James George Hargreaves (born 14 July 1957), known as George Hargreaves or J. G. Hargreaves, is an English
religious minister
In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidan ...
, community worker,
political campaign
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracy, democracies, political campaigns often refer to election, electoral campaigns, by which representatives a ...
er, former politician, former music producer, songwriter, TV producer and currently working as a Christian missionary.
He was leader of the
Christian Party Christian Party may refer to:
*Christian Party of Austria
*Christian Party (Lithuania)
* Christian Party (Samoa)
* Christian Party (St. Maarten)
* Christian Party (UK), includes the Scottish Christian Party and the Welsh Christian Party
*Christian ...
, having founded it in 2004.
Early life
Of Trinidadian ancestry,
Hargreaves grew up in
Islington
Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...
. He is fifth out seven siblings. His life was saved by a
firefighter
A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...
who rescued him from his burning house when he was a child.
[Auslan Cramb,]
Pop star preacher to fund firemen's gay pride battle
, ''The Daily Telegraph'', 1 November 2006 He was educated at
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
, the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
, and at the
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...
.
Musical career
Hargreaves attended
Woolverstone Hall
Woolverstone Hall is a large country house, now in use as a school and available at times as a function venue, located south of the centre of Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It is set in on the banks of the River Orwell. Built in 1776 for William B ...
, a
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...
owned by the
Inner London Education Authority
The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was the local education authority for the City of London and the 12 Inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. From 1965 to 1986 it was an ad hoc committee of the Greater London Co ...
. While still at school, he formed a band named Snapp with Tony Ajai-Ajagbe and three other school friends. In 1973 the band were signed by M&W Music Productions, which was owned by Dave Myers and
John Worsley, writers of the 1971 UK Eurovision Song Contest entry
"Jack in The Box" sung by Clodagh Rodgers. A single written by Myers and Worsley called "Cheat, Cheat" was released in 1974 on Cube Records.
Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe developed their own songwriting skills and in 1977 they signed as Motown's
Jobete Music
Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
's only UK based songwriting team.
Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe soon moved into producing. In the 1980s, Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe negotiated a label deal with
Michael Levy's
Magnet Records
Magnet Records was a British record label, started in 1973 by Michael Levy and Peter Shelley. Adam Sweeting"Alvin Stardust obituary" ''The Guardian'', 23 October 2014 It was acquired by Warner Bros. Records in 1988 for an estimated £10m.
Ar ...
. Their label, Midas Records, was the first to release recordings by
Sinitta
Sinitta Malone known mononymously as Sinitta, is a British-American singer. She initially found commercial success in the mid-1980s with the single " So Macho" and had several other hits during the decade. In the 2000s, she became known for te ...
, which Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe wrote and produced. They were also the first to record
Yazz
Yazz (born Yasmin Evans; 19 May 1960) is a British pop singer, who remains perhaps best known for her 1988 UK number one single " The Only Way Is Up". Some of her records are credited to Yazz and the Plastic Population.
Career
Yazz was born i ...
as a member of the pop group The Biz.
Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe wrote the 1983 season theme tune for the BBC1 daily magazine show ''
Pebble Mill at One
''Pebble Mill at One'' was a British television magazine programme that was broadcast live on weekdays at one o'clock on BBC1, from 2 October 1972 to 23 May 1986, and again from 14 October 1991 to 29 March 1996. It was transmitted from the Peb ...
'' and the theme tune for the BBC2 show ''
655 Special'' hosted by
David Soul
David Soul (born David Richard Solberg; August 28, 1943 – January 4, 2024) was an American-British actor and singer. With a career spanning five decades, he rose to prominence for portraying Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the Americ ...
and
Sally James. Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe also wrote the first single for
Five Star
Five Star (also styled as 5 Star) were a British Pop music, pop group, formed in 1983 and comprising siblings Stedman Pearson, Stedman, Lorraine, Denise Pearson, Denise, Doris, and Delroy Pearson. From 1985 to 1988, Five Star had four top-20 a ...
.
called "
Problematic". Hargreaves used his influence with the music producer of ''Pebble Mill at One'' to get Five Star on the show, which launched their career. The songwriting partnership between Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe ended in 1983, shortly after they completed Sinitta's second single "
Never Too Late". Tony Ajai-Ajagbe died of AIDS in 1995.
Hargreaves continued to write songs on his own. He wrote and produced
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...
's first hit with Sinitta, "
So Macho
"So Macho" is a song by American-British singer Sinitta. The song was released in 1985 as her self-titled debut album's second single.
Song information
Sinitta was both Simon Cowell's and Fanfare Records' first signing. Cowell had contacted rec ...
". which went to number 2 twice on the UK chart in 1986.
[Lucy Bannerman,]
One of these men is a Bible-thumping moralist, the other a gay activist, but which one wrote the hit So Macho?
, ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'', 13 April 2007 He told ''
Scotland on Sunday
''Scotland on Sunday'' is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by National World and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate ''The Scotsman''. It was originally printed in broadsheet format but in ...
'' that "So Macho" was intended "... for women to dance round their handbags to and for the gay scene to go mad to on poppers" and that "I was never gay, but I had a lot of lovely friends in the gay scene."
[Kate Foster,]
Reverend's disco hit funds electoral bid
, ''Scotland on Sunday'', 6 June 2004 Cowell went on to describe Hargreaves as a "well known songwriter" in his autobiography ''
I Don't Mean to be Rude, but...''.
Hargreaves topped the chart in Iceland with an Icelandic version of a Christmas song originally recorded, but never released, by Sinitta (with Simon Cowell singing Santa "Ho ho hoes" in the background vocals) The song "I Won't Be Lonely This Christmas" became
Heima Um Jólin and was sung by
Helga Möller
Helga (derived from Old Norse ''heilagr'' - "holy", "blessed") is a female name, used mainly in Scandinavia, German-speaking countries and the Low Countries (''Hege'', ''Helle'', ''Helge'', ''Helga'', ''Helka'' or ''Oili''). The name was in use ...
.
Hargreaves' first Top 50 chart hit was "
Feels Like The First Time
"Feels Like the First Time" is the debut single by British-American rock band Foreigner. It was written by Mick Jones and released in 1977 from the band's eponymous debut album. It reached No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Background
Jone ...
", which reached number 45 on the UK chart in August 1986, but faded fast when "So Macho" entered the top 50 some seven month after its initial release. "Feels Like the First Time" was however Sinitta's biggest hit in the US, going top ten in the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
The Dance Singles Sales was a record chart released weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine listing each week's best-selling Dance music, dance singles in the United States. Its previous names include Hot Dance/Disco 12-inch Singles ...
chart. The song and the production of "Feels Like the First Time" was greatly influenced by
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
's producer
Steve Bray
Steven Nicholas Bray (born 26 June 1969) is a British Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrat activist from Port Talbot in South Wales who, in 2018 and 2019, made daily protests against Brexit in College Green, London, College Green, Westmins ...
(writer and producer of Madonna's hit "
Into The Groove
"Into the Groove" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna, and featured in the 1985 film ''Desperately Seeking Susan''. Written and produced by both Madonna and Stephen Bray, the main inspiration behind the song was the dance floor; the s ...
". Bray also co-wrote and produced the song "
Baby Love
"Baby Love" is a song by the American music group the Supremes from their second studio album, '' Where Did Our Love Go''. It was written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland and was released on September 17, ...
" with the US singer Regina who was signed to Hargreaves' US production company West 78th Street Records. Hargreaves worked on the mix of the "Baby Love" record and gained an insight into how to make 'Madonna sounding songs' and applied his new knowledge to Sinitta with "Feels Like the First Time". Regina's "Baby Love" reached number 9 on the US chart and was later covered by
Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue (; born 20 October 1971) is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. As a child, she became known for her appearances on the television talent show ''Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988). She went on to play the r ...
.
Christian ministry and community work
In 1990 Hargreaves was ordained as a
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
minister under the auspices of the
International Ministerial Council of Great Britain
The International Ministerial Council of Great Britain (formerly the Shiloh United Church of Christ) is a Christian denomination in Great Britain. Set up in 1968, it is a membership body for black and minority ethnic Pentecostal churches, with the ...
and served as an associate pastor at Edmonton Temple church in North East London. He taught New Testament Greek at Edmonton Temple's 'Word of Life' bible college.
He studied for a Diploma in Christian Ministry at the International Bible Institute of London, where he gained a Distinction. He then obtained a BA Honours degree in Theology from London University's King's College and a Post-graduate Diploma in Theology from Oxford University. He then went on to win the first Studentship Award for Oxford University's newly formed Centre for Christianity & Culture. The award funded his studies for a master's degree in
Anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...
. As part of the conditions of the Studentship Award he also gave a series of lectures at the Centre for Christianity & Culture on the subject of the Black Majority Churches in Britain. He was also a member of the Black Theology in Britain group with Professor
Robert Beckford
Robert Beckford (born 1965) is a British academic theologian and currently Professor of Climate and Social Justice at the University of Winchester, and has associate roles as a Professor of Black Theology at The Queen's Foundation, and a Profes ...
and other black leading theologians. Hargreaves is an
Associate of King's College (AKC).
In 1994 Hargreaves married Maxine Williams, the founder and pastor of Hephzibah Christian Centre in Hackney, and he joined his wife in Christian ministry as co-pastor of the church. Hargreaves, apart from pastoring the Hephzibah Christian Centre with his wife Maxine, was also deeply involved in community work in North East London and elsewhere.
