Peter Shelley
Encyclopedia
Peter Shelley is a British
1970s pop
singer and songwriter
who had UK
hits
with "Gee Baby" and "Love Me Love My Dog".
as personal assistant to their chief songwriter
/record producer
Norman Newell
, his responsibilities covering various aspects of music co-ordination, production and administration. He supervised several minor recording
sessions for Newell at EMI's Abbey Road Studios
, so learning the basics of record production.
He later joined Decca Records
as a talent scout
, discovering for the label Amen Corner
, Ten Years After
and Giles, Giles and Fripp
— the nucleus of a band later to be called King Crimson
. At Decca, Shelley worked with Dick Rowe
and Ivor Raymonde
and eventually began to write and produce for the company. He left Decca in 1968 to become an independent writer/producer, working with other writers such as Ben Findon and Marty Wilde
. He had several minor Europe
an single
hits during this period.
In 1973 Shelley co-founded Magnet Records
with Michael Levy
. Shelley's role was that of director
of A&R
and Levy's as president
/general manager/administrator. Shelley wrote, produced and sang Magnet's first release "My Coo Ca Choo
" which reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart
and #1 in many other countries including Australia
where it became the biggest chart seller of 1974, staying in the #1 slot for 7 weeks.
Having earlier appeared as the original Alvin Stardust
on the Lift Off television programme, Shelley was surprised when the record
went straight into the chart
the following week. However, as he had no desire to become his own stage name
creation, he and Levy both agreed that if this act was to become more than just a one-hit wonder
, then a "face" was required to be — and perform — as Alvin Stardust. The ideal person appeared, Shane Fenton. The new 'Stardust' then appeared on BBC Television
's Top of the Pops
just as the record had entered the Top 30, before finally reaching #2. Shelley then followed up with a string of hits with Stardust, including "Jealous Mind
" which went to #1 in the UK.
As a performer in his own right Shelley had hits with "Gee Baby" and "Love Me Love My Dog". By 1975, Magnet became one of the UK's most successful independent record label
s under Shelley's creative direction. He also helped sign Guys 'n' Dolls, and Chris Rea
to the label. Shelley was presented with the Ivor Novello Award
in 1975 for his services to the UK music industry.
However, due to differences between Levy and himself, Shelley resigned from Magnet in late 1975 to pursue an independent career.
Shelley now lives in Canada
where he emigrated in 1980 and where he has continued primarily as a songwriter. During this period, Shelley composed songs for an animated version of the comic strip Robotman
.
His son, John Southworth
, is a Canadian pop singer-songwriter
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
1970s pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer and 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...
who had 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...
hits
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...
with "Gee Baby" and "Love Me Love My Dog".
Career
Shelley entered the UK music industry in 1965 working initially as a song plugger with the music publisher, Chappell & Co. He then joined EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
as personal assistant to their chief 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...
/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...
Norman Newell
Norman Newell
Norman Newell, OBE was born in Plaistow, Essex , and was a successful British record producer in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as co-writer of many notable songs...
, his responsibilities covering various aspects of music co-ordination, production and administration. He supervised several minor recording
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...
sessions for Newell at EMI's Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
, so learning the basics of record production.
He later joined Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
as a talent scout
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 :...
, discovering for the label Amen Corner
Amen Corner (band)
Amen Corner were a successful Welsh rock group, formed in late 1966 in Cardiff, Wales.-Career:The band was named after The Amen Corner, a weekly disc spin at the Victoria Ballroom in Cardiff, Wales, where every Sunday night Dr...
, Ten Years After
Ten Years After
Ten Years After is an English blues-rock band, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, Ten Years After scored eight Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart...
and Giles, Giles and Fripp
Giles, Giles and Fripp
Giles, Giles and Fripp were an English late 1960s band, featuring brothers Michael Giles on drums and vocals, Peter Giles on bass guitar and vocals, and Robert Fripp on guitar.-Career:...
— the nucleus of a band later to be called King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
. At Decca, Shelley worked with Dick Rowe
Dick Rowe
Richard Paul Rowe was an A&R man at Decca Records from the 1950s to the 1960s.He was one of the most important producers and record executives in the United Kingdom in the 1950s and early 1960s and is the man who signed The Rolling Stones, Them , The Moody Blues, The Animals, The Zombies, John...
and Ivor Raymonde
Ivor Raymonde
Ivor Raymonde was a British musician, songwriter, arranger and actor, best known for his distinctive rock-orchestral arrangements for Dusty Springfield and others in the 1960s.-Life and career:...
and eventually began to write and produce for the company. He left Decca in 1968 to become an independent writer/producer, working with other writers such as Ben Findon and Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde is an English singer and songwriter. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to emulate American rock and roll, and is the father of pop singers Ricky Wilde, Kim Wilde and Roxanne Wilde.-Career:Wilde was performing under the name Reg Patterson at London's Condor Club in...
