Peter Asher | |
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![]() Asher performing at Johnny D's in Somerville, Massachusetts, on 8 August 2012 | |
Background information | |
Born | Park Royal, London, England [1] | 22 June 1944
Genres | Traditional pop music, pop music |
Occupation(s) | Musician producer Actor |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
Years active | 1952–present |
Labels | Capitol, Apple, Warner Bros., Columbia |
Associated acts | Peter and Gordon, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt |
Peter Asher CBE (born 22 June 1944) is a British guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop music vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a manager and record producer.
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V and comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order.
Peter and Gordon were a British pop duo, composed of Peter Asher and Gordon Waller (1945–2009), who achieved international fame in 1964 with their first single, the million-selling transatlantic No.1 smash "A World Without Love". The duo had several subsequent hits in the British Invasion era.
A talent manager is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry. The responsibility of the talent manager is to oversee the day-to-day business affairs of an artist; advise and counsel talent concerning professional matters, long-term plans and personal decisions which may affect their career.
Asher was born at the Central Middlesex Hospital to Richard and Margaret Asher, née Eliot. His father was a consultant in blood and mental diseases at the Central Middlesex Hospital, as well as being a broadcaster and the author of notable medical articles. Asher's mother was a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Coincidentally one of her pupils there was George Martin. [2] Asher is the brother of Clare Asher, a radio actress and school inspector, and Jane Asher. [3] .
Central Middlesex hospital (CMH) is in the centre of the Park Royal business estate, on the border of two London boroughs, Brent and Ealing. It is managed by the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust.
Richard Alan John Asher, FRCP was an eminent British endocrinologist and haematologist. As the senior physician responsible for the mental observation ward at the Central Middlesex Hospital he described and named Munchausen syndrome in a 1951 article in The Lancet.
Margaret Augusta Eliot was an English music teacher and musician. She was a professor of oboe at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and her best-known student was George Martin; in 2011, just before her death at age 97, she appeared in the documentary film Produced by George Martin.
When he was eight years old, he began working as a child actor, and appeared in the film The Planter's Wife , and the stage play Isn't Life Wonderful . At the age of ten, Peter played the appealing central juvenile part in the 1954 film version of Isn't Life Wonderful , along with stars Cecil Parker and Donald Wolfitt. In 1955 he played the youngest brother Johnny in Escapade, based on Roger MacDougall's play. The film starred John Mills and Alastair Sim. He also appeared in the ITV series, The Adventures of Robin Hood .
The Planter's Wife is a 1952 British drama film directed by Ken Annakin, and starring Claudette Colbert, Jack Hawkins and Anthony Steel. It is set against the backdrop of the Malayan Emergency and focuses on a rubber planter and his neighbours who are fending off a campaign of sustained attacks by Communist insurgents while also struggling to save their marriage.
Isn't Life Wonderful (1924) is a silent film directed by D. W. Griffith for his company D. W. Griffith Productions, and distributed by United Artists. It was based on the novel by Geoffrey Moss and it went under the alternative title Dawn.
Cecil Parker was an English character and comedy actor with a distinctively husky voice, who usually played supporting roles, often characters with a supercilious demeanour, in his 91 films made between 1928 and 1969.
In 1956, Asher appeared as a 12-year-old in The Talking Head, one of the short films in the series of Colonel March of Scotland Yard , starring Boris Karloff.
Colonel March of Scotland Yard is a 1950s British television series based on author John Dickson Carr's fictional detective Colonel March from his book The Department of Queer Complaints (1940). Carr was a mystery author who specialised in locked-room whodunnits and other 'impossible' crimes: murder mysteries that seemed to defy possibility. The stories of the television series followed in the same vein with Detective March solving cases that baffle Scotland Yard and the British police. The department itself is sometimes referred to as "D3". Boris Karloff starred as Colonel March.
William Henry Pratt, better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor who was primarily known for his roles in horror films. He portrayed Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). He also appeared as Imhotep in The Mummy (1932).
