Peter Skellern

Peter Skellern
Skellern in 1972
Background information
Born	(1947-03-14)14 March 1947 Bury, Lancashire, England
Died	17 February 2017(2017-02-17) (aged 69) Lanteglos-by-Fowey, Cornwall, England
Genres	Easy listening traditional pop baroque pop music hall
Occupations	Singer songwriter actor priest
Instrument(s)	Vocals, piano
Years active	1969–2017
Labels	Decca Mercury Island WEA

Peter Skellern (14 March 1947^[1] – 17 February 2017) was an English singer-songwriter and pianist who rose to fame in the 1970s. He had two top twenty hits on the UK Singles Chart – "You're a Lady" (1972), which typifies his signature use of brass bands and choral arrangements for a nostalgic and romantic feel,^[2][3] and "Hold On to Love" (1975). In the 1980s, Skellern formed the band Oasis with Julian Lloyd Webber and Mary Hopkin and established a musical comedy partnership with Richard Stilgoe in cabaret.

Over his career, Skellern wrote and performed music for film, television and stage, notably writing and starring in Happy Endings, a 1981 BBC anthology series of comic musical plays. Skellern's songs have been recorded by Andy Williams, Davy Jones, Brigitte Bardot, Ringo Starr and Jack Jones, amongst others.^[4] After developing an inoperable brain tumour, Skellern was ordained as a deacon and priest of the Church of England in October 2016. He died four months later.