Boy George Biography

NAME: Boy George

OCCUPATION: Singer

BIRTH DATE: June 14, 1961 (Age: 50)

PLACE OF BIRTH: Eltham, England

ALTERNATE NAME(S): George Allan O'Dowd

Born George Alan O'Dowd on June 14, 1961, in Eltham, London, to parents Gerry and Dinah O'Dowd. George grew up in a lively household with his four brothers and one sister. Despite being part of the large working class Irish brood, George claims he had a lonely childhood, referring to himself as the "pink sheep" of the family.

By the 1980s, the New Romantic Movement had emerged in the U.K. Followers of the New Romantic period, influenced heavily by artists such as David Bowie, often dressed in grand caricatures of the 19th century English Romantic period. This included exaggerated upscale hairstyles and fashion statements. Men typically wore androgynous clothing and makeup, such as eyeliner.

After a fall out with Virgin Records in the mid nineties, George’s work was poorly promoted and subsequently failed to alight any kind of praise to establish him as a serious solo musical artist. Culture Club did reform briefly back in 1998 at a Big Rewind tour in America alongside Human League and later the same year managed to secure a top five single in the UK with 'I Just Wanna Be Loved'.

In George’s personal life, his demons have gained ongoing media attention even since his drug problems came to public knowledge back in the eighties. Nearly ten years after his first public drugs expose, George was arrested in Manhattan in 2005 on suspicion of possessing cocaine after it was found it his apartment.

After failing to appear in court the following year, for the same drugs charge, a judge issued a warrant for his arrest. George’s no-show for his initial court date resulted in a $1,000 fine and a spell of community service. In August 2006, George reported for rubbish duty on the streets of New York - making the media’s day with snaps of the usually flamboyant star in combats and trainers with a broom and disposable gloves.

It seems picking up trash in the public eye wasn’t enough to keep George on the right side of the law because in November 2007, he was sent to trial charged for falsely imprisoning a male escort by chaining him to a wall. The alleged incident had taken place at his flat in Hackney earlier in the year and he stood trial later in 2008.