Gary Barlow’s best pal has revealed how they have supported each other through life’s highs and lows in over 30 years of friendship.
Top songwriter Eliot Kennedy and pop band Take That ’s front man Gary bonded over their love of writing and hilarious early days when they played in working men’s clubs in the north of England.
"Gaz and I were teenagers honing our musical craftsmanship in the toughest of environments - the clubs," laughs Eliot.
"He played over in the north west while I toiled in the smoke-filled concert rooms in Yorkshire. We’d be the acts slotted between the bingo and pie and peas! And boy, we knew our place there!
"It was the finest training ground you could get as you had to be good and tough to survive.’
Cheshire-born Gary, 53, and Sheffield-born Eliot, 55, appear this week together on a new ITV programme, Gary Barlow’s Wine Tour:South Africa. Over two one hour long episodes, the duo travel around South Africa enjoying its wine and food.
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COPYRIGHT UNKNOWN)"It was two mates getting together and having fun. It was a blast to do and I hope viewers can see the incredible friendship we share."
He also reveals Gary’s take on his oldest son Dan, 24, attracting national attention on social media after the singer released a family photo showing his 6ft 6ins height towering above the 5ft 7ins dad. It inspired a slew of good humoured pictures and memes to be posted on X by followers.
"Gaz has a great sense of humour. Dan is the same height as my son Jack, 23, and they went to the same nursery. We laugh and say, “What did they feed them there?”
"Dan is a great kid and he’ll have taken it all in good humour too."
But Eliot, son of Dublin-born John and nurse Pat, shares how during their tough times they have been there for each other. "When my dad died on 11 September 2009, Gary was working away but I wanted him to know.
"Our friendship has meant the most to us when we were there for each other after losing our dads just a few weeks apart. We supported each other in our grief.’
Eliot says even if they were not in show business, they would be friends: "We have had similar northern upbringings and both got strong work ethics,’ he says.
Both began writing songs in their bedrooms as young teens, worked in the clubs playing different instruments and occasional lighting technicians.
It’s all a long way from what Eliot calls their "pinch me’ moment. "While doing the clubs, I also worked as Mr Wimpy, dressed up as a burger at kids parties and leading them in the hokey cokey!” he laughs.
"I thought about that as I stood on the stage outside Buckingham Palace for the late Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee anniversary in 2012. Gary and I produced “Sing,” the anniversary’s official song.
"As we performed it on the stage in front of the Queen and palace, Gaz turned to me and winked. I smiled and winked back. I knew we both were thinking how unbelievable and magical this was.
"But that’s us, we finish each other’ sentences, know how we work and when we write, we rarely are in the same room. We’ll swap ideas, work on them and then chat it through."
Eliot says he knew when Gary went through a dark, tough time in his career following the 1996 break up of Take That that he would pull through. "We went to America, travelled around and worked together. But I never doubted he would successfully come back as to me he is the finest song writer of our generation.’
Eliot has written for many of the world ’s top stars, including Aretha Franklyn, Bryan Adams, Donny Osmond, Shirley Bassey and The Spice Girls: "I knew them before they had a record deal. They were unhappy with how things were going and knew of me so they drove up to Sheffield in Geri’s clapped out old car.
"They didn’t know where I lived so parked by a red telephone kiosk and called all the Kennedys listed in the phone book. They eventually got hold me and and turned up at my semi-detached house.
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X)"They were a force of nature then. We went our for a Chinese meal. Posh Spice Victoria Beckham had steamed vegetables - she was even health conscious back then. They divied up the bill between the five of them.
"We all went back to my house and they kipped on the sofa and spare beds. We talked about working together and in 1996 we co-wrote, “Say You’ll Be There,” which became my first global success."
But there was one other hit record that holds a special place in Eliot’s heart. "Gaz and I individually started writing songs from the age of 13. I dreamt of having a number one hit by the time I was 25.
"Gary and I wrote and produced, “Everything Changes.” It was released on 28 March 1994 and went straight to number one my 25th birthday the next day.
"Now that really is a dream come true," he reflects.
Gary has paid touching tribute to Eliot in the past, saying of their remarkable friendship: "I first met El in Sheffield in 1992 while we were recording our second album, “Everything Changes.” We recorded a song with him called Wasting My Time. He produced all our vocals and we loved his style. El is a master with harmonies.
"We’ve even had him do vocal arrangements for songs he didn’t produce - “Relight My Fire” being one of them. He’s a talented beggar. All that is secondary to him as a songsmith. His list of hits say it all - diverse and contagious.
"Then there’s the man. Everyone who meets El loves him. I feel so lucky that I’ve had so much of his time over the years. We laugh, geek and gossip our way through every minute we’re together.
"He’s the one I call when I’m happy, the one I call when I’m sad, the one I called when my Dad died. When I need to lean on someone I look (up) to El!”
Eliot, who has produced two Broadway shows with Gary, is now working on a project close to his home and heart. "My dad migrated from Dublin to work in Sheffield. My new musical, Home, is based on his story and the iconic photo of migrant workers sat on a steel girder having lunch as they build a New York sky scraper.
"It will open in Sheffield next year,” says the proud Yorkshire man.
English (US) ·