Pete Waterman
Encyclopedia
Peter Alan Waterman OBE
(born 15 January 1947) is an English
record producer
, occasional songwriter
, radio and club DJ
, television presenter
, president of Coventry Bears
rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman
songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles. He is the owner of significant collections of both historic and commercial railway locomotive
s and rolling stock, a passion and expensive hobby made possible by the commercial success of the acts he signed.
, Coventry
, Waterman had left Whitley Abbey Comprehensive School (now rebuilt and called Whitley Abbey Community School
) to work at a railway depot. After closure of the depot, Waterman chose to follow a career in music, being inspired by The Beatles
. To supplement his income as a DJ, Waterman became a gravedigger and then an apprentice at General Electric Company
, becoming a trade union official.
imports, his DJ work began to take him across the UK, entertaining bigger crowds with a blend of rhythm and blues
and soul music
tunes he had sourced. Given a residency with the Mecca Leisure Group
, he developed new initiatives including matinée disco
s for under 18s at Coventry’s Locarno club, which gave him a valuable insight into what music interested a younger audience. Waterman noticed that the younger dancers preferred records with high beats per minutes and this influenced his later work. It was at the Locarno that Waterman first met Neville Staple, later to be a vocalist for The Specials
- a band that Waterman would manage for a brief period. In early 2009, Waterman wrote the foreword to Neville's biography "Original Rude Boy", which was published by Aurum Press
in May 2009.
Waterman took up a job as an A&R
man, and worked in the Philadelphia scene
, which included introducing The Three Degrees
to the UK. He then moved to Jamaica working with Peter Tosh
and Lee Perry, and producing Susan Cadogan
’s reggae
-crossover hit Hurts So Good
.
In 1979, Waterman set up Loose Ends with Peter Collins
, the first coming under the name 14-18 with a single inspired by World War I
, "Good-Bye-Ee," and hits with artists like Musical Youth
and Nik Kershaw
. He then set up his own company PWL
(Pete Waterman Limited) in 1984, quickly signing producers Matt Aitken
and Mike Stock, who produced the song "Whatever I Do" for Hazel Dean. Stock Aitken Waterman
became one of the most successful musical production teams of the 1980s.
To date, Waterman has scored a total of twenty two UK number one singles with his various acts (including Kylie Minogue
, Rick Astley
, Bananarama
, Steps, Mel and Kim
, Donna Summer
, Sinitta, Cliff Richard
, Dutch girl-band The Dolly Dots
and Jason Donovan
) and he claims upwards of 500 million sales worldwide (inclusive of singles, albums, compilation inclusions, downloads, etc.). Waterman has also appeared in the Steps video "Tragedy
".
In the late-1990s, production company Celador
hired Waterman to compose a song for their new quiz show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
. The company felt the song unsuitable, and instead approached Keith Strachan
.
Waterman wrote and produced the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest entry for the United Kingdom, which finished in last place with 10 points.
Waterman is worth £30 million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List
.
. He also presented a show on Radio City.
Waterman has appeared as a judge on both series of Pop Idol
in the UK (2001/2 and 2003), and also Popstars: The Rivals (2002). The latter saw him become manager of the winning boy band
One True Voice
, who then lost the race to Christmas number 1 to the same show's winning girl group
, Louis Walsh
's Girls Aloud
.
Waterman returned as judge for the second series of Pop Idol
, but was constantly critical of the eventual winner, Michelle McManus
, and was unashamedly unhappy when her victory was announced. Waterman has since said he will not appear on any similar programmes in future, and has on several occasions attacked more recent talent shows (specifically those devised by his former Pop Idol colleague, Simon Cowell
)
Whilst he has kept his promise not to appear as a talent show judge, on 12 October 2008, Waterman joined his fellow ex-Pop Idol
judges Neil Fox and Nicki Chapman
on Peter Kay
's spoof talent show Britain's Got The Pop Factor... And Possibly A New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice, a fully scripted fictional spoof on the talent show genre. The show parodied the emotional manipulation behind Cowell's shows, with Waterman memorably interrupting a funeral to tell an ousted contestant that the loss of his gran (who had died of shock when learning her grandson had been dropped from the show) would provide the sob story he needed to get him on to the show.
In factual television, Waterman's interest in trains saw him present a historic self-retrospective view in Waterman on Railways for Channel Four/the Discovery Channel
. Waterman also appeared in an advert by the National Blood Service
in the UK, their sixth TV advert which also features Carol Smillie
and Will Carling
.
