Peter John Cox may have been a part of an award winning Band in Go West for over 20 years now but his career in the music industry goes back a lot further and you could even say started while he was at school!.

The young Londoner’s talent for singing was spotted from an early age; leading to a place in the Prestigous Chapel Royal Choir and starting a lifelong commitment to his art. At age 18 Pete was already in his first band ‘BODIE’ and it was while working the local circuit with Bodie that he had the fateful first meeting with Richard Drummie. After reading a review of Richards band ‘Free Agent’ in the local paper Pete went along and listened in to a rehearsal, the guys swapped tapes of each others work and once Rick had heard as he put it ‘that voice’ the partnership that has delighted audiences across the world for over 20 years was born.

Fame didn’t land on a plate for Pete and especially in the early years of his partnership with Rick his commitment to his career must have been sorely tested. A period in a Covers Band singing as Pete put it ‘Three Times a Lady Four times a Night’ enabled the young singer to keep going but was a hard apprenticeship at the less glam end of the music business. In those times Pete and Rick would meet at weekends to listen to new artists and decide how to take their partnership forward. By 1980 they were writing together and after a Demo of their early work was taken to ATV Music the guys were offered a publishing deal: it was the first step and at last Cox and Drummie; although not yet Go West were on their way.

Pete Cox and Richard Drummie are undoubtedly one of the most talented song writing duos to emerge from the UK in the last 30 years but it seems almost absurd in this age of manufactured Boy Bands to recall that from 1980 to 1983 the guys were rejected by almost every major record company. Were it not for their determination the world might never have had the chance to see any more of Pete then a name on the credits of another artists CD. Peter Cox however has never been an artist to let events determine his fate and in a move that was to finally shake the Music Industry out of its complacency the writing duo called in some favours, went into a Portastudio and recorded two of the songs they had recently written; for those who have lived in a broom cupboard for the last 20 years those songs were We Close Our Eyes and Call Me. The guys efforts finally paid off and forty days later they were signed to Chrysalis: Go West was born.

It was the summer of 1985 when Go West and Pete really shot to the attention of the British record buying public; their first single was We Close Our Eyes and in the video a true Pop idol was born. Pete modestly described the video where he works out with a spanner in vest and jeans as having ‘worked my scrawny muscles to the max’, well it was a hugely successful work out that transformed the modest lead singer into a pop pin-up overnight. The guys hit No 5 in the UK charts and followed up rapidly with Call Me which again portrayed the 6ft 1 singer as a leather jacketed macho man. It was an image that undoubtedly helped to sell the boys but Pete is a singer of enormous range who is capable of expressing great emotion in his voice: the image had to change if the public were to really enjoy Pete’s talent and it was a hugely welcome move forward for Go West when the Goodbye Girl video released and at last we saw the Pete Cox who we all still recognise; smartly dressed, soulful and with that stunning voice imparting far more of the heartache and conflict in the lyrics of Go Wests first ballad then a smart video could ever manage.

1985 and 1986 were enormous for the guys and when they picked up Best Newcomer at the Brits it really summed up the huge impact the guys had had in their first year. Throughout that manic period Pete retained the self depreciating humour and modesty that his fans so respect him for. There was something deeply endearing about watching interview after interview with Pete looking stunning and holding the audience captivated, yet still shyly dismissing talk of himself as a sex symbol and simply asking to be judged on his music. It must be tough for a shy guy to find himself at the centre of such a furore but Pete never displayed irritation with the attention he received and already was developing a reputation for being the ultimate gentleman with his fans. Go West’s first album went double Platinum and stayed in the chart for over a year and with that success Pete was recognised as one of the finest voices to emerge from the UK in recent years.

The success of Go West the Album led to the rapid release of their second album Bangs and Crashes which contained the wonderful Man in my Mirror and also One Way Street from the Rocky5 Soundtrack. For most of Pete’s fans however the next major milestone was 1990 when Pete and Rick re-located to LA to work on the divine album Indian Summer. Indian Summer really lived up to the boys reputation as ‘Modern Motown’. Pete loved the move to the States and Indian Summer showcased both the voice and indeed the looks to a whole new audience. The Kings of Wishful Thinking was of course an enormous hit and the sight of Pete in a white vest playing the drums still sets a considerable number of pulses racing!. Both Kings of Wishful Thinking and Faithful won   ASCAP awards for being amongst the most played tracks on US Radio and both were top 10 hits for the boys both sides of the Atlantic.

It was perhaps inevitable in some way that after by now 13 years of writing together and 7 years of high intensity performing as a duo that when Indian Summer was complete and Rick headed back to the UK that Pete felt artistically his career demanded that he stay in the US and work on his own brand of solo music. Rick went back to a hugely successful career as a writer and producer of great note and Pete was free to express his own individual style through his self titled Album Peter Cox; released to great acclaim in 1997.

Pete’s first solo album saw several notable hits: the best known and still hugely loved by his fans was the outstanding ‘Aint Gonna Cry’ The video was breathtaking and it felt watching it as if Pete had finally become comfortable with his fame; he looked amazing with close cropped hair and smart suit belting out this gorgeous song of betrayal and inner strength. ‘Peter Cox’ the album really allowed Pete to express his personal tastes and it remains a stunning collection of songs that would grace any serious music fans collection. Pete worked initially in LA and then moved to Chicago where he was able to indulge his passion for NBA Basketball in the home town of his team the Chicago Bulls. For such a shy and un-clubbable man however the pressure of fronting all the interviews and promo work for his album evidently weighed heavy on him and despite an ongoing love of the US lifestyle Pete’s time in the States was not always easy.

Reborn in the USA offered Pete’s UK fans a wonderful chance to re-connect with their hero. Pete joined the reality show late after Mark Shaw self-destructed and simply took the show by storm. He won six of the eight heats and impressed viewers with his unassuming nature and quiet humour. Pete was hugely popular both with his fellow contestants and the public and it has to be said that he was quite simply robbed of a place in the final as his fans were denied the chance to vote for him; New York still has much to answer for to any loyal Westie!. Aside from the travesty of his elimination Reborn served Pete well in that it started a collaboration with Tony Hadley that led to a 42 date sell out UK tour, and more importantly it led to the happy re-union of Go West as both Pete and Rick re-united and threw themselves back into the Band with an enthusiasm born of a shared love of performing.

Pete has continued to work on his solo career alongside Go West  with the release of Motor City Music a collection of Motwon Classics.