Brett Anderson

When Suede released their self-titled debut album in 1993, vocalist Brett Anderson endeared himself to U.K. critics longing for another David Bowie or Morrissey. Born in Haywards Heath, England, on September 29, 1967, Anderson was named after the character Lord Brett Sinclair from the TV series The Persuaders. Anderson spent much of his childhood playing sports but fantasized about becoming a rock star. In his teens, Anderson played guitar for garage bands such as the Pigs and Geoff, the latter featuring future Suede bassist Mat Osman. Anderson then formed Suede with Osman and guitarists Bernard Butler and Justine Frischmann, Anderson's girlfriend. Drummer Simon Gilbert joined Suede in 1991, but Frischmann quit the group a year later to front the band Elastica. Even before Suede's first album appeared in stores, Anderson's vague confessions about his sexuality stirred controversy in the British press. In 1993, Suede hit number one on the U.K. charts. Combining Morrissey's homoerotic posturing with Bowie's glam theatrics, Anderson achieved instant fame in England. America, however, was still spellbound by the grunge revolution and Anderson's melancholy, over-the-top vocals clashed with the raw anger of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. Although the departure of songwriting partner Butler in 1994 led many to fear Suede's eventual demise, the band continued to release critically and commercially successful albums in the U.K. ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide