Pete Wylie (born 22 March 1958, Liverpool) is an English singer/songwriter, best known as the leader of the group variously known as Wah!, Wah! Heat, The 5,000 Names of Wah! or even The Mighty Wah!.
Active from 1979, they garnered critical acclaim for the single Better Scream and the album Nah Poo! The Art of Bluff. Their biggest hit single was The Story of the Blues, which was released in late 1982, and ultimately reached Number 3 in the UK singles chart. The Mighty Wah! also had a Top 20 hit with the song Come Back in 1984. Both tracks were chosen by the late BBC Radio DJ John Peel, as his 'single of the year'.
By 1986, having ditched his backing ensemble, Pete Wylie had a solo hit with Sinful!, ostensibly produced by Ian Ritchie, but with major input from Zeus B. Held. "Sinful" became the title track of his 1987 solo album.
Previous to the various incarnations of Wah!, Wylie formed the band The Crucial Three with Ian McCulloch and Julian Cope who also went on to further fame with Echo and the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes respectively.
On 11 November 1991, Wylie suffered a near fatal fall when a railing gave way in Upper Parliament Street, Liverpool. He fractured both his spine and his sternum.
Heart As Big As Liverpool (1998) is popular within the city and especially with Liverpool Football Club supporters. It is used in the official Hillsborough tribute video and features on his 2000 album Songs of Strength & Heartbreak.
Wylie then joined Dead Men Walking, featuring Mike Peters of The Alarm, Kirk Brandon of Spear of Destiny and Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols. They toured extensively, performing old songs as well as new. However, Wylie left the band in acrimonious circumstances in 2003.