Pete   was   born   in   Buckhurst   Hill,   Essex,   during   one   of   his   mother’s   afternoon   visits   to   her   aunt’s   for   tea   -   they   stayed   for three weeks before moving back to Kent, where Pete was eventually raised. Most   of   his   family   were   musicians   and,   when   he   was   about   nine   years   old,   he   began   singing   in   local   clubs   with   his   father and   grandfather.      Pete’s   elder   brother   Bill   and   his   uncle   Tommy   were   members   of   a   ‘skiffle’   trio   around   the   same   time,   and Pete   used   to   sit   in   occasionally   on   ukulele   and   vocals.      The   third   member   of   the   group   was   a   guy   named   Michael   Gambon who went on to become a Knight of the Realm and Professor Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies. By   the   age   of   fourteen   Pete   had   his   own   group,   which   included   his   brother   Bill   on   drums.   They   supported   artists   like Screaming   Lord   Sutch   and   the   Savages    at   local   venues.      It   was   at   this   time   that   he   met   with   and   auditioned   for   the   record producer Joe Meek. The   next   few   years   were   spent   playing   in   various   local   bands,   some   with   interesting   names   -   The   Down   and   Outs ,   (their Decca   recording   ‘ Bring   Me   Back   to   Reality ’,   written   by   three   members   including   Pete,   never   actually   got   released),   The South-East   Blues   Band ,   Fat   Daughter    (who   played   local   support   for   artists   like   Fleetwood   Mac    and   Free ),   and   Justin Thyme . Back   in   1968   Pete   became   associated   with   Felius   Andromeda ,   an   emerging   progressive   rock   group.      The   following   year they   were   approached   by   a   Japanese   producer   to   make   a   ‘pop’   single   for   release   on   the   NEMS   label   but   on   the   proviso they changed their name to Promise .  The record was called ‘ Just For You ’, with ‘ Nine to Five ’ on the flip-side.  It   was   at   these   sessions   that   Pete   got   to   work   with   Richard   Hartley   -   the   man   who   shortened   Ravel’s   ‘ Bolero ’   for   the Olympic   ice   skaters,   Torvill   and   Dean.      DJ   Tony   Blackburn   hated   the   record   ...   and   that,   Pete   says,   is   something   of   which he   is   rather   proud!      Alan   the   bass-player   is   now   the   proud   owner   of   an   award   winning   brewery   and   the   keyboard   player Steve earns a living as a Tony Blair impersonator - there’s a ‘seedy’ looking photograph of them all in the scrapbook. With   the   demise   of   Promise ,   Pete   embarked   on   a   period   of   solo   acoustic   work   and   played   at   several   folk   venues   and festivals   around   the   country   -   he   even   sang   some   jazz   with   a   small   combo   in   London.      After   a   short   spell   of   inactivity   he joined   the   Steve   Hackett   Band       -   the   year   was   1978.      Pete   is   extremely   proud   to   be   associated   with   what   some   consider   to be    the    quintessential    Steve    Hackett    recordings,    namely    ‘ Spectral    Mornings ’    and    ‘ Defector ’    -    and    he    got    to    write ‘ Sentimental Institution ’ and ‘ Hercules Unchained ’ with Steve (see Discography). In   1982   Pete   joined   the   progressive   rock   group   Tall   Story    -   sadly,   only   a   handful   of   demo   recordings,   and   a   couple   of dodgy   photographs,   exist   from   this   “enjoyable”   time.      Shortly   after   Tall   Story   disbanded   Pete   embraced   the   ideals   of vegetarianism, a phase that was to last a mere six weeks before becoming a strict Vegan. Over   the   next   few   years   Pete   concentrated   on   songwriting   and,   in   collaboration   with   the   old   Hackett   bass-player,   Dik Cadbury, penned several songs - some of which appear on Dik’s solo album, ‘ About Time ’. In   2004   he   appeared   on   Nick   Magnus’   highly   acclaimed   ‘ Hexameron ’   album   singing   ‘ Brother   Sun,   Sister   Moon ’   -   music   by Nick   with   lyrics   by   Dick   Foster   -   and   in   2010   joined   Nick   again   on   ‘ Children   of   Another   God ’   for   two   more   Magnus/Foster songs - ‘ Doctor Prometheus ’ and ‘ Crimewave Monkeys ’. In   between   ‘ Hexameron ’   and   ‘ Children   of   Another   God ’,   Pete   and   Nick   got   together   to   produce   ‘ Flat   Pack ’,   an   eclectic   mix of rock, pop, folk, jazz, and prog … 2014   found   Pete   working   once   again   with   his   old   mate   Dik   Cadbury   and   guesting   on   the   new   Nick   Magnus   album, ‘ N’Monix ’,   released   in   April   that   same   year   …   and   in   2015   Pete   and   Dik   released   their   much   anticipated   CD,   ‘ Cadbury- Hicks ’.