He is a member of Mensa. [4] While attending the independent Westminster School as a day boy, he first met fellow pupil Gordon Waller (1945–2009), and they began playing and singing together as a duo in coffee bars. In 1962, they began working formally as Peter and Gordon. Their first (and biggest) hit was the 1964 Paul McCartney song "A World Without Love." Asher's sister Jane was, in the mid-1960s, the girlfriend of Paul McCartney. Through this connection, Asher and Waller were often given unrecorded Lennon-McCartney songs to perform. [5]
Mensa is the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organisation open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test. Mensa formally comprises national groups and the umbrella organisation Mensa International, with a registered office in Caythorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The word mensa means "table" in Latin, as is symbolised in the organisation's logo, and was chosen to demonstrate the round-table nature of the organisation; the coming together of equals.
Westminster School is an independent day and boarding school in London, England, located within the precincts of Westminster Abbey. With origins before the 12th century, the educational tradition of Westminster probably dates back as far as AD 960, in line with the Abbey's history. Boys are admitted to the Under School at age seven and to the senior school at age thirteen; girls are admitted at age sixteen into the Sixth Form. The school has around 750 pupils; around a quarter are boarders, most of whom go home at weekends, after Saturday morning school. The school motto, Dat Deus Incrementum, is taken from the New Testament, specifically 1 Corinthians 3:6.
Gordon Trueman Riviere Waller was a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known as Gordon of the 1960s pop music duo Peter and Gordon, whose biggest hit was the No. 1 million-selling classic "A World Without Love".
Asher later read philosophy at King's College London. [6]
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, and a founding constituent college of the federal University of London. King's was established in 1829 by King George IV and Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, when it received its first royal charter, and claims to be the fourth oldest university institution in England. In 1836, King's became one of the two founding colleges of the University of London. In the late 20th century, King's grew through a series of mergers, including with Queen Elizabeth College and Chelsea College of Science and Technology, the Institute of Psychiatry, the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals and the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery.
In 1965, he was best man when singer Marianne Faithfull married John Dunbar in Cambridge. [2]
After Peter and Gordon disbanded in 1968, Asher took charge of the A&R department at the Beatles' Apple Records label, where he signed a then-unknown James Taylor and agreed to produce the singer-songwriter's debut solo album. [7] The album was not a success, but Asher was so convinced that Taylor held great potential that he resigned his post at Apple to move to the United States and work as Taylor's manager. Asher produced Paul Jones' rendition of the Bee Gees' "And the Sun Will Shine" which was released as a single (only in the UK). [8] He also produced a number of Taylor's recordings from 1970 to 1985, including Sweet Baby James, Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, JT and Flag .
In the early 1970s, Asher also managed the country rock band, Country, which recorded for Atlantic Records through its subsidiary Clean Records, featuring Michael Fondiler and Tom Snow, who has since become a songwriter. For a time, Asher also managed James Taylor's sister Kate Taylor. When she decided to leave the business, she recommended him to Linda Ronstadt at which point Asher became Ronstadt's manager. [9] Asher achieved his greatest success producing a long string of multi-platinum albums for James Taylor, including Sweet Baby James , JT and Flag , and for Linda Ronstadt, including Heart Like a Wheel , Simple Dreams , Living in the USA , What's New , Canciones De Mi Padre and Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind .
The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood was opened on 23 September 1973 by Elmer Valentine and Lou Adler along with original partners David Geffen, Elliot Roberts and Peter Asher.
Asher also played a role in shaping the Californian rock sound prominent during the 1970s, producing records for Ronstadt, J. D. Souther, Andrew Gold and Bonnie Raitt. In 1976, Asher and Waller reformed for the annual New York "Beatlefest" and played a few other dates. [10] In the 1980s, Asher also worked on hit albums for artists as diverse as Cher and 10,000 Maniacs.
