Gary James Kemp was born on 16 October 1959 and is an English songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and principal songwriter for the new wave band Spandau Ballet.
37 Facts About Gary Kemp
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In 2012, Gary Kemp was an Ivor Novello Award winner for Outstanding Song Collection.
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Gary Kemp's brother Martin Kemp plays bass guitar in the band and is an actor.
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Since 2018, Gary Kemp has toured the US and Europe with Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets.
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Gary James Kemp was on born 16 October 1959, to parents Eileen and Frank Kemp in St Bartholomew's Hospital, Smithfield, London, within the sound of St Mary-le-Bow's bells and grew up in Islington, London, in a working-class family.
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Gary Kemp was active in the Anna Scher Children's Theatre drama club, along with his brother Martin.
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Gary Kemp acted in various Children's Film Foundation television and film productions beginning with "Junket 89" in 1970, which starred Richard Wilson.
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Gary Kemp played the lead role in the 1972 film Hide and Seek alongside Roy Dotrice which was given a Royal premiere for the CFF's 21st anniversary, attended by the Duchess of Kent.
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Gary Kemp had a love for glam rock and an interest in progressive rock.
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Aged 14, Gary Kemp played guitar with Islington-based The Same Band and future Spandau Ballet session keyboard player Ian 'Jess' Bailey.
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Martin Gary Kemp joined as bass player when they became Gentry in July 1978 before transforming into Spandau Ballet and playing live for the first time at Blitz on 5 December 1979.
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Gary Kemp earned criticism from his fellow band members Tony Hadley, Steve Norman and John Keeble, but received good reviews for his performance as Ronnie Kray in The Krays.
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In 1999, Hadley, Norman and Keeble attempted to sue Gary Kemp for alleged unpaid royalties.
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Gary Kemp let his brother sack the new singer on national television and claimed, Spandau would only continue if Tony Hadley would come back.
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Gary Kemp is a longtime fan of Pink Floyd, and in 2018 he was invited by the band's drummer Nick Mason to contribute guitar and vocals to Mason's psychedelic rock band Saucerful of Secrets, "capturing the spirit" of the early music of Pink Floyd.
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Gary Kemp appears on the band's 2020 live album and film, Live at the Roundhouse.
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Gary Kemp performed "Through the Barricades" solo in December 1985 at London's Dominion Theatre for the Snowball Review, a fund raiser organised by Pete Townshend for a women's domestic violence charity.
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Gary Kemp played it at the Artists Against Apartheid festival at Clapham Common on 28 June 1986.
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Gary Kemp released a solo album, Little Bruises, in 1995, on Sony Records produced by Bow Wow Wow member and Malcolm McLaren producer Leigh Gorman.
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Gary Kemp has written another musical, A Terrible Beauty, with Pratt and Oscar nominated book writer Shane Connaughton based on the life of W B Yeats and Maud Gonne.
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Gary Kemp released a second solo studio album, INSOLO, in 2021 on Columbia Records produced and mixed by Gary Kemp and keyboards player Toby Chapman.
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Gary Kemp says his favourite guitar is his Gibson J-45 acoustic.
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Gary Kemp played Sy Spector, Whitney's character Rachel Marron's music business PR.
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Gary Kemp has had TV roles in Murder in Mind, Murder Investigation Team, and Casualty.
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Gary Kemp has continued acting on film, television and stage, taking the role of Serge in the West End production of Art in 2001, Pignight by Snoo Wilson at the Menier Theatre in May 2004 and as corrupt copper PC Collins in the revival of Lionel Bart's musical Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be directed by Terry Johnson at Theatre Royal Stratford East with Jessie Wallace in 2014.
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In March 2008, Gary Kemp starred in a low-budget 20-minute short film directed by his brother Martin, entitled Karma Magnet.
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In 2014 Gary Kemp co-wrote and presented the documentary Kick Out the Jams for ITV's Perspectives about the arrival of Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and the YBAs.
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Gary Kemp co-wrote Passions: Mick Ronson by Gary Kemp for Sky Arts in 2017.
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Gary Kemp has presented various radio documentaries on David Bowie and guitarist Mick Ronson for BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6.
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In 2020, Gary Kemp started "Rockonteurs", a podcast hosted with Guy Pratt, who has played as a session bass player with many bands including Pink Floyd.
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Frost and Gary Kemp were married for five years and then separated, finally divorcing on 19 August 1995.
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Gary Kemp is a keen cyclist and mountain walker, and a collector of the furniture produced by Edward William Godwin.
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Gary Kemp became a trustee of the Theatres Trust in 2018.
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In 2013, Gary Kemp said in an interview that he was a Labour Party voter and had always been a supporter of the party because of his father.
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Gary Kemp supported David Miliband for the leadership of the party.
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In 1986, Gary Kemp had performed in a show in support of the party at the Manchester Apollo with the collective of musicians Red Wedge, which included Billy Bragg, Johnny Marr and Paul Weller.
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Gary Kemp is a lifelong Arsenal fan, having been raised in the Highbury area.