 Pop music poster boy Robbie Williams came of age in the early '90s boy band Take That, Britain's answer to New Kids on the Block. In their six-year history, Take That racked up a total of seven No. 1 hits, selling more records in Britain than any band since the Beatles. The streak came to an end in 1995 when Williams was booted from the band amid rumors of drug abuse and ongoing feuds with lead singer Gary Barlow. Undaunted, Williams began laying plans for a solo career and kept his name in the tabloid headlines by ingratiating himself with the "who's who" of the Brit-pop scene. Williams released his solo debut, Life Thru a Lens, in 1997. After a slow start, the album picked up steam and eventually went quintuple platinum, rising to the top of the album charts on the strength of the hits "Angels," "Let Me Entertain You" and "Old Before I Die." Williams received two Brit Award nominations and a coveted spot at the 1998 Glastonbury Festival where he wowed the 100,000+ crowd. Williams' follow-up, I've Been Expecting You, also went multi-platinum and reached No. 1 on the charts. The album contained the hit "Millenium," which featured the strings from John Barry's "You Only Live Twice" score and the bittersweet ballad "No Regrets," a songwriting collaboration with Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant about the break-up of Take That. In 1998 Williams received six Brit Award nominations and walked home with three trophies (Best Male Artist, Best Single "Angels" and Best Video "Millenium"). The Face magazine named Williams their 1998 "Man of the Year: No Contest." Having conquered the U.K., Williams set his sights on America with the U.S. release on Capitol Records in May '99 of The Ego Has Landed, a compendium of his two multi -- platinum U.K. albums. His latest, Sing When You're Winning, was released in 2000. Christina Cramer
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