Peter Urlich (born 1956 in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

) is a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

musician. He is the cousin of fellow New Zealand singer

Margaret Urlich Margaret Mary Urlich (24 January 1965 – 22 August 2022) was a New Zealand singer who lived in Australia for most of her career. Urlich's 1989 debut solo studio album, ''Safety in Numbers'', won " Breakthrough Artist – Album" at the 1991 A ...

Early years

Urlich was educated at Sacred Heart College in the suburb of Glen Innes,

. Son of Daniel and Ruby Urlich, he is the youngest of six children.

Th' Dudes

In 1975, he and

Dave Dobbyn Sir David Joseph Dobbyn (born 3 January 1957) is a New Zealand musician, singer–songwriter and record producer. In his early career he was a member of the rock group Th' Dudes and was the main creative force in pop band DD Smash. Since then h ...

formed Th' Dudes with Ian Morris. After Th' Dudes split in 1980, Urlich headed off to the UK where he was fascinated by the rise of club culture. Returning to New Zealand in 1981, he approached writer Mark Phillips and they opened their first club in a run down bar in Auckland's Albert Street. Called "A Certain Bar", it was an immediate success and over the next decade, he and Phillips ran a succession of successful clubs. These were hugely influential in establishing a contemporary club scene in Auckland. In 1986 Urlich and Phillips were partners in Stimulant Records with Simon Grigg. The label released the album ''Eight Arms to Hold You'', the first New Zealand club music collection.

1990s

In the 1990s Urlich returned to performing and had residencies in Auckland as the vocalist with The Lawrence Quintet. In 1995 he began a Saturday morning radio show on

95bFm 95bFM is a New Zealand college radio, student radio station. It operates in Auckland on a Schedule 7 (educational purposes) semi-commercial licence. The station is based in the Student Union Building at the University of Auckland, is owned by ...

. His initial partner was DJ Phil Clark, however he was replaced in 1996 by Bevan Keys and the show, ''Nice'n'Urlich'', with its mix of Urlich's chat and Key's soulful

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

selection, became a hit. Taking the show to clubs also proved hugely popular and for the next decade Nice'n'Urlich sold out increasingly larger venues. In 1999 the duo were signed to Simon Grigg's Huh Records. The three Nice'n'Urlich albums sold over 60,000 albums in New Zealand. In 1999 Urlich co-starred in a New Zealand reality show, ''

Popstars ''Popstars'' is an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the ''Idol'' franchise, '' Popstars'' first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl gr ...

'' (arguably the inspiration for the worldwide ''

Idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a devotional image of a deity or saint used during puja ...

'' phenomenon), which was a hunt for people to form a pop band, and to perform and produce an album (the winners formed a band named

TrueBliss TrueBliss were a New Zealand pop girl group formed in April 1999. The band were formed on the popular television show ''Popstars'', which aired on TVNZ's TV2 channel for nine weeks in the search for a new girl group. TrueBliss were the first e ...

). His role in the show was that of manager.

2000s

In 2000 Urlich and Grigg released the first of their ''Room Service'' compilations of

lounge music Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The ra ...

, once again for Huh. The three volumes sold in excess of 150,000 across Australia and New Zealand. The Room Service brand was also used on a 1970s

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

collection, ''Soul Food'', which went gold in 2003. The pair also compiled ''Welcome To'', a collection of original New Zealand house music in 2001. In 2002, Urlich launched The P.U.B.E. (Peter Urlich Breakfast Experience) on Auckland station

George FM George FM is a New Zealand dance music radio station, owned and operated by MediaWorks from its Hargreaves Street headquarters and relayed on Freeview and radio frequencies around New Zealand. Its seventy-five regular presenters and additional ...

. In 2008, he appeared on New Zealand TV shows ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...

'' and ''

Pop's Ultimate Star ''Pop's Ultimate Star'' was TV2 (New Zealand), TV2's reality television show which pits former reality contestants against each other, most of whom are former ''NZ Idol'' contestants. The show was produced by Eyeworks Touchdown, with first prize $ ...

''. His album of covers of lounge classics, ''Between You & Me'', was released by

Liberation Music Liberation Records, formerly Liberation Music, was an Australian record company and label, started in 1999 by Michael Gudinski and Warren Costello, based in Melbourne. Its stated business aim is to "find, nurture and then to develop new tal ...

, in May 2008. Urlich hosted ''Nice n' Urlich'' Saturday mornings on Auckland station George FM, before leaving to establis
The P.U.B.E.
radio station exclusively on th
Radio Schmadio
mobile app. He is also the manager of the Pt Chev Pirates, a club in

Auckland Rugby League The Auckland Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Founded in 1909, the ARL has played a pivotal role in the development and promotion of rugby league in Auckland and beyond. ...

's Phelan Shield.

Discography

Albums

Awards

Aotearoa Music Awards

The

Aotearoa Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

(previously known as New Zealand Music Awards (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in

New Zealand music The music of New Zealand has been influenced by a number of traditions, including Māori music, the music introduced by European settlers during the nineteenth century, and a variety of styles imported during the twentieth century, including ...

and have been presented annually since 1965. ! , - , 2019 , , Peter Urlich (as part of Th' Dudes) , ,

New Zealand Music Hall of Fame The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame , Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to noteworthy New Zealand musicians. The hall was created in 2007 by Recorded Music NZ (then known as the Recording Industry Associati ...

, , , , , -

References

External links

Peter Urlich

bFM

{{DEFAULTSORT:Urlich, Peter 1956 births Living people New Zealand rock singers People educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland New Zealand rugby league administrators