Waterman was one of the contestants in the 2009 series of the BBC programme Celebrity MasterChef, but was knocked out in the first round.
was chosen to represent the UK. The song came under much criticism and William Hill betting odd's gave the song 125-1 chance that the song would win, the lowest odds for a UK entry ever. In the end the song, "That's Sounds Good To Me", came last at the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest receiving only 10 points in total.
He has been involved in several railway ventures over the years. In 1988 he revived the name of the London and North Western Railway
Company for his rail vehicle maintenance business, based at Crewe
, which was the largest privately owned rail maintenance business in the country until it was sold to Arriva
in November 2008. In 1994 in the opening stages of the privatisation of British Rail
, he bought the Special Trains Unit which ran tourist charters and the like. This was sold on after a few years. Waterman also owns a steam locomotive and carriage restoration company called LNWR Heritage, based at Crewe Heritage Centre. He also founded The Waterman Railway Heritage Trust, which currently owns several steam and diesel locomotives including 5224, 5553, 7027 'Thornbury Castle'
; 46035 'Ixion' and 47402 'Gateshead'
.
He also has a keen interest in model railways, and is the founder of the model railway business Just Like the Real Thing, which specialises in O scale
kits. He works closely with model-maker Malcolm Mitchell on this project. He continues to retain an interest in the company and regularly accompanies its sales stand to model railway exhibitions. Waterman has an extensive private collection of railway models and railway layouts, in O scale
and larger gauges. He is currently building a large model of Leamington Spa railway station
, in O scale, set in the 1950s. He has written several books and many magazine articles on the subject. He has said that his ability to become absorbed in making models helped him cope with grief after the death of his son.
. He is also a rugby league
fan and is president of Rugby League Conference
side Coventry Bears
.
In the New Year's Honours List published 31 December 2004 he was given an OBE
for his services to music. In December 2006, he became a patron of the newly formed charity, the City, Lambeth and Southwark Music Education Trust.
Waterman lives in Warrington
, Cheshire
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 15 January 1947) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, occasional songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, radio and club DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, television presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, president of Coventry Bears
Coventry Bears
Coventry Bears are a rugby league club, formed in 1998. They have a proud history pioneering rugby league in the Midlands, their major honours include winning the National League 3 title in 2004 and the Rugby League Conference in 2002...
rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman, sometimes known as SAW, were a UK songwriting and record producing trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. They had great success during the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s...
songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles. He is the owner of significant collections of both historic and commercial railway locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s and rolling stock, a passion and expensive hobby made possible by the commercial success of the acts he signed.
Biography
Born in Stoke HeathStoke Heath
Stoke Heath may refer to:*Stoke Heath, Worcestershire, an area in the south of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England*Stoke Heath, Coventry, a suburb in the north of Coventry, England*Stoke Heath, Shropshire, Shropshire, England...
, Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, Waterman had left Whitley Abbey Comprehensive School (now rebuilt and called Whitley Abbey Community School
Whitley Abbey Community School
Whitley Abbey Community School is a comprehensive school in Whitley, Coventry, England. It opened on 13 October 2000 and replaced the former Whitley Abbey Comprehensive School built in the 1950s, which was one of the first comprehensive schools in Coventry....
) to work at a railway depot. After closure of the depot, Waterman chose to follow a career in music, being inspired by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. To supplement his income as a DJ, Waterman became a gravedigger and then an apprentice at General Electric Company
The General Electric Company plc
The General Electric Company or GEC was a major British-based industrial conglomerate, involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications and engineering. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was renamed Marconi Corporation plc in 1999 after its defence arm,...
, becoming a trade union official.
Musical career
Building a record collection through rare USUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
imports, his DJ work began to take him across the UK, entertaining bigger crowds with a blend of rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
tunes he had sourced. Given a residency with the Mecca Leisure Group
Mecca Leisure Group
Mecca Leisure Group was a British business that ran nightclubs, hotels, theme parks, bingo parlors, and Hard Rock Cafes. During the 1960s they were the centre of entertainment with numerous nightclubs throughout major UK towns and cities. Mecca ballrooms were used for the BBC TV show Come Dancing...
