Pete Wylie (born 22 March 1958, Liverpool) is a British singer/songwriter and guitarist, best known as the leader of the band variously known as Wah!, Wah! Heat, Shambeko! Say Wah!, JF Wah!, The Mighty Wah! and Wah! the Mongrel. He is credited with coining the term "rockism".
Active from 1979, they garnered critical acclaim for the singles "Better Scream" and "Seven Minutes to Midnight" (both as Wah! Heat), the latter being single of the week in the NME, Sounds and Melody Maker, and the album Nah = Poo! - The Art of Bluff (as Wah!). 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.
A follow-up single, "Hope (I Wish You'd Believe me)" was released in 1983 but by now Wylie had incurred the wrath of his record label by releasing an "official bootleg" of new and old songs entitled "The Maverick Years 1980-81" on his own label. The record appeared as a white label with a blank outer cover and a sheet attached with sleevenotes by music journalist Adam Sweeting. Wah! were subsequently dropped by WEA.