Whilst studying at Oxford University from 1995-1997 Hargreaves served as an Associate Chaplain at
Campsfield House Immigration Detention Centre.
He served as
Hackney Council
Hackney London Borough Council, also known as Hackney Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Hackney, in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority c ...
's strategic partnership representative for the Christian community in Hackney. He was also employed as faith community manager for
Waltham Forest Council and played a major role in maintaining good community relations with the Muslim community in the borough in the aftermath of the 2005 7/7 attacks in London.
In mid-1997, whilst working as a project worker for the charity Hackney Employment Link Project, Hargreaves made a successful bid to the European Union's European Social Fund for funding to launch the LEAP adult literacy programme in Hackney. As lead teacher for the programme he taught many adults how to read.
In 1998, again with European funding, Hargreaves launched the Hephzibah Intro-net Project, setting up two of the earliest cybercafes in London, one at Edmonton Green and the other at the New Deal Campus in Hackney. The project introduced unemployed young people to the Internet, website design and Wireless Application Protocol, which Hargreaves himself taught.
From 2001 to 2004 Hargreaves edited the CANDL Light newsletter for
Barnardo's
Barnardo's is a global charity headquartered in Barkingside in the London Borough of Redbridge. It was founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children. As of 2013, it raised and spent around £200 million each ye ...
Church and Neighbourhood Development in London Project.
In 2004, Hargreaves and his wife, Maxine, founded the East London Christian Choir School in Hackney, an independent school which used the
Accelerated Christian Education
Accelerated Christian Education (also known as School of Tomorrow) is an American company which produces the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE, styled by the company as A.C.E.) school curriculum structured and based around a literal interpret ...
programme.
Hargreaves served as Chair of the
Metropolitan Police Service's 'STOP & SEARCH Community Consultative Committee' under Assistant Commissioner
Brian Paddick. The committee revised the
Stop and Search Stop and search or Stop and frisk is a term used to describe the powers of the police to search a person, place or object without first making an arrest.
Examples in specific jurisdictions include:
* in England and Wales
* in Scotland
* Terry stop ...
protocol for the Metropolitan Police only to see their work disregarded when the police were given new Stop & Search powers unde
section 44of the
Terrorism Act 2000
The Terrorism Act 2000 (c. 11) is the first of a number of general Terrorism Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It superseded and repealed the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 and the Northern Ireland (E ...
.
Hargreaves also served on the Metropolitan Police 'Operation Blunt' anti-knife crime committee and attempted to initiate a knife and gun bin programme in Waltham Forest and Hackney.
Hargreaves no longer pastors a church, instead he now travels the world as a missionary focusing on empowerment through the creative arts. He recently developed a stage play with Ugandan actors in Uganda for the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
He has also been responsible for promoting Christian films in the UK and across Africa, including
''Black Nativity'' (2013),
''God's Not Dead'' (2014) and ''
Selma'' (2014).
Hargreaves is a regular commentator on BBC1's
''Sunday Morning Live'' show and appears from time to time on other news and current affairs programmes.
Political career
At the
1997 general election, Hargreaves stood as the
Referendum Party
The Referendum Party was a Eurosceptic, single-issue party, single-issue political party that was active in the United Kingdom from 1994 to 1997. The party's sole objective was for a referendum to be held on the nature of the UK's membership ...
candidate for
Walthamstow
Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...
. In 2002, he joined the
Christian Peoples Alliance
The Christian Peoples Alliance (CPA) is a minor Christian right political party in the United Kingdom. The party was founded in its present form in 1999, having grown out of a cross-party advocacy group called the Movement for Christian Democrac ...
(CPA) and served as the party's campaigns officer and acting chair of its
Hackney branch.
In 2004, he founded
Operation Christian Vote as an alternative to the CPA.
[Terry Kirby,]
No charges for advert which blamed homophobic attacks on religion
, ''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', 29 September 2006 The party stood only in the Scottish region at the
2004 European Parliament election
The 2004 European Parliament election was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. The European Parliamental parties could not be voted for, but elect ...
as Christian Peoples Alliances (CPA) were fielding no candidates in the region.
Hargreaves then stood for the party at the
2004 Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election and at the
2005 general election in
Na h-Eileanan an Iar
The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland.
It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islands form part ...
,
where he took 7.6% of the votes cast and beat the
Conservative Party candidate.
In 2006, Hargreaves renamed Operation Christian Vote the Christian Party (Proclaiming Christ's Lordship). The party was to be simply called the Christian Party, but the Electoral Commission objected, claiming that it might be confused with the Christian Democratic Party or the Christian Peoples Alliance; so the extra words "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship" were added.