In February 1995, Asher was named Senior Vice-President, Sony Music Entertainment. At the beginning of 2002, Asher left Sony and returned full-time to the management of artists' careers as co-President of Sanctuary Artist Management. In January 2005 he was named President, the position he held until September 2006, when he resigned. In 2007 Asher joined forces with his friend Simon Renshaw (who manages the Dixie Chicks) at the company Simon founded, Strategic Artist Management. Strategic has grown into a dominant force in the entertainment industry, now managing artists in many fields of endeavour beyond just music – one of Asher's clients is Pamela Anderson. Asher also reunited with James Taylor as the producer of the Live at the Troubadour reunion album recorded in 2007, with Carole King and Taylor's original band.
During 2005 and 2006, Peter and Gordon reformed for occasional concerts. However, Waller died in 2009 and in its obituary, The Times observed that "Waller was thought more handsome than the slightly nerdish looking Asher". [11]
Asher had been quoted as saying that actor Mike Myers has said he had patterned his Austin Powers character after Asher's appearance, [10] although Elizabeth Hurley, who co-starred in Austin Powers, claimed that the original model was broadcaster Simon Dee. [12]
In 2011, Asher was the executive producer of the Listen to Me: Buddy Holly compilation album and also music supervisor, producer, and co-host of the Buddy Holly: Listen to Me; The Ultimate Buddy Party PBS Pledge Special. Performed and filmed in front of a live audience the Buddy Holly tribute concert aired as PBS Pledge Special in December 2011 and May and June 2012. The Special received the highest 2012 Silver Telly Award in the Category of TV Programs, Segments, or Promotional Pieces. [13]
Asher was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to the British music industry. [14] [15]
In May 2017, Asher debuted a weekly, hour-long series on the brand-new Sirius XM Radio station for The Beatles called "From Me To You". He also announced with commentary the Top 100 Beatles countdown "All Together Now" on The Beatles Channel that first aired on Sirius XM Radio on the Labor Day Weekend in 2017, and is frequently replayed.
Recently,[ when? ] Peter Asher has been playing shows, including one at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, as part of a duo with Albert Lee that showcases songs from both their careers. [16] He currently resides in Venice, California.
Asher had a short-lived relationship with singer Millie Small, also known as Millie, who sang "My Boy Lollipop". [2]
He was married twice, first to Betsy Doster. In 1983, he married his second wife, Wendy Worth. Their daughter, Victoria Asher, was born in 1984. [17] She was the keytarist in the American synthpop/pop punk band, Cobra Starship.
All releases by Peter and Gordon unless noted.
Year | Album |
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1964 | In Touch With... |
1964 | Peter and Gordon |
1964 | World Without Love |
1965 | Hurtin' 'n' Lovin' |
1965 | I Don't Want to See You Again |
1965 | I Go To Pieces |
1965 | True Love Ways |
1966 | Best of Peter and Gordon |
1966 | Peter and Gordon Sing and Play the Hits of Nashville |
1966 | Somewhere |
1966 | Woman |
1967 | In London for Tea |
1967 | Knight in Rusty Armour |
1967 | Lady Godiva |
1967 | Hot Cold and Custard |
1972 | Gordon(Gordon Waller solo album) |
1983 | Best of Peter and Gordon |
1983 | Hits of Peter and Gordon |
1991 | Best of Peter and Gordon |
2001 | Ultimate Peter and Gordon |
2003 | Definitive Collection: Knights in Rusty Armour |
Year | Album | Artist |
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1968 | James Taylor | James Taylor |
1969 | Barbara Keith | Barbara Keith |
1970 | Jo Mama | Jo Mama |
1970 | Sweet Baby James | James Taylor |
1971 | Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon | James Taylor |
1971 | Sister Kate | Kate Taylor |
1971 | Tony Joe White | Tony Joe White |
1971 | Bad Girl Songs | Tony Kosinec |
1972 | One Man Dog | James Taylor |
1973 | Don't Cry Now | Linda Ronstadt |
1974 | Heart Like a Wheel | Linda Ronstadt |
1975 | Prisoner in Disguise | Linda Ronstadt |
1975 | Black Rose | J.D. Souther |
1976 | Hasten Down the Wind | Linda Ronstadt |
1976 | Love Songs | David Sanborn |
1976 | What's Wrong with This Picture? | Andrew Gold |
