Pete Ryder

Folk Rock
Northumberland, England, United Kingdom

According to his website, Ryder “mainly plays guitar, with occasional excursions onto keyboards, mandolin, and sitar. In the 1970s he was involved in the production of three vinyl albums, now rarities fetching ridiculous amounts of money on eBay. Since then he has produced an album every year or so, some resulting in considerable critical acclaim.”

AS for those three vinyl, Ryder originally started off as one of the vocalists and guitarists for Paradise Square, who released Never Thought I'd See the Day in 1974. At some point he joined Cair Paravel, who released Some Other Morning in 1976. After that, he joined up with Cair Paravel vocalist/guitarist Sian Harry to release On Our Way Home in 1978. He released most of his albums solo or with various collaborators independently after that.

Outside of his music, Ryder has an interesting life. From his official bio on his website:

“Welcome! Peter Ryder is various things. Professionally he has been an independent Historic Buildings Consultant, or Buildings Archaeologist, working primarily in the North East of England. He was born in Darlington and got his first degree (Geography/Geology Dual Hons) at Sheffield University in 1974, working for a while in Hull University (where he met Elaine, his wife) before returning to Sheffield to become Assistant Archaeologist with the South Yorkshire County Archaeology Service (1976-1984) during which time he obtained a Masters Degree in Archaeology, through a study of medieval cross slab grave covers in the county. Peter and Elaine, now with two young children (Aidan and Megan) then moved to Northumberland for him to work for two years on the National Resurvey of Buildings of Architectural and Historic Interest; they took up residence in Riding Mill on the banks of the Tyne sixteen miles west of Newcastle. In 2018 Elaine was ordained as a priest in the Church of England and they moved to Otterburn, then when she retired in 2022 they went north to Burntisland in Fife (to be near grandson Ezra) where they reside today in a bungalow nestling beneath an ancient volcanic neck, along with two cats, Clemency and Charity.

Since 1987 Peter has been self-employed, and has got to know an awful lot of interesting old buildings…. He does other things as well; since the mid 1960s he has been a member of the Moldywarps Speleological Group, and knows various obscure corners of the British Isles from underneath as well as from the surface.”

1978 Profile Records (GMOR 166)

Pete Ryder - Vocals, guitar, twelve-string guitar
Sian Harry - Vocals, piano, guitar
Phil Shankland - Electric bass, vocals

Phil Shepherd - Tambourine on “On My Way Home”
Maggie Delves - Backing vocals on “Everybody Needs A Friend” and “On My Way Home”

1. Morning's Here
2. A Song You Can Sing
3. Goodbye Maisie, Goodbye
4. Treacle Pudding and Custard
5. Evensong
6. We Climbed a Hill
7. I'm a Rock-and-Roll Singer
8. Everybody Needs a Friend
9. On My Way Home
10. The Judge's Story
11. Spring Song
12. However Far
13. Day Sinks

1981 Independent

1988 Independent

1989 Independent

1991 Independent

Pete Ryder - Vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, electric guitar

Ginny Crompton - Vocals
Rita Acanley - Vocals
Kevin Doonan - Fiddler, voice choir on “Coffee”

1. Coffee
2. Do Gerbils Have Souls?
3. Beatrix Potters Gun
4. Ivan the Terrible
5. The Poll Tax Moan
6. She is a Singer
7. Slow Train Going
8. Born to Shop
9. Watching the War
10. Above, Below
11. Usury
12. A Long Way From Bethlehem Tonight
13. Salisbury
14. Tom
15. Evensong

1993 Independent

Pete Ryder - Vocals, instruments
Frances Davies - Vocals

Songs include:

• The Candle and the Mirror
• If You Want to be a Pilgrim
• The Sky Fell at 10.30

1994 Independent

Pete Ryder - Vocals, instruments
Frances Davies - Vocals

1995 Independent

1995 Independent

1998 Independent

1998 Independent

1. Talking to my Fossils
2. The ballad of Albert Goodfellow
3. Usury
4. Beatrix Potter
5. Spires
6. Carnival down on Death Row
7. The Moles' Revenge
8. A Long Way from Bethlehem Tonight
9. The Currency of promises
10. The A68
11. Wait for You
12. Map Reading
13. You say you
14. Tom
15. Salisbury
16. Dance Piggies Dance
17. After All
18. Evensong

1999 Independent

1. Power of the Stones
2. Holy Places
3. Cats (notwithstanding…)
4. Earth Mother
5. Jigsaw (Clear Blue Sky)
6. Screwing down the Safety Valve
7. Survivors
8. Spoonful of Curry
9. Cry in the Darkness
10. Claustrophobia
11. She Paints from Life
12. To Die for the Freedom of Ireland
13. NSU Quickly
14. Flood Tide
15. Millennium Bug
16. Feast of Fools
17. This Love of Yours

(…to be continued…)

• Pete Ryder's official website
• Pete Ryder: Not Your Run-of-the-Mill Songsmith
• Paradise Square, Pete Ryder & Sian Harry: Christian Folk Collectors' Items
• Pete Ryder: His Barometer is Right (But the Weather is Wrong)
• Beatrix Potter's Gun Review
• A Mole Played Euphonium Review
• Feast of Fools Review