Crispian St. Peters(1939-2010)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Rocker Crispian St. Peters was born Robin Peter Smith in Swanley, Kent,
England. He learned to play the guitar as a child. After graduating
high school he played with various bands in England and made somewhat
of a name for himself. While a member of a band called Beat Formula
Three in 1963 he came to the attention of a publicist for EMI Records,
who became his manager. In 1964. after using a string of stage names,
he settled on Crispian St. Peters and, as a member of Peter and the
Wolves, made his first record. His manager convinced him to leave the
band and go solo, and got him a contract with Decca Records. His first
two singles went pretty much nowhere, but in 1966 he finally had a hit
with "You Were On My Mind" (which had already been recorded by a
Canadian duo, Mickey & Sylvia, and the
American folk singers We Five). Tbe record went
to #2 in the UK, but when released in the US it flopped. However, his
next single hit the big time: "The Pied Piper", with St. Peter's deep,
somewhat Elvis Presley-ish vocals driving
the song to the Top 10 in both the UK and the US.
His follow-up records, while having somewhat respectable sales, never brought in the numbers that "The Pied Piper" did. In 1970 his contract was terminated by Decca. He continued to record for a variety of labels, however, and had a respectable following in Australia. He toured by himself and in '60s "revival" shows in the '90s, and wrote and arranged songs for others.
On January 1, 1995, he had a stroke, which severely curtailed his activities. He had other health problems over the next several years. On June 8, 2010, he died after a long illness. He was 71.
His follow-up records, while having somewhat respectable sales, never brought in the numbers that "The Pied Piper" did. In 1970 his contract was terminated by Decca. He continued to record for a variety of labels, however, and had a respectable following in Australia. He toured by himself and in '60s "revival" shows in the '90s, and wrote and arranged songs for others.
On January 1, 1995, he had a stroke, which severely curtailed his activities. He had other health problems over the next several years. On June 8, 2010, he died after a long illness. He was 71.
