Pete Way

Pete Way was an English bass player, best known as the bassist in UFO with whom he played for 31 years. Way is also known as a founding member of Waysted and Fastway and has notably played with Michael Schenker Group and Ozzy Osbourne.

His trademark striped trousers largely influenced the stage appearance of many bass players in those days. Rick Savage of Def Leppard said:

I thought Pete Way’s trousers were absolutely horrendous, but I still went out and bought a pair, so yeah. And I think everybody else did, you look at the bass players in those days, everybody had a pair of striped trousers on, you know? I did, Steve Harris did, Brian Wheat from Tesla still does and it’s 1992!"

He began his career as a studio musician. He played in bands with friends from high school and later created a band with friends Phil Mogg, Andy Parker and Mick Bolton. This became the original UFO lineup. After two studio albums with their original guitarist, the band then recruited the guitar wunderkind Michael Schenker from Scorpions. Later the band signed on guitarist/keyboardist and long-time friend Paul Raymond. The group released many albums and singles and had two UK top 40 hits.

Disliking the more commercially accessible direction UFO were taking in the early eighties, Pete jumped ship to form Fastway with former Motörhead guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke. Pete was unable to extricate himself from a contract he signed with Chrysalis and stepped down to play bass for Ozzy Osbourne during the Diary of a Madman tour.

In 1982, Way formed Waysted with Fin Muir, Paul Raymond, Frank Noon and Ronnie Kayfield. Their debut album Vices was released in 1982 and reached #78 in the UK chart. The band’s third album, Save your Prayers, was their most successful in America where it reached #185.

In 1992, Way joined Phil Mogg in the reformed UFO and released the High Stakes & Dangerous Men album. However, Way was unable to take part in the 2009 tours for UFO’s album The Visitor due to a medical condition; and because the US would not allow him to enter the country, because of his drug issues. He has not played with UFO since, but made guest appearances with Michael Schenker.

In 2017, he released his autobiography “A Fast Ride Out of Here: Confessions of Rock’s Most Dangerous Man”.

In 2018 he formed the Pete Way Band along with guitarist Kamil Woj and Jason Poole and also recorded a guest bass on a Warfare song along with Evo and Fast Eddie Clarke.