Peter John Bellotte (born 28 August 1943)Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005 atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office. is an English

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

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 ...

and author most noted for his work in the 1970s with

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the " Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance music. His work with synthesizers had ...

and

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her musi ...

Life and career

Bellotte was born in

Barnet, Hertfordshire Chipping Barnet or High Barnet is a suburban market town in north London, forming part of the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is a suburban development built around a 12th-century settlement, and is located north-northwest of Charing C ...

which is now part of

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

. He learned guitar in his early teens, and joined a local group the Linda Laine and the Sinners as a guitarist, becoming a professional in 1962. They toured all over the UK for two years and in the early 1960s toured in Germany. In Hamburg they encountered another English band,

Bluesology Bluesology was a 1960s British blues group, best remembered as being the first professional band of Elton John (then known by his birth name Reginald Dwight). History From about 1960, organist Reginald Dwight – then aged 13 – and his nei ...

, and Bellotte became friends with their keyboard player, Reg Dwight who changed his name later to

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

.Duncan Hall, "Northchapel-based Pete Bellotte and his literary ambitions", ''Sussex Life'', 10 November 2016
Retrieved 27 April 2020 Linda Laine and the Sinners released several singles in the UK on EMI all recorded at Abbey Road Studios in the early and mid-1960s, including "I Can't Stand It" (1963), the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of which, "If You Leave Me Now", was written by Bellotte. Bellotte had become fluent in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, and wanted to become involved in

record production 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 ...

.Ian Shirley, "Rumour Has It...", ''Record Collector'', #504, April 2020, pp.64-67 He moved to

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

and became an assistant to Italian musician

, who was also performing in Germany as a pop singer, Giorgio. In 1971, Bellotte wrote the lyrics for Moroder's song, "Son of my Father", which became a number 1 hit in UK for Chicory Tip." Moroder and Bellotte began to work with American singer

who had married an Austrian actor and lived in Germany, and they wrote and produced several hits in Europe for her. Then they wrote and produced her international breakthrough hit, " Love to Love You Baby" in 1975.Simon Reynolds, "Song from the Future: The Story of Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder’s “I Feel Love”", ''Pitchfork'', 29 June 2017
Retrieved 27 April 2020 Bellotte and Moroder produced Donna Summer's material through the 1970s and early 1980s, including the international hits " I Feel Love" (written by Bellotte, Moroder, and Summer, 1977); and " Hot Stuff" (written by Bellotte with

Harold Faltermeyer Hans Hugo Harold Faltermeier (born 5 October 1952) is a German musician, composer and record producer. Faltermeyer is best known for composing the "Axel F" theme for the feature film ''Beverly Hills Cop'', an influential synth-pop hit in the 1 ...

and Keith Forsey, 1979). According to Steve Kurutz at ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

'', "the heavily orchestrated, throbbing hit singles produced by Bellotte were the virtual blueprint for

disco music Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric piano ...

".Steve Kurutz, Biography of Pete Bellotte, ''Allmusic.com''
Retrieved 27 April 2020 Several of Bellotte's songs with Summer have been recorded by other artists, or have been sampled. His song "Hot Stuff" is in ''Billboard''s All-Time Top 100 Songs and was placed 32nd in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's Best Summer Songs of All Time list. As well as working with Donna Summer, Bellotte and Moroder wrote and produced

Roberta Kelly Roberta Kelly (born November 23, 1942) is an American disco and urban contemporary gospel singer who scored three hits on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart between 1976 and 1978. Her most successful US hit single, " Trouble-Ma ...

's 1976 dance hit " Trouble-Maker", and Suzi Lane's 1979 hit "

Harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. Howeve ...

". He produced and wrote several tracks on Elton John's 1979 album '' Victim of Love''. He also worked with

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million ...

Shalamar Shalamar () is an American R&B and soul music vocal group active since the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Shalamar's classic line-up on the SOLAR label consisted of Howard Hewett, Jody Watley, and Jeffrey Daniel, together with dancer ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

Mireille Mathieu Mireille Mathieu (; born 22 July 1946) is a French singer. She has recorded over 1200 songs in eleven languages, with more than 122 million records sold worldwide. Biography and career Early years Mireille Mathieu was born on 22 July 1946 in A ...

The Three Degrees The Three Degrees is an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although 16 women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. The current line-up consists of Helen Scott, Valerie Holi ...

, and Melba Moore. Biography, ''PeteBellotte.com''
Retrieved 27 April 2020 In 1991, Bellotte had a British Top 40 hit with a dance music version of Simon & Garfunkel's " Bridge over Troubled Water" as P.J.B. featuring Hannah and Her Sisters, the featured artists being a US group fronted by British singer Hannah Jones. The song would reach number 21 on the UK Singles Chart, with the group appearing on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'' as the opening act on the 26 September 1991 episode. Bellotte won numerous worldwide music industry awards, including Producer of the Year in the US for 1978 and 1979. However, he felt increasingly marginalized by the " Disco sucks!" movement in the United States, and disliked having to spend time in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. He moved back to Britain, and since 1993 has lived at Northchapel in

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...

. Bellotte is a leading collector of the writings and art of

Mervyn Peake Mervyn Laurence Peake (9 July 1911 – 17 November 1968) was an English writer, artist, poet, and illustrator. He is best known for what are usually referred to as the '' Gormenghast'' books. The four works were part of what Peake conceived ...

and has written on this subject in various periodicals. In late 2015, his book ''The Unround Circle'' was published by Nine Elms Books, consisting of some 22 fictional stories.

Honours

In September 2004 Bellotte was honoured at the Dance Music Hall of Fame ceremony, held in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

; he was inducted there for many achievements and contributions as a producer and songwriter. In 2012, "I Feel Love" was one of only twenty-five historical recordings inducted into the US

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservat ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bellotte, Peter 1943 births Living people English songwriters English record producers English expatriates in Germany People from the London Borough of Barnet People from Northchapel