1977 | JT | James Taylor |
1977 | Simple Dreams | Linda Ronstadt |
1978 | Living in the USA | Linda Ronstadt |
1979 | Flag | James Taylor |
1979 | The Glow | Bonnie Raitt |
1980 | Mad Love | Linda Ronstadt |
1981 | Dad Loves His Work | James Taylor |
1982 | Get Closer | Linda Ronstadt |
1983 | Reelin' in the Years, Vol. 1 | various artists |
1983 | What's New | Linda Ronstadt |
1984 | Lush Life | Linda Ronstadt |
1984 | Moonlighting | (Original TV soundtrack) |
1985 | That's Why I'm Here | James Taylor |
1986 | An American Tail | (Original soundtrack) |
1986 | For Sentimental Reasons | Linda Ronstadt |
1987 | Canciones De Mi Padre | Linda Ronstadt |
1987 | Cher | Cher |
1987 | In My Tribe | 10,000 Maniacs |
1987 | Storytellers: Singers and Songwriters | various artists |
1988 | The Land Before Time | (Original soundtrack) |
1989 | Blind Man's Zoo | 10,000 Maniacs |
1989 | Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind | Linda Ronstadt |
1989 | Heart of Stone | Cher |
1989 | You Happy Puppet | 10,000 Maniacs |
1990 | Mermaids | (Original soundtrack) |
1991 | Force Behind the Power | Diana Ross |
1991 | Live in Rio | James Taylor |
1991 | Love Hurts | Cher |
1991 | Lovescape | Neil Diamond |
1991 | Mambo Kings | (Original soundtrack) |
1991 | Swept | Julia Fordham |
1991 | Williams Brothers | The Williams Brothers |
1992 | American Standard | Mary's Danish |
1992 | Back to Basics | Olivia Newton-John |
1992 | Christmas Album | Neil Diamond |
1992 | Olivia | Olivia Newton-John |
1992 | Time Takes Time | Ringo Starr |
1993 | Made in America | (Original soundtrack) |
1993 | Robin Zander | Robin Zander |
1993 | Up on the Roof: Songs from the Brill Building | Neil Diamond |
1994 | Christmas Album, Vol. 2 | Neil Diamond |
1994 | Randy Newman's Faust: Words and Music | various artists |
1995 | Don't Ask | Tina Arena |
1995 | EP Collection | Peter and Gordon |
1995 | Faust | Randy Newman |
1996 | It Takes Two | various artists |
1996 | One Fine Day | (Original soundtrack) |
1996 | Show Me Heaven | Tina Arena |
1997 | Most Beautiful Soul Album on Earth | various artists |
1997 | Superstar Christmas | various artists |
1997 | Under These Rocks and Stones | Chantal Kreviazuk |
1998 | Armageddon | (Original soundtrack) |
1998 | As I Came of Age | Sarah Brightman |
1998 | December | Kenny Loggins |
1998 | Motown 40 Forever | various artists |
1999 | All Time Greatest Movie Songs | various artists |
1999 | Best Party Megamix in the World Ever | various artists |
1999 | Collection | Julia Fordham |
1999 | Runaway Bride | (Original soundtrack) |
1999 | When the Going Gets Tough | Boyzone |
2000 | Gift of Love | Diana Ross |
2000 | More Songs from Pooh Corner | Kenny Loggins |
2000 | Tigger Movie: Songs and Story | various artists |
2001 | Everything I Am | Anna Vissi |
2001 | Motown Anthology | Diana Ross |
2001 | Three Chord Opera | Neil Diamond |
2001 | Ultimate Peter and Gordon | Peter and Gordon |
2002 | Capitol Records 1942–2002 | various artists |
2002 | Everybody's Got a Story | Amanda Marshall |
2002 | Freedom: A History of Us | (Original soundtrack) |
2002 | Live 2002 | Robin Williams |
2002 | Providence | (Original TV soundtrack) |
2002 | Sweet Is the Melody | Aselin Debison |
2003 | Best of the Definitive American Songbook, Vol. 2: I-Z | various artists |
2003 | Cafeteria: Hear | various artists |
2003 | Earth Rider – The Essential John Stewart 1964–1979 | John Stewart |
2003 | Singers and Songwriters Christmas Songs | various artists |
2004 | California | Wilson Phillips |
2004 | Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings | 10,000 Maniacs |
2004 | De-Lovely | (Original soundtrack) |
2004 | Intermission | Amanda Marshall |
2004 | Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow | (Original soundtrack) |
2004 | Taking a Chance on Love | Jane Monheit |
2005 | Live at Earls Court | Morrissey |
2005 | Goodies, Vol. 1 | various artists |
2005 | Souvenirs | Tina Arena |
2006 | You're Only Lonely | Raul Malo |
2007 | Siren | Sasha and Shawna |
2006 | I Love You | Diana Ross |
2010 | Live at the Troubadour | Carole King and James Taylor |
2011 | Buddy Holly: Listen to Me; The Ultimate Buddy Party | Various Artists – Producer and Host |
2013 | Love Has Come for You | Steve Martin and Edie Brickell |
2013 | When Will You Come Home (EP) | The Webb Sisters |
