Streaming everywhere now!
SPOTIFY – APPLE MUSIC – PANDORA – YOUTUBE – BANDCAMP
“Peter Wilson has created more than a song. He’s made a vessel for compassion, memory, and our oneness as humans. “Old Man” has no interest in working for your attention. It quietly earns it.” Honk Magazine
The first time I saw Utah Phillips perform was at the Chelsea House in Brattleboro, Vermont. That would have been in the mid-70s. I was familiar with him because of his story “Moose Turd Pie” which was something you’d actually hear on the radio. He had a way of turning a concert into something that involved maybe 5 songs and enough stories fill up two hours. Captivating as a good movie. You’d leave a Utah Phillips concert entertained, inspired and informed. That was about the time that I decided to be a folk singer.
By the 1980s I was a full-time folk singer. Utah came to my town on tour with Kate Wolf. They played at the American Victorian Museum, a venue I knew well. It’s where I recorded my first album in 1982. After their show I hung around while the the workers wrapped up and settled up hoping they’d be up for going out for a beer. Kate ducked out but Utah and a small entourage headed to the National Hotel. He thought that’s where Mark Twain, who performed in Nevada City in the 1860s, would have had a drink after a show. We sat at the bar and drank Irish whiskey.
In the 1990s he moved to Nevada City from Spokane. We became friends and shared the bill on quite a few fundraisers for local causes. I was struggling to pay the bills and raise a family. I’d opened a restaurant. He had a lot of thoughts about that – he’d had a restaurant at one point too. To make a long story short, he was the wisest, kindest friend and mentor that an up and coming folk singer could possibly hope for.
Occasionally we would schedule a lunch. He liked to go for Thai food. On one occasion he brought along a folder of hand-written lyrics that he hadn’t yet turned into songs. At that point he had slowed down a lot – he had congestive heart failure. The clock was ticking on me making something of those lyrics and this is the one I got finished in time for me to sing it for him. He approved.
During that time he rolled up his sleeves and created a homeless shelter – Hospitality House. Big project… It remains a shining star of hope and kindness in our little town. Years later a friend asked me to contribute a song for a Hospitality House fundraiser CD. Ta Da! Have a listen.
How do you listen to music?
Take a quick survey HERE
On another note
I’ve discovered Substack – a semi-swamp-free social media platform with thoughtful writing and commentary and NO commercials. I’m just beginning to figure out how it works but I’ve put up a couple of stories. Check it out. Subscribe!
