Biographic - Sunday April 16, 2006 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Oasis stars Noel and Liam Gallagher have always worn their love of The Beatles on their sleeves... echoes of "The Fab Four" can be heard throughout the entire Oasis songbook- and Liam even named his first born son Lennon, in homage to John Lennon. So in 2004, when a vacancy opened up in Oasis for a new drummer, it was somehow only fitting that the position was filled by Zak Starkey, son of the great Beatles stickman Ringo Starr. Noel and Liam Gallagher, together with older brother Paul, were born and raised in a tough, working-class suburb of Manchester, England. An aspiring musician and songwriter, Noel tried out as a vocalist for The Inspirational carpets, and although failed the audition, he did land a job as a roadie. When Noel returned from tour, he was surprised to find that younger brother Liam was now the lead singer for a local band. Within a short space of time, Noel was installed as guitarist, songwriter and leading light. When the head of Creation Records saw Oasis perform in a small club in Scotland, he offered a recording deal on the spot! Suddenly, the music biz was buzzing with talk of Oasis. Following a bidding war that reportedly saw U2's mother label offer to double any other deal, Oasis signed to creation. On the heels of a sold-out tour of Britain, the album "Definitely Maybe" became the fastest-selling debut in U.K chart history! The second album "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?" sold over 18 million copies worldwide. In Britain, 250,000 tickets to the band's two shows at Knebworth sold out within minutes. In the U.S. the likes of "Wonderwall" made Oasis an MTV favorite. But success brought setbacks, from internal squabbles and sibling rivalry to canceled tours, personnel changes and tabloid tales of excess and momentum was lost. Liam's 1997 marriage to actress Patsy Kensit ended in divorce in 2000. A few months later, Noel's four-year marriage also ended. By now, the brothers were the only surviving members of the Original Oasis lineup, but relations between the two were so strained it was widely assumed that the group was finished. But Oasis survived, weathered a few more storms, and has been enjoying a creative resurgence of late. The band played 87 dates in 2005, selling out stadiums worldwide.

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