Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE DL (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, and television personality. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman production and songwriting team, he co-wrote and co-produced many UK hit singles. An avid railway enthusiast, Waterman is the owner of significant collections of both historic and commercial railway locomotives and rolling stock.
For the boxer, see Peter Waterman.
Pete Waterman
- Record producer
- songwriter
- radio and club DJ
- music manager
- businessman
- broadcaster
- railway enthusiast (commercial)
1960s–present
- Chairman of Pete Waterman Entertainment (1984–present)
- President of Coventry Bears
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Elizabeth Reynolds(m. 1970; div. 1974)
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Julie Reeves(m. 1980; div. 1984)
4
Early life[edit]
Peter Alan Waterman was born in Stoke Heath, Coventry, Warwickshire on Wednesday, 15 January 1947. He was educated at Whitley Abbey Comprehensive School until he left in 1962 to work for British Railways. He became a steam locomotive fireman based at Wolverhampton (Stafford Road) depot. In 2002 he said of his time working for British Railways, "I loved every minute of it. The squalor was unreal, but the camaraderie was phenomenal."[2] After closure of the depot in 1963, Waterman chose to follow a career in music, being inspired by The Beatles. To supplement his income as a DJ, he became a gravedigger and then an apprentice at General Electric Company, becoming a trade union official. He also worked as a coal miner.[3]
Other commercial interests[edit]
Railways[edit]
Waterman's main interest outside music is in railways, and he has been involved in several railway ventures. In 1988 he revived the name of the London & North Western Railway, which as a group encompassed various ventures:
Honours[edit]
In 2001, Waterman was made an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration by Coventry University for his services to the pop industry.[36]
In 2004, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by University College Chester.[37]
In the New Year Honours List published 31 December 2004, he was made an OBE for his services to music.[38] In December 2006, he became a patron of the newly formed charity, the City, Lambeth and Southwark Music Education Trust.
In 2016, Waterman was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Northern College of Music (FRNCM), making him the first pop musician to be given the award.[39]
Waterman has been married three times: