Merseyside Mirth Makers - Pete Price

Pete Price

Peter Lloyd Price was born on the 25th of January 1946 in Wrexham, North Wales and was adopted at approximately three months old in April 1946 by Hilda Sandra Price and David William Lloyd. He was subsequently raised in West Kirby on the Wirral Peninsular. At the age of fifteen he was working as a hairdresser at the weekend whilst studying cookery at Birkenhead Technical College and began working for a wealthy family catering for their dinner parties, as well as being a close family friend. He soon obtained a professional catering job, a summer job at the Cavendish Hotel in Eastbourne before going on to manage a Fullers Tea Shop in Worthing.
After several years as the cook on a cruise ship, he became a disc jockey for BBC Radio Merseyside at the age of twenty-one. Shortly after this he made his first appearance on the comedy scene at 'The Shakespeare', a theatre club in Liverpool city centre where he has said he learned his trade as a comic working with some of the top names in the business. As the host, he would go around each table in the theatre to welcome the guests, while the Mal Craig Trio would play music to dine to. The show would start promptly at 9.15pm and he would sing a few songs, tell a few gags and, of course, be dressed in the strangest clothes which would include his famous newspaper suit, gold lame knickerbockers and a full length fox fur coat.

Inside the 'Shakey'

Pete looks on at the burnt out club

So from being a catering manager by trade, doing hairdressing at weekends, he fell into show business as a nightclub DJ and compere. Working as a stand-up comic he "nearly made it, twice", his ascent up the ladder of talent show New Faces, which he won in the 1970's, was halted only by Lenny Henry to whom he was runner up. The bright lights nationally beckoned, but only briefly as he found himself working at various venues which included The Palladium and the QE2.
It was Pete who raised the money to pay Arthur Dooley to create the Madonna statue holding The Beatles opposite The Cavern in Mathew Street - 'Four Lads Who Shook The World'.

From the Radio City tower

Pete has worked for the BBC’s Radio Merseyside, Radio One and the World Service before becoming almost a permanent fixture at Radio City presenting a late night talk show since the 1990's which goes out every Sunday night across Radio City 2 and Radio City Talk.  He has spent a lifetime not just making people laugh by entertaining them, but also using his radio programme to speak up for those who can’t be heard.

Pete was named a Citizen of Honour of Liverpool in January 2018 in recognition of his show business and charity contributions.
Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, said: “Pete Price is an institution, loudly passionate about Liverpool because he genuinely cares about the city and its people.
“He has used his fame and his phone-in to rightly shine a spotlight on many difficult issues as well as speaking out against homophobia, bullying and highlighting mental health issues.
“I am delighted to be able to confer the Citizen of Honour award on him.”

see next :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2018/12/merseyside-mirth-makers-mickey-finn.html?q=Billy+Butler