A plaque has been unveiled in tribute to a legendary busker on the exact spot in Liverpool city centre where he regularly played.
Peter Mickle (Pete the Busker) was a popular sight with his trademark top hat, bright suits and plastic guitar, outside Boots on Church Street, for more than 20 years.
Peter sadly passed away last August but he now has a permanent place on the city’s main shopping street, immortalised on a plaque set into the pavement bearing an inscription with his name, hat and microphone.
Pete the Busker performing on Church Street in Liverpool city centre.
The idea for the tribute came from photographer Adam Thompson, the man behind the Humans of Liverpool Instagram account.
The plaque, which was devised by the Council’s streetscene manager Kenny Brew, is the first in the city to pay tribute to a street performer.
It was unveiled by Lord Mayor Cllr Mary Rasmussen, Pete’s sister Carol Casey and his niece Nina Casey.
Pete’s family said they were “extremely grateful to the city of Liverpool for honouring our Pete in this way. We were shocked when we heard the plan. Pete would have loved it.”
Lord Mayor, Cllr Mary Rasmussen said: “Pete brought such a lot of happiness to so many people and I think we don’t very often acknowledge things like that so it’s really nice and quite a unique thing for him to be honoured in this way.
“He’d been busking on that spot for years, he felt like a fixture there, and what was even more remarkable was he came over from the Wirral almost every day to do it.
“He didn’t necessarily have the best natural singing voice but that wasn’t what he was about, everyone just loved the entertainment.
“At the unveiling ceremony, Pete’s sister Carol was telling me he was actually supremely confident – he’d say, I’ve got the voice, I’ve got the looks, I’ve got everything! I love to think that was his mindset and his approach, and we all need a bit more of that.”