. He had several minor Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an 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...
hits during this period.
In 1973 Shelley co-founded Magnet Records
Magnet Records
Magnet Records was a record label started in 1973 by Michael Levy and acquired by Warner Bros. Records in 1988 for an estimated £10m.Artists on the label included Alvin Stardust, Matchbox, Adrian Baker, Silver Convention, Guys 'n' Dolls, Darts, Kissing the Pink, Bad Manners, David D'Or, Blue Zoo...
with Michael Levy
Michael Levy, Baron Levy
Michael Abraham Levy, Baron Levy, is President of Community Service Volunteers Jewish Care, Jewish Free School and Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade ....
. Shelley's role was that of director
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...
of 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 :...
and Levy's as president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
/general manager/administrator. Shelley wrote, produced and sang Magnet's first release "My Coo Ca Choo
My Coo Ca Choo
"My Coo Ca Choo" is the first successful release for Alvin Stardust, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart in December 1973. The glam rock single fared even better in Australia, where it spent seven weeks at the top and was the best charting single in the country in 1974...
" which reached #2 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 ...
and #1 in many other countries including Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where it became the biggest chart seller of 1974, staying in the #1 slot for 7 weeks.
Having earlier appeared as the original Alvin Stardust
Alvin Stardust
Alvin Stardust is an English pop singer and stage actor.-Career:...
on the Lift Off television programme, Shelley was surprised when the record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
went straight into the chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
the following week. However, as he had no desire to become his own stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
creation, he and Levy both agreed that if this act was to become more than just a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
, then a "face" was required to be — and perform — as Alvin Stardust. The ideal person appeared, Shane Fenton. The new 'Stardust' then appeared on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
's Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
just as the record had entered the Top 30, before finally reaching #2. Shelley then followed up with a string of hits with Stardust, including "Jealous Mind
Jealous Mind
"Jealous Mind" is a song recorded by Alvin Stardust from 1974, written and produced by Peter Shelley. "Jealous Mind" was Stardust's only number-one single in the UK Singles Chart, spending a single week at the top of the chart in March 1974. The single was released on Magnet Records.-References:...
" which went to #1 in the UK.
As a performer in his own right Shelley had hits with "Gee Baby" and "Love Me Love My Dog". By 1975, Magnet became one of the UK's most successful independent record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s under Shelley's creative direction. He also helped sign Guys 'n' Dolls, and Chris Rea
Chris Rea
Chris Rea is an English singer-songwriter, recognisable for his distinctive, husky voice and slide guitar playing. The British Hit Singles & Albums stated that Rea was "one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s. He was already a major European star by the time he finally...
to the label. Shelley was presented with the Ivor Novello Award
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...
in 1975 for his services to the UK music industry.
However, due to differences between Levy and himself, Shelley resigned from Magnet in late 1975 to pursue an independent career.
Shelley now lives in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
where he emigrated in 1980 and where he has continued primarily as a songwriter. During this period, Shelley composed songs for an animated version of the comic strip Robotman
Monty (comic strip)
Monty is an American comic strip created, written and illustrated by cartoonist Jim Meddick.-Robotman:The comic strip began as Robotman in 1985. It originally depicted the exploits of a small robot who believed he was an extraterrestrial visiting Earth, living with the ordinary Milde family...
.
His son, John Southworth
John Southworth (musician)
John Southworth is an English-Canadian singer-songwriter. His style encompasses a range of popular song genres, from oldies-radio to folk, 80’s pop to cabaret...
, is a Canadian pop 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...
.
Single discography
- "Gee Baby" - MagnetMagnet RecordsMagnet Records was a record label started in 1973 by Michael Levy and acquired by Warner Bros. Records in 1988 for an estimated £10m.Artists on the label included Alvin Stardust, Matchbox, Adrian Baker, Silver Convention, Guys 'n' Dolls, Darts, Kissing the Pink, Bad Manners, David D'Or, Blue Zoo...
MAG 12 - 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 ...
#4 - 1974 - "Love Me Love My Dog" - Magnet MAG 22 - UK #3 - 1975
- "Little Julie/I'm Flying MAG35 - 1975