Crispian St. Peters

Crispian St. Peters (born Robin Peter Smith; 5 April 1939 – 8 June 2010) was an English pop singer-songwriter, best known for his work in the 1960s, particularly hit songs written by the duo The Changin' Times (comprising Steve Duboff and Artie Kornfeld), including "The Pied Piper", and Ian & Sylvia's "You Were on My Mind". His popularity waned after he claimed he was a better performer than other well known singers and declared that he was a better songwriter than the Beatles.

Biography Early career Robin Peter Smith was born in Swanley, Kent, and attended Swanley Secondary Modern School. He learned the guitar and left school in 1954 to become an assistant cinema projectionist. As a young man, he performed in several relatively unknown bands in England. In 1956, he gave his first live performance, as a member of The Hard Travellers. Through the late 1950s and early 1960s, as well as undertaking National Service, he was a member of The Country Gentlemen, Beat Formula Three, and Peter & The Wolves.

Decca label 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. 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. Although his next single, a version of Phil Ochs' song "Changes", also reached the charts in both the UK and US, it was much less successful. One of them, "I'll Give You Love", was recorded by Marty Kristian in a version produced by St. Peters, and became a big hit in Australia. After just one hit single, he claimed he was going to be “bigger than Presley, was more talented than Sammy Davis Jr.”, “sexier than Dave Berry” and “more exciting than Tom Jones”. These comments did not go down well in the pop music press, who began to treat him as a conceited outcast. After his fourth single flopped, work and money dried up, and he became depressed. In 1970, he was dropped by Decca and admitted to hospital suffering from a nervous breakdown.

Square label Later 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.

Several CDs also came from this record deal, including Follow Me in 1991, The Anthology in 1996, Night Sessions, Vol. 1 in 1998, The Gospel Tape in 1999, and, finally, Songs From The Attic in 2000. He also performed on various Sixties nostalgia tours, and continued to write and arrange for others until his later ill health.

On 1 January 1995, at the age of 55, he suffered a stroke

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"You'll Forget Me, Goodbye"

– – 44 – "Three Goodbyes"

36 2 45 29 "What I'm Gonna Be"

4 5 5 1 "Sweet Dawn My True Love"

57 47 62 35 "My Little Brown Eyes"

– – 33 – "Your Ever Changin' Mind"(US No. 106)

– 52 94 – "You Have Gone"

– – 90 – "I'm Always Crying"

– – – – "The Silent Times"

– – – – "No Longer Mine"

133 – – –

"Please Take Me Back"

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"That's Why We Are Through"

– – – – "My Little Brown Eyes"

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"Love, Love, Love"

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"Every Time You Sinned"

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"Samantha"