Boy George George Alan O’Dowd, also known as Boy George, was born on June 14, 1961, in London, England. He has four brothers, named Gerald, Kevin, David, and Richard, as well as one older sister named Siobhan. He is best known as his role as singer-songwriter of the musical group, Culture Club, who became popular in the 1980s. Boy George became known for his androgynous style that helped to garner the attention of Malcolm McLaren, an executive who had been previously linked to the Sex Pistols. He arranged for George to perform with the group Bow Wow Wow, along with lead singer Annabella Lwin at several shows. Boy George quickly decided to form his own band after he gained some success with Bow Wow Wow. He formed a partnership with Mikey Craig, a bassist. Shortly thereafter, the drummer Jon Moss joined in along with Roy Hay, the guitar player. Originally the band was to be called Sex Gang Children, but the name was abandoned and they settled on Culture Club instead.
They name of the group was based on the fact that each member of the band was from a different culture; the singer, Boy George, was English; the bassist, Mikey, was Jamaican; the drummer, Jon, was Jewish; and the guitarist, Roy, was Irish. Culture Club was officially formed by 1981. The band released their debut album, Kissing to be Clever in 1982 under Virgin records in the UK and Epic records in the United States. The first two singles on the album were considered failures, almost failing to chart. The third single, “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” became a huge success and reached #1 in sixteen countries. The Culture Club became staples on MTV and radio. Their two singles following that one also made it into the top 10 on the pop charts, making Culture Club the only band since the Beatles to amass three top 10 hits on their debut album. Shortly after Culture Club formed, Boy George began a long-term romantic relationship with the drummer, Jon Moss. George admitted that many of the songs he wrote and recorded with Culture Club were actually directed toward Moss. Jon, who was always uncomfortable being in a same-sex relationship, eventually ended the relationship. George turned to heroin to get over the break up and became addicted. This led to the demise of Culture Club; they broke up shortly thereafter. In 1987, George was treated by electro-acupuncture in an attempt to cure his addiction. He has struggled with staying clean ever since.
George also claimed to have been in a sexual relationship with Kirk Brandon, the singer of Spear of Destiny, in George’s first autobiography, Take it Like a Man published in 1995. Brandon took legal action against Boy George, charging him with malicious falsehood. Brandon, who was married with kids at the time, lost the suit. On the witness stand George admitted he had been in love with Brandon and they did have a sexual relationship together at one point. In the late 1990s Boy George starred in the play, Taboo, which was based around his life. The musical was a hit in London and won numerous awards. In 2003, Rosie O’Donnell brought the show to Broadway. Boy George also began writing a weekly column in The Daily Express and also hosted a radio show. He is said to be good friends with Madonna and Paris Hilton. Boy George currently resides in Manhattan. In 2005, George was arrested for suspicion of possessing cocaine. When he failed to appear in court relating to the charges a judge issued a warrant for his arrest on June 17, 2006, George was fined and required to perform community service. Boy George chose to pick up trash for the New York City Department of Sanitation for his community service on August 14, receiving quite a bit of publicity as a result. YUDDY |
