Pete Dello (born Peter Blumsom, 26 May 1942,
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, England) is a 1960s and 1970s singer-songwriter and later a music teacher.
Career
Dello started his career as a musician in the
skiffle era of the 1950s and was a founding member of the
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
band Grant Tracy and The Sunsets, after which he joined Steve Darbyshire's backing group, The Yum Yum Band, in the mid-1960s. This led onto him forming
Honeybus
Honeybus were a 1960s pop group formed in April 1967, in London. They are best known for their 1968 UK top 10 hit single, " I Can't Let Maggie Go", written by group member Pete Dello who also composed their previous single "(Do I Figure) In ...
, with whom he scored the hit single "
I Can't Let Maggie Go" in 1968.
Quickly leaving Honeybus rather than tour and promote the single, he next cut a solo album ''Into Your Ears'' in 1971, and also worked with John Killigrew. Ultimately he quit the music industry for other interests during the 1970s. Since then ''Into Your Ears'' has become a collectable album, with copies selling for over £1,200 in perfect condition. It has also been re-issued on compact disc in 2005, and again in 2009.
He wrote songs with all his bands (and also for
The Applejacks). The Dello-penned song "Do I Still Figure In Your Life?" has been covered by
Dave Berry,
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as
"Feelin' Alright ...
,
Iain Matthews
Iain Matthews (born Ian Matthews MacDonald, 16 June 1946) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was an original member of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention from 1967 to 1969 before leaving to form his own band, Matthew ...
,
Dave Stewart,
Paul Carrack
Paul Melvyn Carrack (born 22 April 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter and composer who has recorded as both a solo artist and as a member of several popular bands. The BBC dubbed Carrack "The Man with the Golden Voice", while '' ...
,
Dana,
Kate Taylor
Kate Taylor (born August 15, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Boston, Massachusetts. She is the younger (and only) sister of singer-songwriter James Taylor.
Biography
Taylor was born in Boston and grew up with her four ...
,
Saturday's Crowd and
Pierce Turner
Pierce Turner is an Irish singer-songwriter. After forming a duo with Larry Kirwan he went solo in the mid-1980s and has since released several albums
Biography
Turner grew up in the port town of Wexford, where his mother ran a retail outlet ...
. His co-writer was Ray Cane. Dello was also a
session musician
A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...
, and he was hired for
Unit 4 + 2
Unit 4 + 2 were a British pop band formed in Hertfordshire, England, who had a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1965 with the song " Concrete and Clay". The track topped the UK chart for one week.
Career Early days
In 1962, Brian Park ...
,
The Scaffold
The Scaffold are a comedy, poetry and music trio from Liverpool, England, consisting of musical performer Mike McGear (real name Peter Michael McCartney, the brother of Paul McCartney), poet Roger McGough and comic entertainer John Gorman. ...
and
The Roulettes
The Roulettes were a British rock and roll and beat group formed in London in 1961. They were recruited to play as the backing group to singer Adam Faith the following year, and continued to perform and record until the late 1960s.
History
The ...
.
The song "I'm a Gambler" by Lace (1969) was reissued as a single under the pseudonym Red Herring in 1973.
Dello's biggest success "I Can't Let Maggie Go" was given a second round of popularity when it was used for a 1970s Nimble bread TV commercial, which brought him much welcomed royalties which he successfully invested.
Discography
Singles
Sunsets
* 1961 "Cry Of The Wild Goose"
Grant Tracy & The Sunsets
* 1961 "Say When"
* 1961 "Pretend"
* 1962 "The Great Matchmaker"
* 1962 "Taming Tigers"
* 1963 "Everybody Shake"
Steve Darbyshire and the Yum Yum Band
* 5 Decca singles 65–67
Honeybus
* 1967 "Delighted To See You"
* 1967 "Do I Still Figure In Your Life?"
* 1968 "I Can't Let Maggie Go"
* 1973 "For You"
Lace
* 1969 "I'm A Gambler/Go Away"
Magic Valley
* 1969 "Taking The Heart Out Of Love/Uptight Basil"
Leah
* 1973 "Arise, Sir Henry/Uptight Basil"
Red Herring
* 1973 "I'm A Gambler/Working Class Man"
Magneta
* 1974 "I'm A Gambler/Tattered Robe"
Albums
* 1964 ''Teenbeat'' (Grant Tracy and the Sunsets)
* 1971 ''John Killigrew'' (John Killigrew with Pete Dello)
* 1971 ''Into Your Ears'' (Pete Dello And Friends)
* 1973 ''Recital'' (Honeybus) – comeback album (unreleased although promo copies exist and sell for upwards of £800)
* 2018 ''Recital'' (Honeybus) – Hanky Panky Records reissue
Notable compilations
* 1989 ''Honeybus at Their Best'' (Honeybus)
* 1993 ''Old Masters, Hidden Treasures'' (Honeybus)
* 1997 ''At Their Best'' (Honeybus)
* 1999 ''The Honeybus Story'' (Honeybus)
* 2002 ''She Flies Like A Bird : The Anthology'' (features unreleased songs such as "Big Ship") (Honeybus)
* 2018 ''Where Have You Been: The Lost Tracks Of Honeybus'' (Honeybus)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dello, Pete
1942 births
Living people
Musicians from Oxford
English male singer-songwriters
English singer-songwriters
Beat musicians
Military personnel from Oxford