Pete on the cover of his autobiography I Wish I Was Me

Peter Alan Waterman OBE (born in Coventry on January 15, 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. He is the owner of significant collections of both historic and commercial railway locomotives and rolling stock, a passion fuelled by his first job. Waterman had left school illiterate, not learning to read until the age of thirty eight. Following his railway job as a fireman on locomotives Waterman became a gravedigger and then an apprentice at General Electric Company, becoming a trade union official.

Biography

Inspired by The Beatles, Waterman became a DJ. He first hit the charts singing under the name 14-18 with a single inspired by World War I - "Good-Bye-Ee". In the 1980s he was a member of the highly successful music trio Stock Aitken Waterman after forming his own company, PWL (Pete Waterman Limited). To date he has scored a total of twenty two UK number one singles with his various acts and he claims upwards of 500 million sales world-wide (inclusive of singles, albums, compilation inclusions, downloads, etc). Pete has also appeared in the Steps video "Tragedy".

In 1988 he revived the name of the London and North Western Railway Company for his rail vehicle maintenance business, based at Crewe, which is now the largest privately owned rail maintenance business in the country. He also has an 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 continues to retain an interest in the company and regularlly accompanies its sales stand to model railway exhibitions. It is believed the Pete has an extensive private collection of railway models and railway layouts, in O scale and larger gauges.

In addition to his passion for music and the railway, Waterman is also a huge supporter of Walsall FC. However, he has ruled out any move towards buying the football club. He is also a rugby league fan and is president of Rugby League Conference side Coventry Bears.

He co-presented The Hitman and Her with Michaela Strachan. He also presented a show on Radio City.

In more recent years, Waterman has appeared as a judge on both series of Pop Idol in the UK, and also Popstars: The Rivals, the latter leading him to become manager of the winning boy band One True Voice. Waterman said to rival judge Louis Walsh that if One True Voice failed to reach the 2002 Christmas number one in the UK, he would commit suicide. One True Voice was duly beaten to the number one spot by Girls Aloud, the programme's winning girl group, managed by Walsh. 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. Neither Popstars or Pop Idol have since returned, and Waterman has not appeared as judge on any other similar programmes.

In the New Year's Honours List published 31 December 2004 he was given an OBE for his services to music. Just three days later his son Paul died at the age of thirty three, Waterman's website announcing that he had been in hospital since June with a "serious illness". Waterman's other son, Pete Junior, had been in a near-death go-karting accident in 1999, seeing him left badly burnt and in a coma.

In December 2006, he became a patron of the newly formed charity, the City, Lambeth and Southwark Music Education Trust.

Bibliography

• I Wish I Was Me: The Autobiography; Virgin Books ISBN 1-85227-900-1

National Blood Service

Pete Waterman appeared in an advert by the National Blood Service in the UK, their sixth TV advert which also features Carol Smillie and Will Carling.

References

External links

• Pete Waterman Limited
• Waterman's model railway manufacturing company website
• "Pete Waterman: Lucky, lucky, lucky" at BBC news