Gary Howard was born in East London, in an area called Ilford. From early in his life, Gary had two loves: drama and music.
Gary explains, „I went to college where I was did a performing arts degree, and my main study was drama. Because I could sing and play a guitar already, I was often given the role of the singer/guitarist, so the music and the drama progressed side by side.“
Early in his career Gary travelled around playing guitar and singing. He also did some acting singing and Television work while living in Paris, and Rome.
In the eighties, Gary Howard returned to the UK, and while doing cabaret and New Variety shows, and making music for the BBC, he was spotted by Rick Lloyd of The Flying Pickets.
Gary explains, „Several of the guys were working in theatre and it was like an informal group, and more for fun. There were different people in it and it was only when we had the first hit that it crystallized as a group. I joined in 1986. I became a Flying Picket, as well as continuing with cabaret and BBC work. Gradually the Picket life took over because we were always touring all over the place.“
When it comes to the genre of „acapella“, The Flying Pickets are one of the top groups in the field. We appeared on albums by other artists including Tracey Ullman’s album „You Broke My Heart in 17 Places“, and the Alan Parsonsâ™ produced „Freudiana“, with 2 tracks especially featuring Gary’s Voice.
When the first Alan Parsons tour came along in 1994, Gary would share the lead vocals duties with Chris Thompson of the Manfred Mann Earth band, for a tour of Hilland Belgium and Germany, playing in Stadiums with the sound Engineer of Pink Floyd. Those performances were immortalised on „the very Best of Live“.
Gary has worked with Andy Woerz of Die Echten and Andre Heller on respective Album Projects.
Gary is well known around the globe as the Voice of the Hit Song „ONLY YOU“. He now has his own band and performs on stages around Europe and beyond and is hard at work song writing and producing most of the year in Studios in Paris and London.
Gary Howard often visits Vienna for recording projects as well as Charity Commitments and – of course to – experience the „Wiener Gemuetlicheit“!