Lucky Peterson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lucky Peterson is an American musician who plays contemporary blues, fusing soul, R & B, gospel and rock 'n' roll. He is equally at home playing guitar and keyboards.
Born "Judge Kenneth Peterson" in 1964, he became interested in blues at a very early age. His father, bluesman James Peterson, owned a club in Buffalo, NY, called The Governor's Inn. The club was a regular stop for blues legends such as Willie Dixon. Dixon, who wrote the Muddy Waters hit "Hoochie Coochie Man," saw a five-year-old Lucky Peterson performing at the club and, in Peterson's words, "Took me under his wing." Months later, Peterson performed on "The Tonight Show," "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "What's My Line?" Millions of people watched Peterson sing "1-2-3-4," which many music journalists call a cover of a James Brown tune. Peterson says his father wrote it.
As a teen, Peterson studied at the Buffalo Academy of Performing Arts. There, he played the French Horn with the school symphony. But the world of lessons and musical theory held little interest for him. Soon, he was playing backup guitar and keyboards for Etta James, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and Little Milton.
The 1990s were a prolific period for Peterson. He released two solo albums for Chicago-based Alligator Records ("Lucky Strikes" and "Triple Play") and four for the French label Verve ("I'm Ready," "Beyond Cool," "Lifetime" and "Move"). While with Verve, Peterson collaborated with Mavis Staples on a tribute to gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, called "Spirituals & Gospel." Peterson played organ behind Staples' singing. Both Staples and Peterson call this album one of their most satisfying.
More albums from Peterson came after 2000. He recorded two for Blue Thumb Records ("Lucky Peterson" and "Double Dealin'"), and one for Dreyfus ("Black Midnight Sun"). In 2007, he'll release a new CD on JSP records, called "Tete a Tete."
Today, Peterson lives in Houston, TX. He still tours, but says he spends an increasing amount of time playing music for his church. He has four children.
