Peter Foldy
| Name: | Peter Foldy |
| Born: | Budapest, Hungary |
| Occupations: | Singer-songwriter |
| Screenwriter, Producer, Director | |
| Years active: | 1973–present |
| Labels: | Kanata (1973–1975) |
| Capitol-EMI (1975–1977) | |
| Free Flight Records (1977–1981) | |
| Pacemaker (2003–present) |
Peter Foldy[1][2] is a Hungarian born recording artist, film producer, director and screenwriter. He has been nominated for 2 Juno awards and has had multiple top 10 hits across Canada and the US, most notably with his first song "Bondi Junction" which reached number one in the Canadian charts. His 2000 film Silver Man[3] received multiple award nominations including wins at both Planet Indie in Toronto, Canada and the Tambay Film Festival in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Early life
Peter Foldy was born in Budapest, Hungary but soon fled from the then Communist regime with his parents and sister. The family immigrated to Sydney, Australia where Foldy attended high school and worked as an actor in television commercials. During this time he also forged a friendship with three young brothers who would later find worldwide success as The Bee Gees.
After a family move to Toronto, Foldy enrolled in film school at York University, once again landing occasional work in Canadian TV commercials. He also formed a rock band that performed in various bars and lounges throughout the city.
Career
Music
Kanata Records
Foldy soon began writing songs and quickly landed a recording contract as an artist with a small indie label, Kanata Records. His first single, "Bondi Junction" was released in 1973 and the record eventually reached number one on RPM Magazine's Adult Contemporary Chart[4] on July 7, 1973. Peter was also featured on the cover of RPM that same week. The record received two Juno Award nominations, including Canadian Pop Music Single of the Year,[5] Peter was also awarded a 1973 BMI Canada Certificate of Honour" from BMI Canada for Bondi Junction which was a legitimate national hit across Canada.
Peter was suddenly appearing on Canadian TV shows, on radio station charts and on the pages of music magazines, including the hugely popular US teen publication, "16 Magazine". Bondi Junction was also released in the US on Playboy Records, a label started by Hugh Hefner, where it penetrated the US market place. Cash Box reviewed the song as "a super commercial track that will immediately influence the teen set" and the record charted in Billboard.
Capitol-EMI and Polydor
In 1975 Foldy was signed by Capitol-EMI of Canada alongside a deal with Polydor in the US. His follow up recordings "Roxanne" and "Julie-Ann" also reached Top-10 status on many charts across Canada, as well as in the US.
In 1976 Peter again received a "BMI Canada Certificate of Honour" for "Roxanne" and once again made the cover of RPM Weekly on July 3, 1976 (volume 25 #14).
Free Flight Records
On the advice of his manager he left his deal with Capitol with the promise of bigger things in the United States which, unfortunately, failed to materialize. However, a pop label started by RCA Records in Los Angeles called Free Flight Records signed Foldy a couple of years later. The move to Los Angeles allowed Foldy to continue his musical momentum with the self-written singles, "Love City" and "School Of Love", songs he co-produced with legendary music producer, Tony Brown.
Film
When Free Flight Records abruptly closed its doors in 1981, Foldy turned his attention back to film, quickly selling his first screenplay, Hot Moves,[6] which became a considerable theatrical and video hit in the mid-80's. In more recent pop culture the film has been dubbed as the possible inspiration[7] for the 1999 Hollywood blockbuster American Pie.
More screenplays followed and in the early '90's Foldy started directing.
His feature film credits include:
- 1993 "Midnight Witness" starring Jan-Michael Vincent and Maxwell Caulfield;
- 1994 "Tryst"[8] with Barbara Carrera, David Warner and Academy Award winner Louise Fletcher;
- 1996 "Widow's Kiss"[9] with former Foldy background singer, Beverly D'Angelo;
- 1998 "Seeds Of Doubt"[10] with Peter Coyote.
- 2000 "Silver Man"[11] starring Eugene Levy, Joe Pantoliano
His last feature film, "Silver Man", starred Eugene Levy, Joe Pantoliano, Louise Fletcher and Daniel Baldwin. It was the winner of numerous awards including "Best Film" and "Best Director" at Planet Indie in Toronto, and the Jury Prize for "Best Feature" at the Tambay Film Festival in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Continued success
Foldy has since had his songs covered by various artists, among them disco diva Samantha Sang. Foldy also wrote and produced music with the late Dee Murray, bass player for the Elton John band.
He was the co-producer of the hit US TV series entitled 'My First Time' which aired on Showtime.
A compilation CD entitled “Bondi Junction And Other Hits” was released in Canada through Pacemaker in 2007. It contains Foldy's past hits, some never released tracks as well as two brand new songs he recorded especially for the CD along with Blair Packham (Jitters).
Current projects
Foldy has recently completed a 10 track album entitled "Nine Lives" at Melrose Music Studios in Los Angeles. All songs were written by Foldy and the tracks co-produced by Foldy and veteran musician/producer, David Williams. The album was released in August, 2014 and has been met with critical acclaim by both the Toronto Star[12] and Cashbox Canada.[13]
On the film side, Foldy is in development on several feature films as well as two plays,"Spin" and "Liverpool Lads." "Spin" is a humorous look at the resistance received by Canadian artists when Canadian content regulations were introduced in the early 1970s, while "Liverpool Lads" is the true story of the first songwriters signed to the Beatles company, Apple, after a random meeting with Paul McCartney in London's High Park. It is based on the book, "All You Need is Luck... or How I Got a Record Deal by Meeting Paul McCartney," written by Paul Tennant. McCartney has added a glowing quote to the back of the book.
