Dec. 1: Gilbert O'Sullivan "Alone Again (Naturally)," is 64 today.

Born Raymond O'Sullivan, Gilbert is an Irish singer-songwriter, best known for his early 1970s hits "Alone Again (Naturally)," "Clair" and "Get Down." The music magazine, Record Mirror, voted him the No. 1 UK male singer of 1972. Worldwide he has charted 16 top forty discs; including six number one songs, the first of which was 1970's "Nothing Rhymed."

O'Sullivan was born Raymond Edward O'Sullivan in Waterford, Ireland. In 1960, his family moved to Swindon, Wiltshire, England. He attended the Swindon College of Art, where he briefly played drums in a band founded by Rick Davies (later creating the band Supertramp) and where he developed his lifelong interests in music and art. While at college, O'Sullivan played with the bands The Doodles and The Prefects, and, later, Rick's Blues.

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In 1967, O'Sullivan was signed to a five-year contract with CBS Records by Stephen Shane, then Professional Manager at CBS's April/Blackwood publishing division. Shane renamed him 'Gilbert O'Sullivan', a play of words on Gilbert and Sullivan.

After two unsuccessful singles with CBS, "What Can I Do?" and "Mr. Moody's Garden," and one with the Irish record label, Major Minor, O'Sullivan sent some demo tapes to Gordon Mills, the manager of Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck, whereupon O'Sullivan was signed to Mills' label, MAM Records. O'Sullivan's self-created eye-catching visual image comprised a pudding basin haircut, cloth cap and short trousers.

At the end of 1970, O'Sullivan achieved his first UK Top 10 hit with "Nothing Rhymed," which also reached No. 1 in the Netherlands. Subsequent hits including "Underneath The Blanket Go" which also reached No. 1 in the Netherlands, "We Will" and "No Matter How I Try" followed, and in 1971 O'Sullivan issued his debut album, himself.

In 1972, O'Sullivan reached international stardom with the self-penned ballad, "Alone Again (Naturally)," which reached No. 3 in UK; No. 1 in the U.S., and selling nearly two million copies; No. 2 in New Zealand (11 weeks on the charts in total); No. 1 in Canada for 2 weeks; and No. 1 in Japan. The song earned O'Sullivan his first gold disc.

O'Sullivan continues to record and perform. He is extremely popular in Japan. His album A Scruff At Heart was released in 2007, featuring "Just So You Know." On 14 July 2008, O'Sullivan released his most recent single, "Never Say Di."

He expects to release a new album Gilbertsville by January  31, 2011.

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