Boy George, whose real name is George Alan O’Dowd, is a well-known name in the music industry in England. He is a singer, songwriter, DJ, fashion designer, photographer, and record producer. Boy George’s wealth is estimated to be $50 million as of the year 2022. Boy George is responsible for many songs that were international hits, including “Karma Chameleon,” “Do You Want to Hurt Me,” and “Time.”
Boy George is well-known not just for his ethereal and lyrical singing, but also for his androgynous look. Vocals and turntables were the two instruments he used in his performance. Additionally, he sang in a variety of styles, some of which include pop, new wave, soul, soft rock, disco, and reggae.
After participating in the “New Romantic” movement in the 1980s, he rose to recognition as a result of his involvement in the genre. George was hailed for his ability to sing in a manner that combined elements of rhythm and blues with reggae, and he went on to become one of the movement’s early pioneers. His androgynous look was another thing that drew people’s attention to him.
It was the former manager of the band Sex Pistols who found him and invited him to join the band Bow Wow Wow, which was already in existence at the time. However, due to his remarkable abilities and one-of-a-kind aesthetic, he decided to start his own band and title it “Culture Club.” During his time with Culture Club, George had many successful songs, including “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” and “Karma Chameleon.” These hits brought George recognition all around the globe.
George also spent several years developing his solo career, during which he explored dance and electronic music and worked in collaboration with DJs and producers such as Kinky Roland. Over the course of his life, George has been linked to the use of various narcotics, such as cannabis and heroin; in addition, he has served time in prison for being in possession of these substances.
In an effort to turn his life around, he has served a significant amount of time behind bars and in rehabilitation institutions. In addition to creating music lyrics, George is also a writer. He has authored two autobiographical novels, named “Take It Like a Man” and “Straight.” Both of these books are about his life.
Boy George Wiki
As of the year 2022, Boy George will have become 61 years old, having been born on 14 June 1961. He was born into a prosperous Eastern family that originated in Barnehurst, Kent, England, and spent his childhood there. His religious affiliation is with the Nichiren Buddhist sect, and his nationality is that of the United Kingdom.
Eltham Green School in England was where he finished his primary and secondary education. After that, he enrolled himself at a local college in England, and it was from that institution that he ultimately received his degree. From the very beginning of his life, he was always more interested in singing and participating in a wide variety of extracurricular activities than he was in academics.
Family & Girlfriend
Jeremiah and Dinah O’Dowd are Boy George’s parents. Boy George was named after his father. Jeremiah O’Dowd, a worker by trade, is the man who gave birth to Boy George and carries on the family name.
Dinah O’Dowd is the name of Boy George’s mother, and she is a stay-at-home mother who raises her son. He is the youngest of five children. David O’Dowd, Gerald O’Dowd, Richard O’Dowd, and Kevin O’Dowd are his brothers, while Richard O’Dowd and Kevin O’Dowd are his nephews. Siobhan O’Dowd is the name of his older sister.
Boy George does not have a spouse at this time in his life. Both Jon Moss and Martine McCutcheon have been in a relationship with Boy George at some point.
Career
Around the same time as “The New Romantic Movement” was taking shape in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, males in the creative industry began dressing androgynously and using make-up. The theatrical manner in which George carried himself attracted the eye of Malcolm McLaren, who invited George to join ‘Bow Wow Wow.’
George started his own band and recruited Mikey Craig on bass, Jon Moss on drums, and Roy Hay on guitar. Because their band consisted of members from from a variety of racial backgrounds and religious traditions, they settled on the name “Culture Club” for their collective endeavour.
In 1982, Culture Club released their first studio album titled “Kissing to Be Clever.” The song “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” from the album became a massive success all over the world, establishing George as a prominent figure in the music business.
The second studio album by Culture Club, titled “Colour by Numbers,” was released in 1983 and quickly became an enormous success in the UK. Both of the band’s songs, “Church of the Poison Mind” and “Karma Chameleon,” peaked atop the charts in sixteen different nations.
