Peter Cox (musician)
Encyclopedia
Peter John Cox is an English
singer-songwriter
, currently the lead singer in Manfred Mann's Earth Band
, but is best known as one half of the 1980s blue-eyed soul
duo
Go West
.
band
. It was whilst playing in clubs
that he met Richard Drummie, with whom he signed a publishing deal. For the next few years, Cox and Drummie tried to land a recording contract
, but failed. It was when their manager
, John Glover, suggested they recorded
a few tracks with the help of a new record producer
that Go West began to succeed.
After signing a deal with Chrysalis Records
, their first single
, "We Close Our Eyes
", was a Top 5 hit
in the UK Singles Chart
. Other singles included "Call Me
" and "Don't Look Down
." The following year, Go West were named 'Best Newcomers' at the 1986 BRIT Awards
.
In 1990 the group successfully cracked the other side of the Atlantic
when they released the single, "The King of Wishful Thinking", a song which featured on the soundtrack
of the film
Pretty Woman
. Subsequent releases from the band received several awards based on airplay in America.
in 1993 to pursue a solo
career. His self-titled album
Peter Cox was released in 1997 to critical acclaim. Songs on the album included "Ain't Gonna Cry Again", "What a Fool Believes
" and "If You Walk Away". Other solo albums were Flame Still Burns (2001), Nine Miles High (2002), Desert Blooms (2002), Game For Fools (2005) and Motor City Music (2006). Cox also teamed up with Tony Hadley
on the album Tony Hadley vs Peter Cox & Go West, released in 2004. Another artist
he collaborated with was Bernie Nolan.
In 2003, Cox replaced Then Jerico
's Mark Shaw on the UK
TV
reality show Reborn in the USA
after Shaw stormed off the series in the show's first few days. (Even though Cox had achieved previous success across the Atlantic as part of Go West, he was able to go on the show as none of his solo singles had found success in the United States.) Cox was a favourite to win, but was voted off in New York
after he forgot the lyrics to the Norah Jones
hit he was performing. Following his departure from the show, Cox reunited with old bandmate Drummie, and the eventual winner Tony Hadley
, for a three month UK tour.
In 2007 Cox, Drummie, and a new line-up of their band, appeared on Jim'll Fix It:Strikes again
to recreate a famous 'fix it' from 1986. A year later, they released the album, Futurenow, and toured the UK.
On 16 October 2009, he was announced as the new lead singer with Manfred Mann's Earth Band
following the departure of Noel McCalla
.
His first public appearance with them was on 19 October 2009 at The Brook in Southampton, UK
In April 2010, his latest album, The S1 Sessions was released. It was a collection of eleven songs which included cover version
s of Lonestar
's song "Amazed
", and the Leon Russell
song, "This Masquerade
".
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, currently the lead singer in Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Manfred Mann's Earth Band is a British progressive rock group formed in 1971 by Manfred Mann.-Formation:Having started in the 1960s with a British band that had such hits as "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" and "The Mighty Quinn", then moving on to Jazz Fusion with Manfred Mann's Chapter Three, Manfred's third...
, but is best known as one half of the 1980s blue-eyed soul
Blue-eyed soul
Blue-eyed soul is a media term that was used to describe rhythm and blues and soul music performed by white artists, with a strong pop music influence. The term was first used in the mid-1960s to describe white artists who performed soul and R&B that was similar to the music of the Motown and...
duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
Go West
Go West (band)
Go West is an English pop duo, formed in 1982 by lead vocalist and drummer Peter Cox ; and guitarist and vocalist Richard Drummie...
.
Early career and Go West
As a child, Cox was a member of his school choir, and at eighteen, he joined a soulSoul 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...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
. It was whilst playing in clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
that he met Richard Drummie, with whom he signed a publishing deal. For the next few years, Cox and Drummie tried to land a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
, but failed. It was when their manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
, John Glover, suggested they recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
a few tracks with the help of a new 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...
that Go West began to succeed.
After signing a deal with Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
, their first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "We Close Our Eyes
We Close Our Eyes
"We Close Our Eyes" is a song by British pop band Go West, composed by both members Peter Cox and Richard Drummie. It was the first single from their debut album Go West...
", was a Top 5 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Other singles included "Call Me
Call Me (Go West song)
"Call Me" was a 1985 hit single for the band Go West which reached #12 in the UK Charts and #54 in the US. It also peaked at #1 in Sweden. The song was included on the soundtrack for the popular video game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, on Flash FM in 2002....
" and "Don't Look Down
Don't Look Down (Go West song)
Don't Look Down was a 1985 hit for the successful 1980's English Pop Duo Go West. It was released in the UK where it reached #13 and New Zealand where it reached #10...
." The following year, Go West were named 'Best Newcomers' at the 1986 BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
.
In 1990 the group successfully cracked the other side of the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
when they released the single, "The King of Wishful Thinking", a song which featured on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy film set in Los Angeles, California. Written by J.F. Lawton and directed by Garry Marshall, this motion picture features Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and also Hector Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy, and Jason Alexander in supporting roles. Roberts played the only...
. Subsequent releases from the band received several awards based on airplay in America.
