- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRobin Peter Smith
- Rocker Crispian St. Peters was born Robin Peter Smith in Swanley, Kent, England. He learned to play the guitar as a child. After graduating high school he played with various bands in England and made somewhat of a name for himself. While a member of a band called Beat Formula Three in 1963 he came to the attention of a publicist for EMI Records, who became his manager. In 1964. after using a string of stage names, he settled on Crispian St. Peters and, as a member of Peter and the Wolves, made his first record. His manager convinced him to leave the band and go solo, and got him a contract with Decca Records. His first two singles went pretty much nowhere, but in 1966 he finally had a hit with "You Were On My Mind" (which had already been recorded by a Canadian duo, Mickey & Sylvia, and the American folk singers We Five). Tbe record went to #2 in the UK, but when released in the US it flopped. However, his next single hit the big time: "The Pied Piper", with St. Peter's deep, somewhat Elvis Presley-ish vocals driving the song to the Top 10 in both the UK and the US.
His follow-up records, while having somewhat respectable sales, never brought in the numbers that "The Pied Piper" did. In 1970 his contract was terminated by Decca. He continued to record for a variety of labels, however, and had a respectable following in Australia. He toured by himself and in '60s "revival" shows in the '90s, and wrote and arranged songs for others.
On January 1, 1995, he had a stroke, which severely curtailed his activities. He had other health problems over the next several years. On June 8, 2010, he died after a long illness. He was 71.
- IMDb mini biography by: frankfob2@yahoo.com
- While a member of Beat Formula Three in 1963, he was heard by David Nicholson, an EMI publicist who became his manager. Nicholson suggested he use a stage name, initially "Crispin Blacke" and subsequently Crispian St. Peters, then promoted his client as being nineteen years of age, shaving off five years from his actual age of 24.
- In 1966, St. Peters' career finally yielded a Top 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart, with "You Were on My Mind", a song written and first recorded in 1964 by the Canadian folk duo, Ian & Sylvia, and a hit in the United States for We Five in 1965. St. Peters' single eventually hit No. 2 in the UK and was then released in the US on the Philadelphia-based Jamie Records label. It did not chart in the US until a year after his fourth release, "The Pied Piper", became known as his signature song and a Top 10 hit in the United States and the UK.
- "You Were on My Mind" was featured in the 1996 German film Jenseits Der Stille (Beyond Silence).
- He also performed on various Sixties nostalgia tours, and continued to write and arrange for others until his later ill health.
- In 1970, he was signed to Square Records. Under this new record deal, St. Peters released a second LP, Simply, that year, predominantly of country and western songs. Later still they released his first cassette, The Gospel Tape, in 1986, and a second cassette, New Tracks on Old Lines in 1990. His third cassette, Night Sessions, Vol. 1 was released in 1993.
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