Peter Beckett

• Genres: Soundtrack
• Instrument: Vocals

Biography

A Liverpool, England, native, singer/guitarist Peter Beckett came to America in 1974 to join an international group of writer/musicians called Skyband who recorded an album for RCA Records. During the late '70s, he formed Player with bassist Ronn Moss, singer/guitarist J.C. Crowley, drummer John Frierson, and keyboardist Wayne Cooke. Beckett and Crowley met at a glitzy Hollywood party where the two wore jeans. Noticing each other's similar attire, they began talking, finding that each was a musician, and decided to get together later and see if they could work together. Recruiting Ronn Moss and John Frierson, they chose the name Player after seeing the phrase "the players" used as a heading for rolling TV credits. The band signed with songwriters/producers Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter's Haven Records. The duo had produced hits with the Four Tops ("Keeper of the Castle," the gold single "Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got") and Tavares ("Too Late," "It Only Takes a Minute," number one R&B/ten pop fall 1975 ). After Haven folded, Lambert and Potter signed a deal for the group with Robert Stigwood's RSO Records. The band's million-selling ballad, "Baby Come Back," co-written by Beckett and Crowley, stayed at number one pop for three weeks and hit number ten pop on Billboard's charts during late 1977. Its follow-up was "This Time I'm in It for Love (number ten pop). Player released four albums, two of which went gold: Player and Danger Zone. The band had two more charting singles, "It's for You" on Casablanca Records and "If Looks Could Kill" on RCA. Around 1982, Beckett began concentrating on songwriting. His songs have been recorded by Heart, Olivia Newton-John, Kenny Rogers, the Commodores, Janet Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, the Temptations, and Sergio Mendez to name a few. In 1989, the singer/songwriter teamed up with longtime friend and collaborator Steve Kipner (Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle," 98 Degrees' "The Hardest Thing") for an A&M album called Think Out Loud. In the '90s, Beckett toured as a member of the Australian super group Little River Band ("Reminiscing," "The Night Owls," "Lonesome Loser"). He wrote three singles for the band. In 1991, he signed with Curb Records, who issued his solo album Beckett. Beckett's contributed songs to major movie soundtracks The Karate Kid, Cocktail, Two of a Kind with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, Major League, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, and St. Elmo's Fire, which earned him a Grammy nomination. Beckett co-wrote the end title track for the Al Pacino/Michelle Pfeiffer movie Frankie & Johnny with Marvin Hamlisch. In 1995, Peter Beckett and former bandmate Ronn Moss reunited as Player, writing and producing a CD, Lost In Reality, for River North Records. ~ Ed Hogan, All Music Guide

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