Peter Wolfe (born Peter Randall, 3 August 1968) also known as Wolfman, is an English musician, and songwriter, best known for his collaborations with

Libertines A libertine is a person devoid of most moral principles, a sense of responsibility, or sexual restraints, which they see as unnecessary or undesirable, and is especially someone who ignores or even spurns accepted morals and forms of behaviour ob ...

and

Babyshambles Babyshambles were an English rock music, rock band established in London. The band was formed by Pete Doherty (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) during a hiatus from the Libertines. As of 2013 the band includes Mick Whitnall (lead guitar), Drew McCo ...

singer

Pete Doherty Peter Doherty (born 12 March 1979) is an English musician, songwriter, actor, poet, writer, and artist. He is best known for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie b ...

Career

Early years

Wolfe was born in

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...

in 1968, of Irish Gypsy stock. His mother left when he was four and his father, a carpenter, subscribed to the tough-love school of parenting. Wolfe intended to be a professional footballer and spent two months with Gillingham. Leaving school with no

O-levels The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth ...

, he became a plumber. At 18 he moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and for a short while shared a flat with

Shane MacGowan Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (born 25 December 1957) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He was also a member of the Nipple Erectors and Shane MacGo ...

. In the early 1990s, he moved to a flat in

Blackstock Road Blackstock Road is a major road in North London, England, running from Seven Sisters Road south westerly to Highbury. Facilities Blackstock Road hosts a diverse array of independent shops, cafes and restaurants. At its south end there are a n ...

and worked on his career as a musician. However, Wolfe was "relentlessly unsuccessful". Throughout the 1990s Wolfe was regularly in and out of the major

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

s (Island, EMI, and Sony), but failed to secure a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

2000–present

In February 2001, Wolfe was the subject of a

film documentary A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

commissioned for The Other Side on

Channel Four Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service i ...

in the UK. The half-hour film titled, ''The Greatest Unknown Rock 'n' Roll Star,'' was directed by filmmaker Andy Lee, who later worked for a year as Wolfe's manager (2006–2007). Later in 2001, Wolfe met

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

. They formed a relationship based on songwriting. Wolfe about their relationship: "He turned up at my flat and started hanging around saying he was in a band. He's a great fucking person. Sometimes really awful but sometimes very kind. Maybe he was the first person to look at me through eyes which didn't say, 'This guy's a cunt'." In 2003, Wolfe recorded "

For Lovers "For Lovers" is the debut single by Peter Wolfe (musician), Wolfman featuring Pete Doherty. The single reached No. 7 in the UK singles chart. Rumours that the pair received relatively little money, having already sold the publishing rights for a sm ...

" together with Doherty. Wolfe had written the song in the mid 1990s and recorded a

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

with his old school friend and musical collaborator, Julian Taylor. Doherty altered the words to one verse, and musicians in Wolfe's band, "The Side Effects", along with

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

Jake Fior made other changes to the arrangement for the single recording. The single was Wolfe's biggest success as musician, reaching No. 7 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Despite the success of the single, which was nominated for an

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...

for songwriting, the pair received relatively little money. Rumours that the publishing rights were sold for "a small amount in a pub" are unfounded, as the rights were shared amongst the musicians who worked without pay on the recording. On 12 July 2008, Wolfe joined Doherty on stage during his solo show at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

and they performed "For Lovers" together. Wolfe's appearance on stage however did not meet critical acclaim. According to one critic the song was "sabotaged" by Wolfe's out-of-tune vocals and lack of charisma. On 16 March 2009, Doherty's solo album, ''

Grace/Wastelands ''Grace/Wastelands'' is the debut solo album from Babyshambles frontman/The Libertines co-frontman Peter Doherty. It was released in Australia on 13 March 2009, in the UK on 16 March, and in the US on 24 March, with the single "Last of the Engli ...

'' was released. It featured "Broken Love Song", a song co-written with Wolfe. A picture of Wolfe talking to Doherty and a painting of Wolfe appeared in the album art. Wolfe is listed as a co-writer of various songs for Doherty's band

, including "Back from the Dead" and "Sticks and Stones" from ''

Down in Albion ''Down in Albion'' is the debut album by Babyshambles, Pete Doherty's post-Libertines band. ''Down in Albion'' was released on 14 November 2005 on Rough Trade Records, although it was leaked on to the Internet on 19 October 2005. Produced by ...

'', "UnBiloTitled" from ''

Shotter's Nation ''Shotter's Nation'' is the second album by English rock band Babyshambles and was released in the United Kingdom on 1 October 2007 by Parlophone to generally favourable reviews. In the United States the album was released on 23 October 2007 by ...

'', and "Stranger in My Own Skin", which appears as a bonus track on Babyshambles' 2013 album ''

Sequel to the Prequel ''Sequel to the Prequel'' is the third studio album by English band Babyshambles. It was released on 3 September 2013 under EMI Records. It is their first release of new material since 2007's '' Shotter's Nation''. Background Originally plann ...

''. Wolfe is credited as co-writer of Gunga Din which appeared on the Libertines' 2015 album '' Anthems for Doomed Youth''.

Personal life

Like Doherty, Wolfe has had a long-standing addiction to

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

. On 28 September 2010, Wolfe was charged with possessing and supplying cocaine, whilst Doherty was charged with possession, in a police investigation into the death of documentary filmmaker Robyn Whitehead (also spelled Robin Whitehead), a member of the wealthy Goldsmith family, who overdosed and died in Wolfe's flat. On 20 May 2011 he was sentenced to one year imprisonment in

Pentonville Prison HM Prison Pentonville (informally "The Ville") is an English Category B men's prison, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Pentonville Prison is not in Pentonville, but is located further north, on the Caledonian Road in the Barnsbury ar ...

, which was later reduced to eight months on appeal for two counts of possession of cocaine and one count of supplying cocaine linked to this episode. In 2017 Wolfe's partner, Natalie Coolen, gave birth to a son.

Singles

For Lovers (2004)

" (2004) No. 7 UK

Napoleon (2004)

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

" (2004) No. 44 UK

Ice Cream Guerilla (2005)

"Ice Cream Guerilla" is Wolfe's third and least successful single. It was released when he still called himself Wolfman and reached #60 on the

References

External links

Wolfman's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfe, Peter 1968 births Living people English male singer-songwriters People from Tonbridge Musicians from Kent