An avid photographer, Foldy has exhibited his black and white photographs.
Discography
Singles
| Year | Single | Record Company | Catalogue Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Bondi Junction/Alice Mary Jane MacPherson | Kanata/Quality | KAN-1015 |
| 1973 | I'll Never Know/Yes, Operator | Kanata/Quality | KAN-1019 |
| 1974 | When I Am So In Love/Remember | Kanata/Quality | KAN-1020 |
| 1974 | Christmas Eve With You/Spanky | Kanata/Quality | KAN-1022 |
| 1975 | Hollywood/Paris Bound | Capitol/EMI | 72755 |
| 1976 | Roxanne/Funny | Capitol/EMI | 72775 |
| 1977 | Julie Ann/Paris Bound | Capitol/EMI | 72783 |
| 1979 | Love City/Turn It Up | Free Flight/RCA - US | PB-11692 |
| 1982 | School Of Love/Love City | Rio | RIO-737 |
| 1982 | My Christmas Wish For You/[Instrumental] | Nightflite | 108 |
| 1988 | Desperately [duet w/Mona Lisa Young]/[Instrumental] | Filmstreet - US | FILM-002 |
| 1988 | Is There Love In Your Heart/Desperately | Southside | 8812 |
| 2003 | All I Want For Christmas Is You | Pacemaker | PACE-FXS |
| 2009 | Change Your World [with Robert Gulya] | Pacemaker | PACE-082 |
Albums
| Year | Single | Record Company | Catalogue Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Peter Foldy | Kanata | KAN-12 |
| 2009 | Bondi Junction And Other Hits | Pacemaker/EMI | PACE-031 |
| 2014 | Nine Lives | Bronte Road Music | 12006 |
| 2014 | Peter Foldy 4 Christmas | Bronte Road Music | 748622 |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Class | Position | Starring | Awards/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Hot Moves | Feature Film | Co-Writer/Associate Producer | Jill Schoelen | RIAA Gold Video Award |
| 1992 | Homeboys | Feature Film | Writer/Co-Producer | Todd Bridges | |
| 1992 | Jamie's Secret | Dramatic Short Subject | Writer/Director | Paul Rudd | Best Director/Best Film - ICVM Awards 1993 Cine Golden Eagle Award Winner 1993 |
| 1992 | Question of Ethics | Dramatic Short Subject | Writer/Director | Paul Rudd | Cine Golden Eagle Award Winner 1993 |
| 1993 | Desperate Measures | Dramatic Short Subject | Writer/Director | Best Youth Film - ICVM Awards Cine Golden Eagle Award Winner 1994 | |
| 1993 | Midnight Witness | Feature Film | Writer/Director/Producer | Maxwell Caulfield and Jan-Michael Vincent | |
| 1994 | Tryst | Feature Film | Writer/Director | Barbara Carrera, David Warner and Louise Fletcher | Aired on Showtime Network USA |
| 1995 | Widow's Kiss | Feature Film | Co-Writer/Director | Starring Beverly D'Angelo | HBO World Premier 1995 |
| 1996 | US Customs Classified | Television | Segment Director | Aired on FOX | |
| 1996 | Seeds of Doubt | Feature Film | Director | Peter Coyote | |
| 1996 | Irresistible Impulse | Feature Film | Director | Doug Jeffrey and Kathy Shower | |
| 1997 | Oomba Makoomba | Television | Segment Director | Walt Disney Channel | |
| 1998 | Conversations in Limbo | Dramatic Short Subject | Director | Jason Priestley and Costas Mandylor | Toronto Short Film Festival Award Winner 1999 |
| 1999 | More to Love | Misc. | Music Supervisor | Maxwell Caulfield | Winner New York International Film Festival 2000 |
| 2000 | Silver Man | Feature Film | Director | Eugene Levy, Joey Pantoliano, Daniel Baldwin and Louise Fletcher | Winner Best Film, Best Director Planet Indie 2000 (Toronto) Winner Jury Prize, Best Feature - Tambay Film Festival (Florida) |
| 2003 | My First Time | Television | Co-Creator/Co-Producer | Reality series | |
| 2003 | Incredible Mrs. Ritchie | Feature Film | Associate Producer | Gena Rowlands and James Caan | Multiple Emmy Award Winner |
| 2006 | Out of Omaha | Misc. | Music Supervisor | Dave Foley and Lea Thompson | |
| 2007 | Head, Heart & Balls | Dramatic Short Subject | Writer/Director/Music | Adam Carolla | |
| 2010 | The Wheeler Boys | Feature Film | Co-Producer | Bill Campbell, Portia Doubleday and Alex Frost |
References
- ↑ Peter Foldy at the Canadian Pop Encyclopedia
- ↑ Peter Foldy at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Silver Man at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ RPM Adult Contemporary Chart 1973
- ↑ 1974 Juno Awards
- ↑ Hot Moves at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Canada.com news "Aussies behind American Pie raunch"
- ↑ Tryst at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Widow's Kiss at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Seeds of Doubt at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Silver Man at Rotten Tomatoes
- ↑ Toronto Star Article, 08/29/2014 at the Toronto Star
- ↑ Cashbox Canada article, 08/07/2014 at Cashbox Canada