, he developed new initiatives including matinée disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
s for under 18s at Coventry’s Locarno club, which gave him a valuable insight into what music interested a younger audience. Waterman noticed that the younger dancers preferred records with high beats per minutes and this influenced his later work. It was at the Locarno that Waterman first met Neville Staple, later to be a vocalist for The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
- a band that Waterman would manage for a brief period. In early 2009, Waterman wrote the foreword to Neville's biography "Original Rude Boy", which was published by Aurum Press
Aurum Press
Aurum Press is an independent English publishing house located in London. It was founded in 1976. Aurum concentrates on non-fiction titles and publishes approximately 75 new books every year. One of its titles in 2009 will be the biography of Neville Staple, vocalist in The Specials, Fun Boy...
in May 2009.
Waterman took up a job as an A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
man, and worked in the Philadelphia scene
Music of Philadelphia
The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is home to a vibrant and well-documented musical heritage, stretching back to colonial times. Innovations in classical music, opera, R&B, jazz and soul have earned the music of Philadelphia national and international renown...
, which included introducing The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney,...
to the UK. He then moved to Jamaica working with Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh , was a Jamaican reggae musician who was a core member of the band The Wailers , and who afterward had a successful solo career as well as being a promoter of Rastafari.Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill, Jamaica, an illegitimate child to a mother too young...
and Lee Perry, and producing Susan Cadogan
Susan Cadogan
Susan Cadogan is a reggae singer best known for her hit records in the 1970s.-Biography:...
’s reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
-crossover hit Hurts So Good
Hurts So Good
"Hurts So Good" is a song from 1982 by the American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, then performing as John Cougar. The song was a number two hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for the singer. It was the first of three major hit singles from his 1982 album American Fool...
.
In 1979, Waterman set up Loose Ends with Peter Collins
Peter Collins (record producer)
Peter Collins is a record producer, born January 15, 1951, in London.In 1976 Collins was signed to Magnet Records and formed a group called Madison, along with Ziggy, Peter Spooner and Page 3 girl Cherri Gilham, to perform his pop song "Let It Ring"...
, the first coming under the name 14-18 with a single inspired by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, "Good-Bye-Ee," and hits with artists like Musical Youth
Musical Youth
Musical Youth are a British reggae band. The group originally formed in 1979 at Duddeston Manor School in Birmingham, UK. They are best remembered for their successful 1982 Grammy-nominated single, "Pass the Dutchie". The group featured two sets of brothers, Kelvin and Michael Grant, plus Junior...
and Nik Kershaw
Nik Kershaw
Nik Kershaw is an English singer-songwriter. The one time jazz-funk guitarist was a mid-1980s teen idol. His 50 weeks on the UK Singles Chart in 1984 beat all other soloists...
. He then set up his own company PWL
PWL
Pete Waterman Entertainment is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL, is most famous for being the home of hit record producers Stock Aitken Waterman....
(Pete Waterman Limited) in 1984, quickly signing producers Matt Aitken
Matt Aitken
Matthew James Aitken , is a British songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as the creative force behind the 1980s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman....
and Mike Stock, who produced the song "Whatever I Do" for Hazel Dean. Stock Aitken Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman, sometimes known as SAW, were a UK songwriting and record producing trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. They had great success during the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s...
became one of the most successful musical production teams of the 1980s.
To date, Waterman has scored a total of twenty two UK number one singles with his various acts (including Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, Rick Astley
Rick Astley
Richard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries...
, Bananarama
Bananarama
Bananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...
, Steps, Mel and Kim
Mel and Kim
Mel and Kim were a British pop duo, comprising sisters Melanie and Kim Appleby. They achieved success between 1986 and 1988 before Melanie succumbed to cancer.-Biography:...
, Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
, Sinitta, Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
, Dutch girl-band The Dolly Dots
Dolly Dots
Dolly Dots were a popular Dutch girl band in the 1980s. With their style of upbeat dance/pop, they scored many hits throughout Europe. The sextet consisted of Angela Groothuizen, Angéla Kramers, Anita Heilker, Esther Oosterbeek, Patty Zomer and Ria Brieffies....
and Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
) and he claims upwards of 500 million sales worldwide (inclusive of singles, albums, compilation inclusions, downloads, etc.). Waterman has also appeared in the Steps video "Tragedy
Tragedy (song)
"Tragedy" is a song recorded by the Bee Gees, included on their 1979 album Spirits Having Flown. The single reached number one in the UK in February 1979 and repeated the feat the following month on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100...
