Pete Byrne
9 June 1952 – 14 September 2026
producer
l songwriter l musician
Watch
the Pete Byrne interview and Watch Pete play one of his songs at
Glenwood Place
courtesy of Record Production, Babblefish and studioexpresso
studioexpresso heartfelt sympathy goes to Pete Byrne's family & friends around the world.
Godspeed dear Pete, now re-united with your buddy Rob Fisher and making heavenly music. .
It
seems that the sound of the 80's bands never left us. The Fixx, Tears For Fears, Duran Duran, and then there is Naked Eyes.
The duo and founding members Pete Byrne and Rob Fisher wrote hits to include: Promises, Promises and Always Something There To Remind Me.
A key presence
in the synth-pop movement of the early '80s, the "New Romantic"
duo Naked Eyes formed in Britain in 1981. Comprised of former schoolmates
Pete Byrne (vocals) and Rob Fisher (keyboards), Naked Eyes debuted
in March 1983 with the LP Burning Bridges, reissued in the U.S.
a month later (minus several tracks) as a self-titled effort. The
lead single, a majestic cover of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David perennial
"Always Something There to Remind Me," emerged as a hit
on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching the U.S. Top Ten on the
strength of its video, which received heavy airplay on the fledgling
MTV network.
"We went
to New York in the spring of '82 to meet with both EMI and Polygram,
and EMI made us the better offer. We
were looking for a name that suggested "two", and 'Naked
Eyes' just popped into my head," says Byrne.
The American
follow-up "Promises, Promises" was also a major hit. They
followed this up with two more top forty singles before parting
ways. They reformed in the 90's to record their third album, but
Rob Fisher tragically passed away before it could be completed.
Pete headed out to California, where he worked with Gary Olazabal
at Wonderland, sitting in and doing backgrounds for Stevie Wonder
on ³Part Time Lover² and writing and recording with Brad
Buxer (Michael Jackson).
His production
and writing credits include the Olsen twins "I am the Cute
One" and the recently released "Everthing and More",
the Naked Eyes 12" dance mix compilation, featuring "Promises
Promises" with Madonna.
Pete released a solo record called "The Real Illusion"
and was working on a collection of acoustic tracks called "Fumbling
with the Covers" to include the Naked Eyes hits along
with songs from, The Beatles, Stones, Dylan and Costello. On 8 June 2021, Naked Eyes released an independent album, Disguise the Limit. Naked Eyes sued Reservoir Media for copyright infringement in 2022. Pete Byrne and Naked Eyes were part of the "Abducted by the '80s" tour alongside Wang Chung, The Motels, and Men Without Hats in 2024.
For me, it was a real treat to know Pete in Los Angeles in the early 2000s. One day he came over with his guitar and we took this picture in my backyard. I thought to myself...how cool it would be for me to work with him. It was a true honor and pleasure to feature his profile in studioexpresso.
Sadly Pete passed away on Sept 14, 2026 after a short illness.
He's now re-united with his friend Rob and they're making heavenly music. Godspeed.
Below Pete in the studio with Rob Fisher.
Contact:
Claris
Dodge
Naked Eyes
WebSite
Fan Mail: 200 South Barrington Ave Los Angeles, CA 90049
copyright 2004 studioexpresso
|
