Si's cash Cowells

WESTLIFE AND, ER, ZIG & ZAG AMONG MOGUL'S FORMER PROTEGES

- 

WE ALL know Simon Cowell as the man who brought us the likes of Little Mix and One Direction. But a few short years before that, the X Factor mogul made his fortune as the music scene's King of Cringe.

TOO MACHO

THE son of music executive Eric Cowell, young Simon was determined to join the family business. His dad got him a job in the post room at EMI Music Publishing in 1979 - but he soon quit to form his own company.

Fanfare Records, his venture with Hot Gossip co-founder Iain Burton, initially focused on exercise videos and acts like Italian chamber orchestra Rondò Veneziano.

Then in 1986, they had their first hit courtesy of Sinitta, who previously dated the mogul. Her single So Macho spent 28 weeks in the charts, peaking at No2, but she struggled to recreate its success.

Fanfare went bust in 1989, leaving Cowell almost bankrupt and forcing him to move back home.

THE NOVELTY YEARS

Determined to rebuild his career, Simon signed up to BMG Records as an A&R consultant. And before long, he found his next superstars - the beefcakes of the World Wrestling Federation.