Dan Peek
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Dan Peek (born 1 November 1950, Panama City, Florida) was a member of the rock band, America from 1970 to 1977, together with Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell. He has contributed lead and backing vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, and harmonica to their recordings during his tenure in the band.
Peek left America shortly after the February 1977 release of the Harbor album. He renewed his Christian faith after years of unhappy recreational drug use and a fast lifestyle, and had begun to seek a different artistic direction than Beckley or Bunnell. He went on to sign with Pat Boone's Lamb & Lion Records, and found success as a pioneering artist in the emerging Christian pop music genre. Outside of rejoining Beckley and Bunnell on stage on one spontaneous occasion several years after, Peek has not reunited with America, contrary to various inaccurate reports which have arisen over the years. Bunnell and Beckley contributed backing vocals on Peek's debut solo album in 1978, but that was in the context of Peek's solo career, and not as America.
Peek would later release an autobiography entitled An American Band, based on America's most successful period, and his own spiritual journey.
Several of Peek's songs became hits on the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) singles chart beginning with the title track from his first album "All Things Are Possible" which hit number 1 on the CCM singles chart and stayed there for 13 weeks. It also crossedover to the Billboard singles and Adult Contemporary charts reaching 78 and 6 respectively - possibly becoming CCM's first crossover hit. "Devine Lady" also fron his first album reached 23 on the CCM chart.
For some reason Peek did not release a second album until 1984's "Doer of the Word", losing much of the momentum gained by the success of his first album. Still the title track from the album was a big hit on the CCM chart reaching number 2.
1986's "Electro Voice" produced two top ten CCM singles, a remake of his America hit "Lonely People" peaked at number 2 on the CCM chart while the title track "Electro Voice" hit number 7.
Peek's final chart appearance came in 1987 when his song "Crossover" (from the album of the same name) reached 13 on the CCM singles chart.
[edit] Post America discography
- Dan Peek, All Things Are Possible (1978)
- Various Artists, On This Christmas Night (one song: "The Star") (1979)
- Dan Peek, Doer of the Word (1984)
- Dan Peek, Electro Voice (1986)
- Dan Peek, Crossover (1987)
- Dan Peek, Ken Marvin & Brian Gentry, Light of the World (1989)
- PEACE, Stronger Than You Know (1994)
- PEACE, Peace (1997)
- Dan Peek, Bodden Town (1999)
- PEACE, Under the Mercy (2000)
- Dan Peek, Caribbean Christmas (2000)
- Dan Peek, Driftin'/Tales from the Lost Islands (2001)
- Dan Peek, Guitar Man (2002)
- Dan Peek, Guitar Man 2 (2006)
- Dan Peek, All American Boy (2007)