".
In the late-1990s, production company Celador
Celador
Celador is a global light entertainment company originally formed as an independent production company in 1983. It has produced a number of popular light entertainment shows and is probably best known for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and co-producing the film Slumdog Millionaire which collected...
hired Waterman to compose a song for their new quiz show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
. The company felt the song unsuitable, and instead approached Keith Strachan
Keith Strachan
Keith Strachan is a British composer and theatre director. He co-wrote the song "Mistletoe and Wine", which got Cliff Richard the 1988 Christmas number one...
.
Waterman wrote and produced the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest entry for the United Kingdom, which finished in last place with 10 points.
Waterman is worth £30 million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List
Sunday Times Rich List
The Sunday Times Rich List is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families in the United Kingdom, updated annually in April and published as a magazine supplement by British national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times since 1989...
.
Television
Waterman co-presented The Hit Man and Her with Michaela StrachanMichaela Strachan
Michaela Evelyn Ann Strachan is an English television presenter.-Personal life:Strachan attended Claremont Fan Court School, Esher, a Christian Science school. Later, while at college, she briefly held jobs as an Avon lady and as a kissogram...
. He also presented a show on Radio City.
Waterman has appeared as a judge on both series of Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
in the UK (2001/2 and 2003), and also Popstars: The Rivals (2002). The latter saw him become manager of the winning boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
One True Voice
One True Voice
One True Voice were a British boyband created on the ITV television series Popstars: The Rivals, which also produced girl group Girls Aloud. The band was created by the public, who voted for their favourite hopefuls each week...
, who then lost the race to Christmas number 1 to the same show's winning girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
, Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
's Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
.
Waterman returned as judge for the second series of Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
, but was constantly critical of the eventual winner, Michelle McManus
Michelle McManus
Michelle McManus is a Scottish singer-songwriter, actress, radio DJ and television presenter, who rose to fame after winning the second series of the UK talent show Pop Idol....
, and was unashamedly unhappy when her victory was announced. Waterman has since said he will not appear on any similar programmes in future, and has on several occasions attacked more recent talent shows (specifically those devised by his former Pop Idol colleague, Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
)
Whilst he has kept his promise not to appear as a talent show judge, on 12 October 2008, Waterman joined his fellow ex-Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
judges Neil Fox and Nicki Chapman
Nicki Chapman
Nicki Chapman is an English television presenter who also works in the British pop music industry. She was also a judge on the ITV reality shows Popstars, with Nigel Lythgoe and Paul Adam, and Pop Idol, along with Simon Cowell, Pete Waterman and Neil Fox...
on Peter Kay
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, actor, director and producer. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions which have included two sell out tours.-Early career:Peter Kay...
's spoof talent show Britain's Got The Pop Factor... And Possibly A New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice, a fully scripted fictional spoof on the talent show genre. The show parodied the emotional manipulation behind Cowell's shows, with Waterman memorably interrupting a funeral to tell an ousted contestant that the loss of his gran (who had died of shock when learning her grandson had been dropped from the show) would provide the sob story he needed to get him on to the show.
In factual television, Waterman's interest in trains saw him present a historic self-retrospective view in Waterman on Railways for Channel Four/the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
. Waterman also appeared in an advert by the National Blood Service
National Blood Service
The National Blood Service is the organisation for England and North Wales which collects blood and other tissues, tests, processes, and supplies all the hospitals in England and North Wales...
in the UK, their sixth TV advert which also features Carol Smillie
Carol Smillie
Carol Patricia Smillie is a Scottish television personality, model and actress. Smillie is well-known for presenting the award winning BBC series Changing Rooms, which won her a National Television Award for Most Popular Factual Programme in 1998.She became the hostess of the British version of...
and Will Carling
Will Carling
William David Charles Carling, OBE is a former Rugby union player for Harlequins, and a former captain of England from 1988 to 1996, winning 72 caps.-Early life:...
.
Waterman was one of the contestants in the 2009 series of the BBC programme Celebrity MasterChef, but was knocked out in the first round.
