Peter Skellern

Peter Skellern (born 14 March 1947, Bury, Lancashire[1]) is an English singer-songwriter and pianist. 1 Career 2 Discography 2.1 Albums 2.2 Singles 3 Recordings of choral music 4 References 5 External links Career Skellern attended Derby Grammar School (now Derby High School) and studied piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.[2] He later joined pop groups called 'Harlem' and 'March Hare'.[2] Skellern played the organ at St Michael's Church, Bolton during his early years.

1 Career
2 Discography
2.1 Albums
2.2 Singles
3 Recordings of choral music
4 References
5 External links

Career

Skellern attended Derby Grammar School (now Derby High School) and studied piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.[2] He later joined pop groups called 'Harlem' and 'March Hare'.[2] Skellern played the organ at St Michael's Church, Bolton during his early years.

Skellern's first hit song was "You're a Lady" in 1972. The record featured the choir Congregation who had recorded the hit "Softly Whispering I Love You" and reached number three in the UK Singles Chart[3] and number 50 in the United States Billboard Hot 100.[4] He followed this three years later with "Hold On to Love" which reached number 14 in the UK chart. He also sang the theme song to the musical Billy Liar. For three years in the 1970s he worked on BBC Radio 4's Stop the Week, writing topical songs.[2] A non charting song 'Too much I'm in love' also received much radio play.
In 1978 Skellern had a minor hit with "Love is the Sweetest Thing" (which featured backing by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band), winning the Music Trades Association award for best Middle of the Road song. His album Astaire is regarded by many as a minor classic.

In 1981 he wrote, composed and performed in a series of musical playlets for the BBC called Happy Endings. Two years later Skellern hosted the Private Lives television chat show. He wrote the lyrics for the song "One More Kiss, Dear", from the 1982 film, Blade Runner. In 1984, He performed the theme song for the London Weekend Television programme Me and My Girl.[2] In the same year, Skellern formed a group called Oasis with cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, and Mary Hopkin. The group released a self-titled album in 1984 on the Warner Bros. Records label which earned a silver record. The group performed live on television, but a planned concert tour was cancelled due to Mary Hopkin becoming ill.

In 1987, Skellern wrote and performed the theme music and song for the Yorkshire Television series, Flying Lady.[5]

Skellern provided the voice of Carter Brandon in the BBC Radio adaptations of Peter Tinniswood's Uncle Mort's North Country. This show was produced by Pete Atkin.
Skellern has collaborated with Richard Stilgoe in cabaret and in musical comedy with comic songs such as "Joyce the Librarian".[2] Three live albums are available; A Quiet Night Out, By the Wey and Who Plays Wins.

More recently Skellern has been writing choral music, including Waiting for the Word (which was written for the BBC's Songs of Praise programme of 19 August 2001), Six Simple Carols and The Nativity Cantata written for a Hemel Hempstead choir, the Aeolian Singers. The work was first performed by them in 2004 and it has since been recorded.

Skellern's and Richard Stilgoe's little-known album, Who Plays Wins, made an unexpected entry in the midweek top five album charts in February 2011 after an online poll among Crystal Palace fans voted it the best British album of all time.[citation needed]

Discography

Albums

You're a Lady, 1972
Not Without a Friend, 1974
Holding My Own, 1974
Hold On To Love, 1975
Hard Times, 1975
Kissing in the Cactus, 1977
Skellern, 1978 - UK #48
Astaire, 1979 - UK #23
Still Magic, 1980
Happy Endings, 1981
A String of Pearls, 1982 - UK #67
Ain't Life Something
Cheek to Cheek, 1993
Captain Beaky and His Band (contribution to Vol. II), 1980
Oasis, 1984
Who Plays Wins with Richard Stilgoe, 1985
Lovelight, 1987
Stardust Memories (a tribute to The Ink Spots), 1995 - UK #50
Sentimentally Yours, 1996
The Very Best of Peter Skellern, 1996
By The Wey with Richard Stilgoe, 1997
A Quiet Night Out with Richard Stilgoe, 2000
[3] [6]

Singles

"You're a Lady, 1972 - UK #3, U.S. #50
"Hold On To Love", 1975 - UK #14, U.S. #106/"Too much im in love"
"Love is the Sweetest Thing", 1978 - UK #60/[3]
[edit]Recordings of choral music

The Nativity Cantata and other Christmas Music performed by the Aeolian Singers, 2005
"So Said The Angel" on the album A Cotswold Christmas performed by the Abbey School Choir, Tewkesbury
"So Said The Angel" on the CD Noel! (Priory PRCD 768) sung by the Bach Choir of London

References

1. Discogs.com - accessed April 2009
2. a b c d e Hrpl.u-net.com - accessed April 2009
3. a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 505. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
4. "Allmusic ((( Peter Skellern > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))".
5. - accessed May 2011
6. Prideofmanchester.com - accessed April 2009

External links

Peter Skellern at the Internet Movie Database
Website with a brief biography