Pete Waterman Entertainment (PWE) is the production company one-time pop and

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

owned by British pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL (Pete Waterman Limited), is most famous for being the home of hit record producers

Stock Aitken Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW and also known as the Hit Factory) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s throug ...

History

After producing many hits for other record companies, PWL launched its own label in

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

(PWL Records) with the single " I Just Can't Wait" by Mandy Smith. After several promos that were eventually licensed to other labels, the next single commercially released on PWL Records (PWL8) was the biggest selling single of 1988: " I Should Be So Lucky" by

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

. Stock Aitken Waterman also used the label to release material under their own name, including top twenty hit, "Roadblock". As an independent record label, PWL enjoyed number ones with

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n artists

and

Jason Donovan Jason Sean Donovan (born 1 June 1968) is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap ''Neighbours'', playing Scott Robinson, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 millio ...

, as well as top ten hits with British artists, such as Pat and Mick, The Reynolds Girls, American singer Sybil Lynch, and Dutch dance group, 2 Unlimited. As a production house, they produced hits for English artists including, Hazell Dean,

Rick Astley Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, radio DJ and podcaster. He gained fame through his association with the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, releasing the 1987 album ''Whenever You Need Somebody'', which sol ...

Dead or Alive A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...

Bananarama Bananarama is an English pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when ...

, Sonia,

Brother Beyond Brother Beyond were a British pop band who had success in the pop rock genre in the late 1980s. Biography Early singles and first album The group's first four singles, "I Should Have Lied", "How Many Times", "Chain-Gang Smile" (produced by Don ...

Samantha Fox Samantha Karen Fox (born 15 April 1966) is an English pop singer and former glamour model from Crouch End in North London. She has appeared on reality television shows and has occasionally worked as a television presenter and actress. Fox beg ...

and

Mel and Kim Mel and Kim (stylized as MӗL & KIM) were an English pop duo, consisting of sisters Melanie Appleby, Melanie and Kim Appleby. Originally managed by Alan Whitehead (drummer), Alan Whitehead, they achieved success between 1986 and 1988, before Me ...

, all licensed to other record labels. In the US, PWL America was established in 1989 and specialized primarily in

hip-hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

, launching the careers of MCs Ed O.G. and Diamond D. In 1992, it was renamed Chemistry Records Ltd., but it shut its doors in 1993. It was distributed in that territory by Mercury/ PolyGram Records. In the early 1990s, Pete Waterman formed a new label called PWL International in partnership with

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and the third-largest in the gl ...

; one of the artists that recorded for the label, Opus III, would score two number ones on ''Billboard''s Dance Club Songs Chart through a US deal with Warner's EastWest Records. However, with other projects taking up Waterman's time, his involvement in the label decreased, and PWL International Ltd. became the Warner label

Coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

. The record label is still in operation today and operates the label EBUL through former labels

Jive Records Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...

and Zomba (now labels by

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

Entertainment). As of March 2017, most of the PWL catalogue is now distributed by

BMG Rights Management BMG Rights Management GmbH (also known simply as BMG) is an international music company based in Berlin, Germany. It combines the activities of a music publisher and a record label. BMG was formed in October 2008 after Bertelsmann sold its st ...

. In November 2023,

and PWL released a triple CD and two double vinyl LPs, "Extended Big Hits and Surprises", containing 24 12" PWL remixes of primarily

productions, which was well received. No tracks were licensed from other record labels. An exclusive

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

edition was also released via the Super Deluxe Edition website.

Notable former PWL artists

Some of these acts were produced at the PWL Hit Factory and were signed to PWL Records, whilst others were licensed to PWL from other European independent dance labels (e.g. Media or Byte): * Anticapella *

(left in 1991) * Kakko *

(left in 1992) *

Lonnie Gordon Lonnie Gordon (born November 8, 1965, Philadelphia) is an American female dance, pop and R&B singer and songwriter. She scored several chart hits during the 1990s, most notably for her 1990 UK top 10 single " Happenin' All Over Again". Earl ...

* Loveland * Mandy Smith * Mel & Kim * Niki Evans * One True Voice * Opus III * Pop! * The Reynolds Girls * Steps *

Strange Nature Strange Nature were an English indie rock band, Formed in London and signed to Pete Waterman's PWL record label in the UK, Warner Music in Europe, and Warner Chappell Music for worldwide publishing. The band were popular in Europe during 19 ...

(left in 1995) * Sybil *

Tina Cousins Tina Patricia Cousins (born 20 April 1971) is an English singer, songwriter and former model. She has had five singles in the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with others, including " Mysterious Tim ...

* 2 Unlimited *

Undercover A cover in foreign, military or police human intelligence or counterintelligence is the ostensible identity and role or position in an infiltrated organization assumed by a covert agent during a covert operation. Official cover In espionage, a ...

Acts produced by Stock Aitken Waterman

These acts were produced at the PWL Hit Factory, but were not signed directly to PWL Records: *

(signed to London Records) * Big Fun (left in 1991) * Bobby Farrell, Maizie Williams and Marcia Barrett of Boney M. for the unauthorised single " Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker" * Boy Krazy *

(signed to EMI's Parlophone label) *

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...

(left in 1988) (signed to CBS' Epic Records, now

) *

Divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

* Hazell Dean *

London Boys London Boys were a British dance-pop Musical duo, duo based in Germany whose members were Edem Ephraim (1 July 1959, London, UK – 21 January 1996) and Dennis Fuller (19 June 1959, Jamaica – 21 January 1996). They are best remembered for th ...

Princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

(left in 1990) *

Sabrina Salerno Sabrina Debora Salerno (; born 15 March 1968), known mononymously as Sabrina, is an Italian singer, songwriter, model, actress and television presenter. During her career, she has scored ten international hits, including three number ones. Inte ...

* Same Difference *

The Sheilas The Sheilas was a British novelty pop girl group, famous for a 2007 jingle promoting car insurance company Sheilas' Wheels in an advertising campaign in the United Kingdom. History The Sheilas were Emma Robbins, Carly Romain and Cathi Ogden. ...

* Sinitta * Sonia (left in 1991)

Chemistry/PWL America artists

* Kim Appleby * B.O.X. * Diamond and the Psychotic Neurotics * Ed O.G. & da Bulldogs * Poizon Posse * Sylk Smoov

References

External links