Peter Skellern
English singer, songwriter and pianist (1947–2017)
Peter Skellern (14 March 1947 – 17 February 2017) was an English singer-songwriter and pianist who rose to fame in the 1970s. He had two top twenty hits on the UK Singles Chart – "You're a Lady" (1972), which typifies his signature use of brass bands and choral arrangements for a nostalgic and romantic feel, and "Hold On to Love" (1975). In the 1980s, Skellern formed the band Oasis with Julian Lloyd Webber and Mary Hopkin and established a musical comedy partnership with Richard Stilgoe in cabaret.
Over his career, Skellern wrote and performed music for film, television and stage, notably writing and starring in Happy Endings, a 1981 BBC anthology series of comic musical plays. Skellern's songs have been recorded by Andy Williams, Davy Jones, Brigitte Bardot, Ringo Starr and Jack Jones, amongst others. After developing an inoperable brain tumour, Skellern was ordained as a deacon and priest of the Church of England in October 2016. He died four months later.
Life and career
Peter Skellern was born in Bury, Lancashire, to Margaret (née Spencer) and John Skellern. He attended Derby High School and studied piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After graduating with honours in 1968, Skellern struggled to make headway in a career as a concert pianist and instead focused on pursuing popular music.
“Peter Skellern” enters the record as english singer, songwriter and pianist (1947–2017). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Peter, Skellern and English can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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“Peter Skellern” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Peter, Skellern and English provides the most credible route into that argument.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3376885. VIAF identifies the subject as 44490944. The Library of Congress control number is n92073954. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1947, 2017, 1972 and 1975.
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This entry incorporates text from “Peter Skellern” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.