Biography - Simon Cowell

Notoriously caddy and brutally honest “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell has made quite the lucrative career out of being mean to contestants on the hugely popular talent show. Cowell is more than just a source of terror for future pop stars, however, and has had an illustrious career as a record producer and executive.

Cowell was born in Brighton, England on October 7, 1959, and from an early age wanted to enter the music business like his father, an executive at EMI Music Publishing. He dropped out of secondary school at 16 to work in the mail room at EMI, and quickly worked his way up to a position as a producer. Cowell left EMI in the early 80s to set up his own record label, Fanfare Records, and found early success with his then-girlfriend, singer Sinitta Malone. The label was ultimately a failure though, and for a brief period Cowell’s fortunes took a major downturn.

In 1989 Cowell took a job as an A&R consultant at BMG, and again found success quickly, signing and producing a variety of successful acts. In the late 90s Cowell had a major success on his hands when he helped develop the Irish boy band Westlife, which has become the “Backstreet Boys” of the UK. Well-known for his no-nonsense approach to the delicacies of the commercial side of popular music, Cowell was selected as a judge for the UK’s "American Idol" predecessor “Pop Idol” in 2001. The show was extremely popular, and was quickly noticed in the U.S. “American Idol” was soon born, and debuted in 2002 on Fox, quickly becoming one of the highest-rated shows on television and seeing its first-season winner, Kelly Clarkson, become a pop sensation.

Cowell has helped catapult the talent show from a tired reality concept to a huge worldwide sensation that promises and delivers the development of major recording stars. The winners and runners-up during the show’s first four seasons, particularly Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood, and Bo Bice, have seen massive record sales and instant fame in the U.S. and beyond. Cowell’s banter with co-judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, in addition to cheery host Ryan Seacrest, has helped elevate the show’s entertainment value beyond its conceptual lack of originality. Few music industry behemoths can claim the level of fame that Cowell has achieved simply for expressing his opinion, and audience vilification of his often negative attitude has only increased the show’s popularity.

Cowell recently signed a deal with Fox for five more seasons of the show, and if the ratings are any indication (it has been consistently #1 during its current and past seasons), Fox may have to sign him on again in 2010. Considering how enjoyable he makes “American Idol” week after week, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.