T-Rex

Marc Bolan was the elfin prince of Glam. He'd tried being a Mod, he'd tried being a Hippie,  he'd tried being a model, but he was ultimately Born to Boogie. RIP

Bolan was brought up in Stamford Hill, London. His first band - the mid-Sixties psychedelic outfit John's Children - overdressed sufficiently for him to talk about them later as the first ever Glam act. But the sensitive artist side came to light when, as half of acoustic duo Tyrannosaurus Rex, he made albums with mystical titles like My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair . . . But Now They're Content To Wear Stars On Their Brows, and topped off the gentle folkie music with lyrics centering on mythology, magic and mumbo jumbo in general.

The hippies loved it, but when Bolan went all electric in 1971 he found a new teenage following attracted to his pumping rock, coy sexuality and cheeky good looks. He was possibly the first performer to publicly make the transition from dirty hippy to Electric Warrior - the watershed moment being the time Marc thought "I wonder what this would look like" and smeared a load of glitter underneath his eyes.

For Marc Bolan, glitter was a definite decision - a uniform, a look that defined him. Some eyeliner, a bit of something to make him stand out, something that made him sparkle. Like glitter. It worked a treat. Bolan hit upon something that inspired an army of clones who reveled in his success. He shone a light in the hearts of kids who were being brought up in a gray world. It was escapism and realism combined. He had the hair, the stare and the flares. Hell, Marc Bolan WAS Glam as he minced around (banging his gong) singing Ride a White Swan. 

Parents didn't particularly like him  (which made him even more appealing), but he was flamboyant and sexy - he was the ultimate Rock & Roll superstar. After an all-too-brief period though the record reviews started to criticize Bolan, claiming all T-Rex singles sounded the same . . . and 15 year old girls are a very fickle audience. 

By 1974 Marc had gained a lot of weight, left his wife, sacked band members, baited the press, gone into tax exile in Monte Carlo and stopped having hits. He was also awash in cocaine and cognac. He weathered the dark period though and settled down with American soul singer Gloria Jones. They had a son and Marc seemed to have settled down.

On September 16 1977, Marc was killed when the mini driven by Gloria hit a tree in Barnes, South West London. He was just 29 when he died. A few days after the crash fans broke into Bolan's home and stole most of his possessions. Gloria Jones went back to America after recovering from the accident. She was later summonsed to appear in court in London on charges of being unfit to drive and driving a car in a dangerous condition, but she never returned to face the allegations.

The couple's son Rolan Bolan settled in Los Angeles and became a musician and model for clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger.