Simon Cowell, Idol Judge


Simon Cowell was born on October 7, 1959 in London, England. He is the son of Eric P. Cowell, an estate agent developer and music industry executive, and Julie Brett, a former ballet dancer and socialite. He attended Dover College, but dropped out at the age of 16. Unable to hold a steady job, he was finally hired by his father’s company, EMI Music Publishing, as a mailroom clerk. In 1979, Simon Cowell was promoted to assistant to one of the executives and was eventually promoted to talent scout. He left EMI in the early 1980’s and formed a new company called E&S Music with Ellis Rich, his boss at EMI. The company had some success, but Simon agreed to leave under mysterious circumstances a few years later.

Simon Cowell formed the label Fanfare Records with a partner in 1985. The company enjoyed some success, but shut down in 1989. With no income to speak of, Simon Cowell moved back in with his family. Shortly thereafter, he was hired by BMG Records and began climbing the company’s professional ladder. Simon Cowell is responsible for signing hundreds of successful acts to the company and selling over 150 million records with 70 top singles in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Simon Cowell teamed up with Simon Fuller in 2001 to create a show in which Britain’s public would choose the next big music star. The show was called Pop Idol and drew tens of thousands of would be hopefuls to the auditions. Simon Cowell was known for being a tough critic and reducing thousands of contestants to tears.

In 2002, America launched its own version of Pop Idol titled “American Idol.” Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul were the judges. Simon was just as hard on the American hopefuls as he was on the British. The show was an instant success and in 2006, Simon Cowell signed a contract with American Idol for another five seasons. He is responsible for creating the American Idol special known as “Idol Gives Back,” in which the show raises money for children in Africa and the needy in America. So far they have raised $76 million for various charities.

Simon Cowell had a hand in the success of such artists as Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and David Archuleta. He is known for combining music and television interests. He started another company in 2002 called SYCOtv. His company developed the shows American Inventor, America’s Got Talent, and X-Factor. The company also produces records for many performers seen on Simon Cowell’s shows including stars Leona Lewis and Il Divo.

Though Simon Cowell is in his eighth season of American Idol, it is rumored that he will leave the show in May 2010. His brother, Tony Cowell, is said to have let the proverbial “cat out of the bag” recently in a weekly podcast called “The Cowell Factor.”  Though Simon Cowell has repeatedly hinted that he is bored with his role on the show, neither he nor his brother will confirm his departure and the podcast has mysteriously been deleted.