Eurovision
Waterman wrote and produced the UK entry for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest. This song was performed by the final three acts on Eurovision: Your Country Needs You! on 12 March 2010, Josh DubovieJosh Dubovie
Josh James Dubovie is a British singer. He represented the UK at the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Oslo, Norway in May 2010, finishing last with his performance of "That Sounds Good to Me", written by writers and producers Mike Stock and Pete Waterman of Stock Aitken Waterman and Steve...
was chosen to represent the UK. The song came under much criticism and William Hill betting odd's gave the song 125-1 chance that the song would win, the lowest odds for a UK entry ever. In the end the song, "That's Sounds Good To Me", came last at the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest receiving only 10 points in total.
Railways
Pete Waterman's main interest outside music is in railways.He has been involved in several railway ventures over the years. In 1988 he revived the name of the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
Company for his rail vehicle maintenance business, based at Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
, which was the largest privately owned rail maintenance business in the country until it was sold to Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
in November 2008. In 1994 in the opening stages of the privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
, he bought the Special Trains Unit which ran tourist charters and the like. This was sold on after a few years. Waterman also owns a steam locomotive and carriage restoration company called LNWR Heritage, based at Crewe Heritage Centre. He also founded The Waterman Railway Heritage Trust, which currently owns several steam and diesel locomotives including 5224, 5553, 7027 'Thornbury Castle'
GWR 4073 Class 7027 Thornbury Castle
7027 Thornbury Castle was built in August 1949. Its first shed allocation was Plymouth Laira. Its March 1959 shed allocation was Old Oak Common. Its last shed allocation was Reading. It was withdrawn in December 1963 and arrived at Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, South Wales in May 1964...
; 46035 'Ixion' and 47402 'Gateshead'
Class 47 renumbering
The 512 members of the class 47 underwent many changes in their long career on British railways. Under the TOPS system each change was reflected in a change of identity. This table attempts to catalogue those changes....
.
He also has a keen interest in model railways, and is the founder of the model railway business Just Like the Real Thing, which specialises in O scale
O scale
O scale is a scale commonly used for toy trains and model railroading. Originally introduced by German toy manufacturer Märklin around 1900, by the 1930s three-rail alternating current O gauge was the most common model railroad scale in the United States and remained so until the early 1960s...
kits. He works closely with model-maker Malcolm Mitchell on this project. He continues to retain an interest in the company and regularly accompanies its sales stand to model railway exhibitions. Waterman has an extensive private collection of railway models and railway layouts, in O scale
O scale
O scale is a scale commonly used for toy trains and model railroading. Originally introduced by German toy manufacturer Märklin around 1900, by the 1930s three-rail alternating current O gauge was the most common model railroad scale in the United States and remained so until the early 1960s...
and larger gauges. He is currently building a large model of Leamington Spa railway station
Leamington Spa railway station
Leamington Spa railway station serves the town of Leamington Spa, in Warwickshire, England. It is situated on Old Warwick Road towards the southern edge of the town centre.-History:...
, in O scale, set in the 1950s. He has written several books and many magazine articles on the subject. He has said that his ability to become absorbed in making models helped him cope with grief after the death of his son.
Sport
In addition to his passion for music and railways, Waterman is also a huge supporter of Walsall F.C.Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
. He is also a rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
fan and is president of Rugby League Conference
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
side Coventry Bears
Coventry Bears
Coventry Bears are a rugby league club, formed in 1998. They have a proud history pioneering rugby league in the Midlands, their major honours include winning the National League 3 title in 2004 and the Rugby League Conference in 2002...
.
Honours
In 2004 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by University College Chester.In the New Year's Honours List published 31 December 2004 he was given an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for his services to music. In December 2006, he became a patron of the newly formed charity, the City, Lambeth and Southwark Music Education Trust.
Personal life
Waterman has been married three times:- Elizabeth Reynolds (1970 - 1974) (divorced); one child (Paul, 1972–2005)
- Julie Reeves (1980 - 1984) (divorced); one child (Peter, born 1981)
- Denise GyngellDenise GyngellDenise Gyngell is a British singer, actress and model. She is most famous as a member of the early 80s pop group, Tight Fit. She later married record producer Pete Waterman.-Biography:...
(1991 - 1999) (divorced); two children (Toni Tuesday) and (Charlie Ella)
Waterman lives in Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
.
External links
- Pete Waterman Limited
- Waterman's model railway manufacturing company website
- "Pete Waterman: Lucky, lucky, lucky" at BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
news - Waterman's sold railway maintenance business
- Pete Waterman interviewed at the Steam Museum in Swindon by BizView.tv
- http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article7136010.ece