Irish Take That Fans

Compiled by Laura Tully

Mark Anthony Owen was born to parents Keith and Mary on January 27th 1972 in Oldham, Manchester.  Mark had a Catholic upbringing with his siblings, Daniel and Tracey.  As a youngster, Mark's passion was football and he was one of the best players in his school team.  Injury prevented him from succeeding at various professional club trials, so on leaving school Mark worked at a clothing store before taking an apprenticeship at a bank.  He was registered with Nigel Martin-Smith's modelling agency and as a result was invited along to auditions for a band which Martin-Smith was putting together in early 1990.  It was at this time that Mark was selected as one of the five members of Take That.

Mark's obvious personality traits of kindness, politeness and cuteness made him an instantly popular member.  Mark scooped multiple awards during the 1990s for his good looks, haircuts, dress sense and personality and had the largest fan base within the band.  In the 1990s, Mark sang lead vocals on several tracks with Babe being the most widely known having reached the coveted number 1 spot in the UK in 1993.

Following the band's split, Mark went on to pen his own lyrics and released the critically acclaimed debut album Green Man.  He reached number 3 in the UK charts with his debut single, Child.  His second single Clementine also went to number 3.  In 1997 his album charted at a disappointing number 33.  After another single, I Am What I Am, charted at number 29, Mark was dropped by BMG Records in late 1997.

In 2002, Mark won Celebrity Big Brother, where he once again captured the hearts of the public, after six years away.  Later that year, Mark got a phone call from Robbie Williams, who invited him to perform with him live on stage at Knebworth.  This returned him to the spotlight and he signed a deal with Island/Universal Records.  In August 2003, Mark returned to the charts with the Top 5 hit, Four Minute Warning, which remained in the Top 40 for 8 weeks. His second album, In Your Own Time, was released in November 2003, entering the charts at number 39.  After a second single, Alone Without You, charted at number 26 Mark was dropped by Island/Universal Records.

In April 2004 he established his own record company, Sedna Records.  He was now due to write material for his next album.  He released his third solo album, How The Mighty Fall, recorded at Sunset Studios, LA, in 2004, and released in 2005.  In February 2006, he released the single Hail Mary.

Mark completed a critically acclaimed sell-out tour, The Ultimate Tour, with the reformed Take That in 2006.  The band embarked on another successful sell-out tour in the Fall of 2007, the Beautiful World Tour.  The band released a brand new studio album, entitled Beautiful World in November 2006.  Mark sang lead vocals on the single Shine, which reached number 1 in the UK.  Mark recently modelled for Marks and Spencer Menswear with his fellow band members.

Mark proudly worked with fellow bandmates on the record breaking album 'The Circus' which was released in December 2008. Take That presented a special TV show 'Take That Come To Town' which was aired in December 2008 where they performed some of their greatest selling hits as well as some new tracks from the album. The album sold 133,000 copies on it's first day of release and went on to become the fasting selling album of the year. Take That held a VIP album launch in Paris where fans were treated to intimate performances. Mark is featured as lead vocalist on six tracks on the album. The album formed the foundation for the widely acclaimed 'The Circus' tour in 2009. The tour went on to become the fastest selling tour in UK history and was seen in stadiums in the UK and Ireland by over 1million people.

Mark and his wife Emma are proud parents to Elwood Jack Owen, born on August 19th 2006, and Willow Rose Owen , born on 25th November 2008. Mark Owen co-penned the finale song for the West End Musical 'The Rise and Fall of Little Voice' with Take That band members Ben Mark and Jamie Norton which opened in October 2009. Mark married Emma in Noveber 2009 and temporarily postponed his honeymoon in order to perform with Take That at the Children In Need charity concert organised by Gary Barlow which took place at the Royal Albert Hall in November 2009. Mark also attended the extravaganza launch of Take That 'Singstar' with fellow band members in Novemeber before jetting off with his new wife to enjoy a well deserved honeymoon.

 Please check Mark's official website for more details on Mark and his music.

Mark's official website is www.markowenofficial.com