|- |2017 |align="left"|"The Long Awaited Album" |Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers" |}
Year | Album | Artist |
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1989 | Harry's Cafe De Wheels | Peter Blakeley |
1999 | Timbre | Sophie B. Hawkins |
2011 | Listen to Me: Buddy Holly | Various Artists |
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
Linda Maria Ronstadt is a retired American popular music singer known for singing in a wide range of genres including rock, country, light opera, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, and an ALMA Award, and many of her albums have been certified gold, platinum or multiplatinum in the United States and internationally. She has also earned nominations for a Tony Award and a Golden Globe award. She was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by The Latin Recording Academy in 2011 and also awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by The Recording Academy in 2016. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014. On July 28, 2014, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts and Humanities. In 2019, she will receive a joint star with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their work as the group Trio.
Apple Records is a record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston. In practice, the roster had become dominated by the mid-1970s with releases of the former Beatles as solo artists. Allen Klein managed the label from 1969 to 1973, then it was managed by Neil Aspinall on behalf of the Beatles and their heirs. Aspinall retired in 2007 and was replaced by Jeff Jones.
"That'll Be the Day" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison. It was first recorded by Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes in 1956 and was re-recorded in 1957 by Holly and his new band, the Crickets. The 1957 recording achieved widespread success. Holly's producer, Norman Petty, was credited as a co-writer, although he did not contribute to the composition.
James Taylor is the self-titled debut studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. Released on December 6, 1968, it was the first recording by a non-British artist released by Apple Records, and would also be Taylor's only release on that label. The album was released under the title First Album on the South African market.
JT is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, and his first album for Columbia Records. Released in June 1977, two hit singles were spawned from the album: "Handy Man", a Jimmy Jones cover, which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and also topped the Adult Contemporary chart. "Your Smiling Face", the other big hit, peaked at #20. The record also contains other Taylor classics such as "Secret O' Life" and "Terra Nova", with the participation of Taylor's then-wife Carly Simon.
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"Words of Love" is a song written by Buddy Holly.
"Every Little Thing" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their album Beatles for Sale, issued in the UK in December, 1964. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was written by Paul McCartney, although John Lennon is the more prominent lead vocalist on the recording. Capitol Records first issued the song in the US on Beatles VI in June, 1965. The track is an early example of the Beatles' use of non-rock instrumentation on a recording, through the addition of timpani drum over the choruses.
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"A World Without Love" is a song recorded by the British duo Peter and Gordon and released as their first single in February 1964. It was included on the duo's debut album in the UK, and in the US on an album of the same name. The song was written by Paul McCartney and attributed to Lennon–McCartney. The B-side was "If I Were You", written by Peter and Gordon.
"You're No Good" is a song written by Clint Ballard, Jr., first performed by Dee Dee Warwick for Jubilee Records in 1963 with production by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It has since been covered by many artists, including charting versions by Betty Everett in 1963, The Swinging Blue Jeans in 1964, and Linda Ronstadt in 1975, whose version was a number 1 hit in the United States.
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