Gary O'Connor, better known as Gary O' is a Canadian singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 and the son of Canadian musician Billy O'Connor.

Biography

Gary was a member of the 1960s band Cat, who had a popular Canadian hit in 1970 called "We're in This Together". Following a few more singles, creative differences would ultimately break them up in 1972.
In 1976, with the departure of David Moyles and Rick Pearson from the original line-up, Gary joined a Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

 tribute band named Liverpool that, with the help of Ian Thomas

Ian Thomas (Canadian musician)

Ian Thomas is a singer, songwriter, actor and author. He is younger brother to famed comedian and actor Dave Thomas.-Career:...

 as producer, had released a single called "Dolly" which cracked the top twenty on CHUM AM. Liverpool was managed by Vic Wilson and Ray Daniels of Anthem Records and SRO Management. Following a name change to Aerial

Aerial (Canadian band)

Aerial was a Canadian pop and rock band from Toronto, Ontario during the 1970s.- History :Begun in the early 1970s as The Beatles tribute act Liverpool, with Brian Miessner on lead vocal and bass, Malcolm Buchanan on keyboards, Laurie Currie on vocals and drums, and Gary O'Conner on guitar and...

, they released the album "In the Middle of the Night" in 1978. It was not a big success. Shortly after the 1980 follow-up "Manoeuvres", Gary formed the band Kid Rainbow, which included Margo Davidson

Margo Davidson

Margo Isabella Davidson was a founding member of Parachute Club and an advocate for the homeless.-Early Background:...

, later of The Parachute Club and John Jones (record producer)

John Jones (record producer)

John Idris Jones is a musician and record producer who has worked with Duran Duran and many high-profile rock and pop musicians.-Background:...

 of Duran Duran

Duran Duran

Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...

 and Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...

. This band was a vehicle to promote O'Connor's songs. During this period, O'Connor had a development contract with Capitol Records

Capitol Records

Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...

, which enabled him to concentrate on his songwriting. He also became a member of the Board of Directors of the Toronto Musicians Association.

O'Connor thereafter folded Kid Rainbow and opted for a solo career, adopting the stage name "Gary O'". In 1981, his self-titled debut album was released on Capitol Records. The first single "I Believe in You" became a smash hit in Canada, and the follow-up, a remake of The Hollies

The Hollies

The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...

' song "Pay You Back With Interest" even reached the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 Charts, where it peaked at #70.

It was his only chart entry in America, although he has had some success in writing songs for well-known artists such as 38 Special ("Back Where You Belong", "One Time For Old Times") as well as Molly Hatchet

Molly Hatchet

Molly Hatchet is an American southern rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1975. They are widely known for their hit song "Flirtin' with Disaster" from the album of the same title. The band, founded by Dave Hlubek and Steve Holland, took its name from a prostitute who allegedly mutilated...

 ("What's It Gonna Take") and Eddie Money

Eddie Money

Eddie Money is an American rock guitarist, saxophonist and singer-songwriter who found success in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of Top 40 hits and platinum albums...

 ("Maybe Tomorrow").

In 1984, he released his follow-up album "Strange Behaviour". The first single "Shades of 45", a song about the Enola Gay

Enola Gay

Enola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of the pilot, then-Colonel Paul Tibbets. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb as a weapon of war...

 bombing the Japanese, became a popular hit in Canada, and the follow-up "Get it While You Can" also became a modest hit.

Currently, Gary O' works as a songwriter out of Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

.

Albums

with AERIAL

• 1978 - "In the Middle of the Night"
• 1980 - "Manoeuvres"

as a SOLO artist

• 1981 - "Gary O"
• 1984 - "Strange Behaviour"

Singles

with CAT

• 1968 - "Doin' the Best We Can"
• 1970 - "Solo Flight"
• 1970 - "We're in This Together"
• 1971 - "Honey in the Sky"

with LIVERPOOL

• 1975 - "Love is A Melody"
• 1975 - "Down to Liverpool"
• 1976 - "Dolly"

with AERIAL

• 1978 - "Easy Love"
• 1980 - "Tears That You Cry"
• 1980 - "Moments Like This"

as a SOLO artist

• 1981 - "I Believe in You"
• 1981 - "Pay You Back With Interest"
• 1984 - "Shades of 45"
• 1984 - "Get it While You Can"