In spite of the fact that everyone anticipated that their third album, titled “Waking Up with the House on Fire,” which was released in 1984, would be a blockbuster success like their previous two albums, the reaction to the record was tepid.
He had a starring role in an episode of the television series ‘The A-Team’ that aired in the year 1986. In the episode, he made an appearance as himself.
“From Luxury to Heartache” was the title of the band’s fourth studio album. As soon as the record was made available to the public, the band found itself embroiled in a number of contentious issues. George was taken into custody for being in possession of cannabis, and the band’s keyboardist died away from an overdose of heroin.
In 1987, despite the fact that he was still battling his heroin addiction, he released his first solo album under the name “Sold.” He began taking prescription medications in an effort to resolve his condition, but he ultimately turned to misusing prescribed medications. In the meanwhile, his CD titled “Sold” was very successful in Europe.
The years 1988 and 1989 saw the publication of three of his solo albums, titled “Tense Nervous Headache,” “Boyfriend,” and “High Hat,” respectively. Around the same time, he also established his own record label called “More Protein,” under which he issued a number of singles from the underground music scene.
During the years 1990 and 1991, George hosted a chart and music programme each week on the channel known as “Blue Radio,” which was part of the “Power Satellite” network. In addition to this, he was praised for the song titled “The Crying Game,” which he had performed in the context of the film of the same name.
The band ‘Jesus Loves You’ was planning to release a pop and world music album under the title ‘Popularity Breeds Contempt’ in 1992 via his record business, but the CD was never released. However, the project was never finished, and the record was never distributed to the public.
George always had an interest in pursuing a career in rock music, and in 1995, he published an album of rock music titled “Cheapness and Beauty.” The nature of the record was experimental, and as a result, it did not do very well financially. In addition, he was a leading actor in the London musical “Taboo.”
In 2002, he issued his album titled “U Can Never B2 Straight,” which was a collection of a variety of ballads and songs that had not before been published. The record was a smash hit, and its popularity afforded George some much-needed exposure for his songwriting skills.
Over the course of the subsequent couple of years, he explored the realm of electronic music and issued a few albums under the alias “The Twin.” His experiment consisted of creating a 13-track CD and naming it “Yum Yum.” In the course of his exploration, he also performed cover versions of a variety of tunes.
While this was going on, in the year 2003, he had a weekly programme on the London radio station known as LBC 97.3. In addition to that, he has made appearances as a guest on television shows such as “The Kumars at No. 42” and “The Friday Night Project.”
2007 saw the release of two collaborative electronic dance albums from George. Additionally, he has distributed on the internet an extended play titled “Disco Abomination.” It included new renditions of older songs originally produced by the German artist Kinky Roland.
In 2009, he became a part of a new management team and released an album with the name “Ordinary Alien – The Kinky Roland Files.” The album included new renditions of previously released tunes. In addition to that, he began participating in the “Night of the Proms.”
In 2011, “Culture Club” reformed for two live shows, one in Dubai and the other in Sydney. The band also disclosed that they were working on a new reunion record at the time of their announcement.
A record named “Coming Home” was issued by him in the year 2013. The album was first made available as a digital download, and it reached its highest rank on the “Juno Download Chart” at number two. In the same year, he also published the album ‘This Is What I Do,’ which he had been working on for a considerable amount of time. The album was met with generally favourable responses from reviewers.
In January of 2016, he took Tom Jones’s place as a coach on the fifth season of “The Voice UK,” which he joined as a mentor. After just one season on the programme, he decided to leave it and become a coach on the sixth season of “The Voice Australia.” He first appeared on the programme in the seventh season, then again in the eighth season, and then he came back for the ninth season, which began broadcasting in the year 2020.
While everything was going on, in October of 2016, he gave a performance of “Starman” as a memorial to his hero David Bowie, who had passed away nine months before. In 2017, he was a contestant on NBC’s “The Celebrity Apprentice” in order to raise awareness and funds for the organisation “Safe Kids Worldwide.”
The same year, he also collaborated with American rapper Pitbull for his tenth studio album ‘Climate Change.’ After that, in August, he entered into a new recording contract with “BMG Music Company.”
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