Simon Fowler
Encyclopedia
Simon Fowler is the lead vocalist and acoustic guitar
ist in Ocean Colour Scene
.
band The Fanatics, which consisted of Simon Fowler (vocals & guitar), Damon Minchella
(bass), Paul Wilkes (guitar) and Caroline Bullock (drums). Future Ocean Colour Scene
drummer and former Echo Base band member Oscar Harrison
replaced Bullock on drums.
The Fanatics released one record in 1989 before splitting, the four track 'Suburban Love Songs' 12" vinyl e.p. on Chapter 22 Records (12 CHAP 38), containing the songs "1,2,3,4"; "My Brother Sarah" (later re-recorded by Ocean Colour Scene
), "Suburban Love Songs" and "Tight Rope".
Following the demise of The Fanatics in late 1989, Fowler, Minchella and Harrison teamed up with guitar player Steve Cradock
to form Ocean Colour Scene.
.
tabloid newspaper The Sun
outed
Fowler as gay
; this was troubling for him, as he had not then come out
to his family, let alone publicly. He lives with his long term partner Robert in Warwickshire
.
He was educated at Tudor Grange School in Solihull
, and later studied at The Sixth Form College Solihull where he wrote "Foxy's Folk Faced". Fowler went on to become a journalist
, working for the Birmingham Post
.
Steel-string acoustic guitar
A steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
ist in Ocean Colour Scene
Ocean Colour Scene
Ocean Colour Scene are an English Britpop band formed in Moseley, Birmingham in 1989. They have had five Top 10 albums and six Top 10 singles to date.-Early days :...
.
The Fanatics
Simon Fowler commenced his music career as the lead singer and songwriter for BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
band The Fanatics, which consisted of Simon Fowler (vocals & guitar), Damon Minchella
Damon Minchella
Damon Minchella is an English bass guitarist, formerly with Ocean Colour Scene, which he left in 2003. He was a regular member of Paul Weller's backing band until 2008, is a member of the supergroup The Players and played for The Who during their performance at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park.He...
(bass), Paul Wilkes (guitar) and Caroline Bullock (drums). Future Ocean Colour Scene
Ocean Colour Scene
Ocean Colour Scene are an English Britpop band formed in Moseley, Birmingham in 1989. They have had five Top 10 albums and six Top 10 singles to date.-Early days :...
drummer and former Echo Base band member Oscar Harrison
Oscar Harrison
Oscar Harrison is a musician who currently plays drums with Birmingham-based band Ocean Colour Scene, where he gained prominence. He also plays piano and bass guitar, and occasionally sings lead vocals.-Early days:...
replaced Bullock on drums.
The Fanatics released one record in 1989 before splitting, the four track 'Suburban Love Songs' 12" vinyl e.p. on Chapter 22 Records (12 CHAP 38), containing the songs "1,2,3,4"; "My Brother Sarah" (later re-recorded by Ocean Colour Scene
Ocean Colour Scene
Ocean Colour Scene are an English Britpop band formed in Moseley, Birmingham in 1989. They have had five Top 10 albums and six Top 10 singles to date.-Early days :...
), "Suburban Love Songs" and "Tight Rope".
Following the demise of The Fanatics in late 1989, Fowler, Minchella and Harrison teamed up with guitar player Steve Cradock
Steve Cradock
Steve Cradock is an English guitarist, most notable for playing in the rock group Ocean Colour Scene. Cradock is also the second guitarist in Paul Weller's band, having appeared on all of Weller's solo records following Weller's self titled debut album.He is a distinctive guitarist, who has a...
to form Ocean Colour Scene.
Other works
Fowler has also appeared as a backing singer for Paul Weller, and with Kate RusbyKate Rusby
Kate Anna Rusby is an English folk singer and songwriter from Penistone, South Yorkshire. Sometimes known as The Barnsley Nightingale, she has headlined various British national folk festivals, and is regarded as one of the most famous English folk singers of contemporary times...
.
Personal life
In 1998, BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tabloid newspaper The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
outed
Outing
Outing is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
Fowler as gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
; this was troubling for him, as he had not then come out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
to his family, let alone publicly. He lives with his long term partner Robert in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
.
He was educated at Tudor Grange School in Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
, and later studied at The Sixth Form College Solihull where he wrote "Foxy's Folk Faced". Fowler went on to become a journalist
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, working for the Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
The Birmingham Post newspaper was originally published under the name Daily Post in Birmingham, England, in 1857 by John Frederick Feeney. It was the largest selling broadsheet in the West Midlands, though it faced little if any competition in this category. It changed to tabloid size in 2008...
.