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Dr Pete Waterman OBE, DL is the most successful British producer-songwriter in pop history, an author, DJ, Pop Idol judge and television presenter and a lifelong entrepreneur with a wide range of business interests.

Multimillion record sales

A senior statesman of the music industry with over forty years’ experience, Pete has sold in excess of 500 million records around the world and been instrumental in the development of dozens of internationally successful acts such as Kylie Minogue, John Travolta, Rick Astley, Dead Or Alive, Bananarama and Steps. Inspired by meeting the Beatles as a teenager, he worked as a DJ and A&R Consultant throughout the 1970s, finally establishing PWL, his own world-famous production company and record label, in the mid-80s.

Working with legends

As one-third of the phenomenally successful Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting and production team, Pete scored an unrivalled run of global hits in the 80s and 90s, launching many new acts and collaborating with established music legends including Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard, Donna Summer and the Three Degrees. Penning such pop classics as Never Gonna Give You Up and I Should Be So Lucky, SAW gained countless international industry awards, from BMI in the USA to the BPI in Britian and JASRAC in Japan.

A railway man

Beyond music, Pete has a lifelong passion for the railways. His first job was as a fireman (stoker) on British Railways and today he is the proud owner of significant collections of commercial and historic locomotives (at one time including the legendary ‘Flying Scotsman’) and rolling stock, the largest O-gauge model railway in Europe and Just Like The Real Thing, his own model railway company. Since founding the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) in 1993, Pete has continued to contribute massively to the preservation and development of this historic and essential industry, even leading the successful campaign for a National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering.

Honours and prices

In 2001, Pete was made an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration by Coventry University for his services to the pop industry and, in 2004, an Honorary Doctor in Music by the University of Liverpool. In 2005, Pete was awarded the OBE for his services to music in the Queen’s New Year’s List and more recently was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Cheshire.  In November 2011 Pete was given The John Peel Award by the Radio Academy for his outstanding contribution to UK music radio.