Gilbert O'Sullivan

Singer/songwriter Gilbert O'sullivan successfully combined a flair for Beatlesque popcraft with an old-fashioned musichall sensibility to emerge as one of the most distinctive and popular new performers of the early 1970s. Born Raymond O'Sullivan in Waterford, Ireland on December 1, 1946, he went on to attend art school in Swindon, England, writing songs throughout his formative years and sending out demo tapes to little avail. After graduating he went to work in a London department store; one of his co-workers there was under contract with CBS, and soon O'Sullivan was signed to the label as well. Early singles like "What Can I DoNULL" and "Mr. Moody's Garden" were released to little attention, however, and so O'Sullivan sent his demo to impressario Gordon Mills, whose MAM label was home to superstars like Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck; the gambit worked, and his first single for MAM, "Nothing Rhymed," became a Top Ten UK hit in late 1970.