Career
Bardens was born in Westminster, London. In 1965, he spent a brief spell as the keyboard player with Them after leaving The Cheynes. He moved on and formed Peter B’s Looners who eventually morphed into Shotgun Express, a band who played soul music and featured Rod Stewart, Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood.
In 1970 he formed The Village and recorded The Answer (1970), an album featured Peter Green and Andy Gee. Bardens recorded an eponymous album in 1971 which was released in United States as Write My Name in the Dust before forming Camel in 1972. During this period Bardens began exploring electronica and released albums such as Heart to Heart (1972). He left Camel in 1978 to join Them band-mate Van Morrison's band, recorded Wavelength (1978) and appeared on the album's promotional tour.
He co-wrote "Looking For A Good Time" with Bobby Tench, which featured as the B side of the single "Chain Gang" (1982), which Tench had recorded as a tribute to Sam Cooke. In 1984 he became a member of Keats. Bardens released a number of solo electronic albums including Seen One Earth(1987), which found success in the United States.
His first single from this album, "In Dreams", was surprisingly, thoroughly commercial. The song enjoyed heavy airplay on FM rock stations in the U.S. and Australia, where Brisbane rock station FM104, the most popular radio station in the country at the time, added it to their playlist. In 1988 he followed this with Speed of Light (1988), which featured Mick Fleetwood. "Gold" was released in the U.S. as a single, also enjoying some success on MTV.
Bardens released Water colours(1991) and formed Pete Bardens' Mirage in 1994. This album featured his former Camel bandmate Andy Ward and Caravan's David Sinclair. His last concert, subsequent to being diagnosed with a brain tumour, was in Los Angeles in the summer of 2001. Other performers who joined him at his concert included, John Mayall, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Sheila E and Ben Harper. Bardens died from lung cancer in Malibu January 2002, at the age of 56. A double CD Write My Name in the Dust was released after his death and covered tracks recorded throughout his career. He is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, CA'.
US Singles
In Dreams 1987 - US Billboard Album Rock Charts #41
Gold 1988 - US Billboard Album Rock Charts #49
Albums
Seen One Earth 1987 US Billboard #148
Australian Singles
In Dreams 1988 - Aria chart #99
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