Peter Blakeley – described by the founder of Atlantic Records Ahmet Ertegun, as “The finest White Soul singer I have ever heard” – was the lead singer of the Australian band The Rockmelons in the mid-1980s and launched a solo career in 1987.
Blakeley moved to Los Angeles in 1988 to sign with Capitol Records. His first US release was The Truetone Sessions (1988), and in 1989, he released the album Harry’s Café De Wheels.
He had a massive hit single in Australia in 1989 with the single Crying in the Chapel, winning an ARIA award for Single of the Year in 1990.
Harry’s Café De Wheels produced a further three singles – Quicksand, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, and You Never Heard It From Me.
In 1990, Blakeley worked briefly with the Australian group Absent Friends, which featured Wendy Matthews as lead vocalist. Blakeley provided the backing vocal and harmony on the song I Don’t Want to Be with Nobody but You, which peaked at #4 in the Australian charts in May of that year.
Between 1990 and 1991, he embarked on two world tours taking in the US, UK, Australia and Western Europe to promote the release of Harry’s Café De Wheels.
Blakeley’s follow-up album, The Pale Horse, was released in 1993. The album represented a different musical direction for Blakeley and incorporated stronger elements of funk and blues whilst still retaining a distinctive soul sound. The album was recorded at the Paisley Park Studios owned by Prince, and included members of the New Power Generation on some of the tracks.
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