Solo career
Cox moved to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1993 to pursue a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career. His self-titled album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Peter Cox was released in 1997 to critical acclaim. Songs on the album included "Ain't Gonna Cry Again", "What a Fool Believes
What a Fool Believes
"What a Fool Believes" is a song written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. The best-known version was recorded by The Doobie Brothers for their 1978 album Minute by Minute. The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 14, 1979, remaining in that position for one week...
" and "If You Walk Away". Other solo albums were Flame Still Burns (2001), Nine Miles High (2002), Desert Blooms (2002), Game For Fools (2005) and Motor City Music (2006). Cox also teamed up with Tony Hadley
Tony Hadley
Tony Hadley is an English pop singer-songwriter, occasional stage actor and radio presenter who gained celebrity as the lead vocalist for the 1980s band Spandau Ballet.-Early life:...
on the album Tony Hadley vs Peter Cox & Go West, released in 2004. Another artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
he collaborated with was Bernie Nolan.
In 2003, Cox replaced Then Jerico
Then Jerico
Then Jerico are a British rock band who became popular in the late 1980s.-Career:Mark Shaw formed the band at the age of 21, recruiting bassist Jasper Stainthorpe and drummer Steve Wren and poaching guitarist Scott Taylor from Belouis Some....
's Mark Shaw on the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
reality show Reborn in the USA
Reborn in the USA
Reborn in the USA was a 2003 ITV reality TV show, in which ten former British pop acts were transported to the USA, where they were supposedly not known , in the...
after Shaw stormed off the series in the show's first few days. (Even though Cox had achieved previous success across the Atlantic as part of Go West, he was able to go on the show as none of his solo singles had found success in the United States.) Cox was a favourite to win, but was voted off in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
after he forgot the lyrics to the Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
hit he was performing. Following his departure from the show, Cox reunited with old bandmate Drummie, and the eventual winner Tony Hadley
Tony Hadley
Tony Hadley is an English pop singer-songwriter, occasional stage actor and radio presenter who gained celebrity as the lead vocalist for the 1980s band Spandau Ballet.-Early life:...
, for a three month UK tour.
In 2007 Cox, Drummie, and a new line-up of their band, appeared on Jim'll Fix It:Strikes again
Jim'll Fix It
Jim'll Fix It was a long-running British television show, broadcast by the BBC between 1975 and 1994. It was presented by Jimmy Savile. It was produced by Roger Ordish, who also worked on other BBC shows, including A Bit of Fry & Laurie...
to recreate a famous 'fix it' from 1986. A year later, they released the album, Futurenow, and toured the UK.
On 16 October 2009, he was announced as the new lead singer with Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Manfred Mann's Earth Band is a British progressive rock group formed in 1971 by Manfred Mann.-Formation:Having started in the 1960s with a British band that had such hits as "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" and "The Mighty Quinn", then moving on to Jazz Fusion with Manfred Mann's Chapter Three, Manfred's third...
following the departure of Noel McCalla
Noel McCalla
Noel McCalla is a British rock singer. He was the lead vocalist for the rock group Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1991 until September 2009, when his mutually accepted departure was announced...
.
His first public appearance with them was on 19 October 2009 at The Brook in Southampton, UK
In April 2010, his latest album, The S1 Sessions was released. It was a collection of eleven songs which included cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of Lonestar
Lonestar
Lonestar is an American country music group consisting of Richie McDonald , Michael Britt , Keech Rainwater , Dean Sams , and Michael Hill . McDonald left the band in November 2007 for a solo career before returning in 2011...
's song "Amazed
Amazed
"Amazed" is the title of a song written by Marv Green, Aimee Mayo and Chris Lindsey. The first version of the song was recorded by the American country music group Lonestar, whose version was released in March 1999 as the second single from their 1999 album Lonely Grill...
", and the Leon Russell
Leon Russell
Claude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music....
song, "This Masquerade
This Masquerade
"This Masquerade" is a song written by Leon Russell. The song appeared on the B-side of the single for Russell's 1972 hit "Tight Rope."The song has also been recorded by many other artists. Helen Reddy included it on her 1972 I am Woman album, and also included a live version on her 1978 Live in...
".
Solo albums
- 1997: Peter CoxPeter Cox (album)Peter Cox is the debut solo album from Go West frontman Peter Cox. It features 11 tracks mostly written by Cox and album producer Peter-John Vettese.-Track listing:# Ain't Gonna Cry Again# If You Walk Away# Change# One More Kiss# I'll Be Good To You...
- Chrysalis RecordsChrysalis RecordsChrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
UK #64 - 2001: Flame Still Burns (EP) - Blueprint Records
- 2002: Nine Miles High (EP) - Blueprint Records
- 2004: Desert Blooms - Blueprint Records
- 2004: Tony Hadley vs Peter Cox & Go West - Blueprint Records
- 2005: Game For Fools (EP) - Blueprint Recording Corporation Ltd
- 2006: Motor City Music - Curb Records
- 2010: The S1 Sessions - Blueprint Recording Corporation Ltd
Solo singles
- "Ain't Gonna Cry Again" (1997) - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#37 - "If You Walk Away" (1997) - UK #24
- "What a Fool BelievesWhat a Fool Believes"What a Fool Believes" is a song written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. The best-known version was recorded by The Doobie Brothers for their 1978 album Minute by Minute. The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 14, 1979, remaining in that position for one week...
" (1998) - UK #39