In Scotland the short form,
Scottish Christian Party
The Christian Party (also known as the Scottish Christian Party and Welsh Christian Party ()) is a minor Christian political party in Great Britain.
History
The party originated as Operation Christian Vote, founded by George Hargreaves, a Pente ...
,
[Christianity is on party's agenda]
, BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
, 20 April 2007 was permitted and Hargreaves stood under the name Scottish Christian Party in the
2006 Dunfermline and West Fife by-election
The 2006 Dunfermline and West Fife by-election was held on 9 February 2006, following the death of the sitting Labour MP Rachel Squire, on 6 January. The by-election was the first seat to change hands in the 2005 Parliament, when Willie Renni ...
, taking 1.2% of the vote.
In November 2006 Hargreaves personally funded the
Employment Tribunals of nine
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue was the statutory Fire Services in Scotland, fire and rescue service for the area of Strathclyde, Scotland between 1975 and 2013. It was the largest fire and rescue service in Scotland, and one of the largest in Europe. ...
firefighters who were suspended after refusing to distribute leaflets at a
gay pride
In the context of LGBTQ culture, pride (also known as LGBTQ pride, LGBTQIA pride, LGBT pride, queer pride, gay pride, or gay and lesbian pride) is the promotion of the rights, self-affirmation, dignity, Social equality, equality, and increas ...
march.
The case was settled out-of-court.
Hargreaves was also involved in protests against ''
Jerry Springer: The Opera'', claiming that "Jerry Springer proved the greatest rallying point for Christian activism in the past 10 years".
[Stephen Armstrong,]
Putting the fun into fundamentalism
, ''Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'', 23 July 2006
The Scottish Christian Party put up candidates in every region in the
2007 Scottish Parliament election
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999. 2007 Scottish local elections, ...
.
Hargreaves also founded the
Welsh Christian Party to contest the
2007 National Assembly for Wales election
The 2007 National Assembly for Wales election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Senedd, National Assembly for Wales. It was the third general election. On the same day local elections in England and Scotland, as well as the ...
. Hargreaves stood for the
Christian Party Christian Party may refer to:
*Christian Party of Austria
*Christian Party (Lithuania)
* Christian Party (Samoa)
* Christian Party (St. Maarten)
* Christian Party (UK), includes the Scottish Christian Party and the Welsh Christian Party
*Christian ...
at the
2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election
The 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election was a by-election held in the United Kingdom on 10 July 2008 to elect a new Member of Parliament (MP) for constituency of Haltemprice and Howden. The by-election was triggered by the surprise and co ...
, where he asked the Haltemprice and Howden electorate to use their vote to demand a referendum on the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
, which he believes to be "the greatest threat to our civil liberties".
In August 2008, Hargreaves fronted the Channel 4 programm
''Make Me a Christian''
He had planned to stand in the
Western Isles
The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland.
It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islands form part ...
in the
2010 general election, but withdrew his candidacy in February 2010 after his wife's cancer returned. However, he stood as a candidate for
Barking
Barking may refer to:
Places
* Barking, London, a town in East London, England
** London Borough of Barking, 1965–1980
** Municipal Borough of Barking, 1931–1965
** Barking (UK Parliament constituency)
** Barking (electoral division), Greater ...
in the 2010 general election and despite being terminally ill, his wife Maxine, stood as a candidate in Hackney. Maxine died of cancer in February 2011.
In February 2015,
Simon Gilbert of the ''
Coventry Telegraph
The ''Coventry Telegraph'' is a local English tabloid newspaper. It is published by Coventry Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Reach PLC Midlands Ltd, along with a number of other local publications.
Publication history
It was founded as ' ...
'' published that
UKIP
The UK Independence Party (UKIP, ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member ...
had planned to select Hargreaves as its candidate for
Coventry South
Coventry South is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Zarah Sultana, representing the Labour Party until her suspension and whip withdrawal on 23 July 2024 for voting against the two child bene ...
in the
2015 general election.
However, Hargreaves had never joined UKIP, despite being courted by them on several occasions, and no such agreement had ever been reached to stand in Coventry South.
In 2015, in recognition of his Christian ministry, community work and political leadership, Hargreaves was awarded an honorary doctorate in Christian Ministry from Excel University.
Hargreaves has now retired from politics and no longer belongs to any political party.
Elections contested
UK Parliament elections
Scottish Parliament elections (Electoral Additional Region)
European Parliament elections
References
External links
J. G. Hargreaves discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hargreaves, George
1958 births
Living people
Alumni of King's College London
Alumni of the University of Oxford
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
English Pentecostals
English anti-abortion activists
British political candidates
English male songwriters
English record producers
Referendum Party politicians
English people of Trinidad and Tobago descent
Pentecostal pastors
British political party founders
Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom