a new label MAM Records. He signed O'Sullivan and named him Gilbert O'Sullivan as a pun on the team of Gilbert & Sullivan. It was O'Sullivan's idea to dress like a schoolboy. Mills didn't like it and that was soon abandoned. After a couple of hits in England, Alone Again (Naturally) topped charts worldwide and sold a million copies. Though some believe the song is autobiographical, O'Sullivan says it isn't. The guitar solo was played by session musician Big Jim Sullivan. O'Sullivan's next single Clair reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. His other top ten hit was Get Down in 1973. He continued to have success in England but he last charted in 1980. O'Sullivan sued MAM over royalties and won in 1982. in 1991, he sued Warner Bros. over the use of Alone Again (Naturally) on a rap song by Biz Markie. He won that suit too. Gilbert O'Sullivan continues to tour. He is very popular in Japan. His latest CD Gilbertville was released Jan. 2011. Union Square Music has been releasing O'Sullivan's catalog on CD on their Salvo label. This comp was released last year and is a good intro to his music. Here's Gilbert O'Sullivan performing Alone Again (Naturally) 1972.
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