Rowetta

Having survived the decadent hedonism of Happy Mondays' early-'90s heyday, backing singer Rowetta became a star in her own right after finishing third in the first series of The X-Factor. Born in Manchester in 1966 to a Jewish mother and Nigerian father, politician George Idah, she began performing in talent contests at a young age, and after leaving school, pursued a career as a professional club singer. In the late '80s, she provided guest vocals for dance acts Vanilla Sound Corp and Inner City before joining Shaun Ryder's Happy Mondays in 1990. She performed backing vocals ...