Raymond Edward O'Sullivan, known professionally as Gilbert O'Sullivan, is an Irish singer-songwriter who achieved his most significant success during the early 1970s with hits including "Alone Again (Naturally)", "Clair" and "Get Down". His songs are often marked by his distinctive percussive piano playing style and observational lyrics using word play.
real name: Raymond Edward O'Sullivan
labels: MAM, Columbia Records
genres: pop music, soft rock
plays: piano, voice
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O'Sullivan was born on 1 December 1946 in Cork Road, Waterford, Ireland. He was one of six children. His mother, May, ran a sweet shop and his father was a butcher with Clover Meats. The O'Sullivans emigrated due to a job offer in England. The family first moved to Battersea, London, when O'Sullivan was seven, before settling in Swindon, Wiltshire, a year later. He began playing piano there, later explaining: "I come from a working-class background, but we always had a piano, the thinking of my parents was that if one of your kids could play it, you could make some money at it." A period of going to piano lessons was short-lived, as O'Sullivan was not enamoured of music theory and played the pieces by ear instead. His father died two years...
In 1967, O'Sullivan moved from Swindon to London in pursuit of a career in music. Determined to get a record deal and looking to stand out, he created an eye-catching visual image consisting of a bowl cut, cloth cap and short trousers. O'Sullivan said his love of silent film inspired the look. He obtained a five-year contract with April Music, CBS Records' house publishing company, after coming to the attention of the professional manager, Stephen Shane, who also suggested changing his name from Ray to Gilbert as a play on the name of the light opera partnership of Gilbert and Sullivan. He was paid an advance of £12 (equivalent to £191 in 2025), with which he bought a piano. He was signed to CBS Records by the A&R manager Mike Smith, who...
At the end of 1970, O'Sullivan achieved his first UK top 10 hit with "Nothing Rhymed", which also reached number one in the Netherlands, where it earned O'Sullivan his first gold disc. Over 1971, O'Sullivan had hits with "Underneath The Blanket Go" (which also reached number one in the Netherlands), "We Will" and "No Matter How I Try", the latter being named "Best Ballad or Romantic Song" at the 17th Ivor Novello Awards in 1972. O'Sullivan released his debut album, Himself, in August 1971. It received a warm critical reception, with O'Sullivan's observational and conversational style of songwriting garnering comparisons to Paul McCartney and Randy Newman. O'Sullivan opted not to tour in promotion of the album, but did however make a number...
In 1980, after a five-year hiatus, O'Sullivan returned to his old record label, CBS. The first single, "What's in a Kiss?", reached No. 19 in the UK, in 1980, and No. 21 in Japan. It was his first UK top 20 hit in five years. Following the release of his subsequent 1980, and 1982 albums, Off Centre and Life & Rhymes, and due in part to the then-ongoing MAM court case, O'Sullivan released no new material between 1983 and 1986. Apart from the single "So What?" in 1990 and a compilation album, Nothing But the Best, in 1991, O'Sullivan was absent from the charts until another compilation album, The Berry Vest of Gilbert O'Sullivan, returned him to the UK top 20 in 2004.