Glenn Tilbrook

All Music Guide:

Singer/composer Glenn Tilbrook teamed with lyricist/guitarist Chris Difford to lead Squeeze, one of the most acclaimed and longest-lived bands to emerge from the new wave era. Often regarded as the Lennon and McCartney of their generation, the duo's smart, sophisticated brand of pop never achieved commercial success commensurate with their critical favor, although singles like "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)," "Tempted," and "Black Coffee in Bed" remain timeless cult classics. Born August 31, 1957, in London, Tilbrook studied guitar and piano from age six onward and at 13, he made his public debut at a local talent show. He began writing and performing with Difford in 1973 and the following year, they formed Squeeze; the group's self-titled, John Cale-produced debut LP followed in 1978, yielding the minor hit "Take Me, I'm Yours." 1979's Cool for Cats was Squeeze's U.K. chart breakthrough, generating a pair of number two singles, "Up the Junction" and the title track. The follow-up, Argybargy, yielded the lesser hits "Another Nail in My Heart" and "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)," but solidified the group's critical standing on the strength of Difford's wry, literate wordplay and Tilbrook's crisp, clever melodies.

Squeeze's masterpiece East Side Story followed in 1981, scoring the band's biggest U.S. hit to date with the memorable "Tempted"; though 1982's Sweets From a Stranger cracked the U.S. Top 40 buoyed by the single "Black Coffee in Bed," creative exhaustion forced the band's breakup soon after. A 1983 hits collection, Singles 45's and Under, ultimately went platinum. Tilbrook immediately resumed his collaboration with Difford, however, composing songs for fellow Squeeze alum Jools Holland, as well as Paul Young, Billy Bremner, and Helen Shapiro. The duo also mounted Labelled with Love, a short-lived 1983 stage musical adapted from their songs. A self-titled 1984 album credited simply to Difford and Tilbrook also appeared, but the following year they reunited Squeeze to release Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti; 1987's Babylon and On was their biggest U.S. hit, notching a pair of Top 40 singles in "Hourglass" and "853-5937," but subsequent efforts appealed almost exclusively to their devoted cult following.

The '90s found Tilbrook guesting on albums by artists including Aimee Mann and the Soft Boys' Kimberley Rew. He officially kicked off a solo career with the release of the single Parallel World on his own Quixotic Records in late 2000. The following year brought the release of another single, This Is Where You Ain't, and his first full-length album, The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook, which included songs co-written with Aimee Mann ("Observatory") and Ron Sexsmith ("You See Me"). The documentary/concert DVD Glenn Tilbrook: One for the Road (issued in 2006) followed the man on his 2001 North American tour. 2007 proved to be a busy year indeed, with a short Squeeze reunion/tour (their third) as well as the release of the first two volumes (of a proposed five-volume set) of remastered demo recordings, The Past Has Been Bottled and In the Sky Above. In 2008, Tilbrook began working with a new group of musicians and released the four-track teaser Binga Bong!, which was filed under Glenn Tilbrook & the Fluffers. The first full-length from the new group, Pandemonium Ensues, was issued in March of 2009 and featured entertainment's royal couple Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis.

Wikipedia:

Glenn Martin Tilbrook (born 31 August 1957 in Woolwich, London) is the lead singer and guitarist of the English band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid 1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the melody for Squeeze, while his writing partner, Chris Difford, wrote the lyrics. In addition to his songwriting skills, Tilbrook is respected both as a singer and an accomplished guitarist.

Difford and Tilbrook

During Squeeze's first hiatus, from approximately 1983 to 1985, Tilbrook wrote, recorded, and toured with Chris Difford, his songwriting partner from Squeeze. Their album, Difford & Tilbrook was originally released in 1984, and remastered and reissued in 2006.

Solo career

Following Squeeze's second breakup in 1999, Tilbrook pursued a solo career, often touring around the UK and US in an RV, playing small venues. He released two solo albums, The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook and Transatlantic Ping Pong. Tilbrook co-wrote some of the songs for his solo recordings with artists such as Ron Sexsmith, Chris Braide and Aimee Mann.

In 2006, the film documentary Glenn Tilbrook: One for the Road was released. It followed Tilbrook on his November 2001 tour across the United States. In 2007, Tilbrook took time off from his solo career to tour once again with Squeeze who had reformed for the third time.

In April 2007, Tilbrook released The Past Has Been Bottled, the first in a five-disc series of remastered demos. The first release included early versions of tracks from Squeeze's East Side Story. The second volume, In The Sky Above, was released in the UK in November 2007, and covered the period from 1993 through 1998. The third volume, Dreams Are Made of This, was released in November 2009 and covered Squeeze's early years, from 1974 to 1980.

In 2008, Tilbrook previewed new material while on tour with The Fluffers, two members of whom are also members of the latest Squeeze line-up. A four track single, "Binga Bong!", was released in November 2008. Tilbrook's latest album Pandemonium Ensues, credited to Glenn Tilbrook and The Fluffers, was released in March 2009. The 14 track album was produced by Tilbrook and Andrew J. Jones, and mixed by Bob Clearmountain. It featured guest appearances from Johnny Depp on "Too Close To The Sun" and Depp's wife, Vanessa Paradis, on "Interest & Love".

In January 2010 it was announced that Tilbrook and Difford would be spending part of the coming summer in Italy, together writing songs for a new Squeeze album.

Personal

Tilbrook has his own recording studio, known as '45RPM', in Charlton. It has been used by other bands such as Nine Below Zero. Tilbrook supports Charlton Athletic F.C. and in 1998 Squeeze released "Down in the Valley", a tribute to his boyhood team.

He is a supporter of the Love Hope Strength Foundation, a cancer charity founded by Mike Peters of The Alarm, and has played concerts in aid of the organisation, including one at base camp, Mount Everest.

He has four children.