Pete Waterman Entertainment

"PWL" redirects here. For other uses, see PWL (disambiguation).

The company logo

Pete Waterman Entertainment (PWE) is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL, is most famous for being the home of hit record producers Stock Aitken Waterman.

After producing many hits for other record companies, PWL launched its own label in 1987 (PWL Records) with the balearic classic "I Just Can't Wait" by Mandy Smith. The next single was the biggest selling single of the year: I Should be so Lucky by Kylie Minogue.

As a record label, PWL enjoyed success with Australian artists such as Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan and Dutch dance group 2 Unlimited. As a production house they produced hits for English artists such as Rick Astley, Dead or Alive and Bananarama on other record labels.

In the USA, PWL America was established in 1989 and specialized in hip-hop music. In 1992, it was renamed Chemistry Records Ltd., but it shut its doors in 1993. It was distributed in that territory by Mercury/PolyGram Records.

In the early 1990s, Pete Waterman formed a new label called PWL International in partnership with Warner Music. However with other projects taking up Waterman's time, his involvement in the label decreased, and PWL International Ltd. became the Warner label Coalition.

The record label is still in operation today and operates the label EBUL through Jive Records and Zomba.

Notable former PWL artists

• Kylie Minogue (left in 1992)
• Dead or Alive (left in 1988)
• The Reynolds Girls
• Rick Astley (left in 1990)
• Kakko
• Steps
• Boy Krazy
• The Twins
• Sinitta
• Mandy Smith
• Jason Donovan (left in 1993)
• Niki Evans
• Sonia (left in 1991)
• Hazell Dean
• Mel & Kim
• Bananarama
• Sybil
• Big Fun (Dropped out in 1991)
• Strange Nature (left in 1995)
• 2 Unlimited
• Desiree Heslop ('Princess')
• London Boys
• Sabrina Salerno
• Lonnie Gordon
• Tina Cousins
• Loveland
• Opus III
• Anticapella
• One True Voice
• Pop!
• The Sheilas
• Same Difference

Chemistry/PWL America artists

• B.O.X.
• Diamond and the Psychotic Neurotics
• Ed O.G. & da Bulldogs
• Sylk Smoov
• T.D.C.

See also

• List of record labels

External links

• Official website
• Stock Aitken Waterman & PWL at cafe80s