25 Facts About Peter Asher

Peter Asher, was born on 22 June 1944 and is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer.

Peter Asher came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop music vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a manager and record producer, helping to foster the recording careers of James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt among others.

In 2019, Peter Asher published a book The Beatles from A to Zed about his personal reminiscences about the band.

Peter Asher was born at the Central Middlesex Hospital to Richard and Margaret Peter Asher, nee Eliot.

Peter Asher's father was a consultant in blood and mental diseases at the Central Middlesex Hospital, as well as being a broadcaster and the author of notable medical articles.

Peter Asher's mother was a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Peter Asher appeared in the ITV series The Adventures of Robin Hood.

In 1956, Peter Asher appeared as a 12-year-old in The Talking Head, one of the short films in the series of Colonel March of Scotland Yard, starring Boris Karloff.

The album was not a success, but Peter Asher was so convinced that Taylor held great potential that he resigned his post at Apple to move to the United States and work as Taylor's manager.

Peter Asher produced Paul Jones' rendition of the Bee Gees' "And the Sun Will Shine" which was released as a single.

Peter Asher produced a number of Taylor's recordings from 1970 to 1985, including Sweet Baby James, Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, JT and Flag.

When she decided to leave the business, she recommended him to Linda Ronstadt at which point Peter Asher became Ronstadt's manager.

Peter Asher achieved his greatest success producing a long string of multi-platinum albums for James Taylor, including Sweet Baby James, JT and Flag, and for Linda Ronstadt, including Heart Like a Wheel; Simple Dreams; Living in the USA; What's New; Canciones De Mi Padre; and Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind.

Peter Asher played a role in shaping the Californian rock sound prominent during the 1970s, producing records for Ronstadt, JD Souther, Andrew Gold and Bonnie Raitt.

In February 1995, Peter Asher was named Senior Vice-President, Sony Music Entertainment.

At the beginning of 2002, Peter Asher left Sony and returned full-time to the management of artists' careers as co-President of Sanctuary Artist Management.

In 2007 Peter Asher joined forces with his friend Simon Renshaw at the company Simon founded, Strategic Artist Management.

Peter Asher reunited with James Taylor as the producer of the Live at the Troubadour reunion album recorded in 2007, with Carole King and Taylor's original band.

Peter Asher had been quoted as saying that actor Mike Myers has said he had patterned his Austin Powers character after Peter Asher's appearance, although Elizabeth Hurley, who co-starred in Austin Powers, said the original model was broadcaster Simon Dee.

In 2011, Peter Asher was the executive producer of the Listen to Me: Buddy Holly compilation album and music supervisor, producer, and co-host of the Buddy Holly: Listen to Me; The Ultimate Buddy Party PBS Pledge Special.

Peter Asher was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to the British music industry.

In May 2017, Peter Asher debuted a weekly, hour-long series on the brand-new Sirius XM Radio station for The Beatles called "From Me To You".

Peter Asher announced with commentary the Top 100 Beatles countdown "All Together Now" on The Beatles Channel that first aired on Sirius XM Radio on the Labor Day Weekend in 2017, and is frequently replayed.

Since 2016, Peter Asher has been playing shows, including one at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, as part of a duo with Albert Lee that showcases songs from both their careers.

Peter Asher had a short-lived relationship with singer Millie Small, known as Millie, who sang "My Boy Lollipop".