About

One of the many things that separates what Peter Harper does from what other musicians and artists can’t seem to do is, create prolifically. Peter is a multi instrumentalist musician, fine artist, who casts bronze, paints, draws and screen prints. His music and artistic creations appear in their multitude of forms endlessly, leaving everyone to wonder if and when he sleeps. Though that alone would be plenty, he doesn’t stop there, with a charm that exudes from his deep love and admiration of his audience, he displays a dedication, through hugs, bisous and extensive conversations, to his public that has never been seen or felt before.

He inspires his band and crew to constantly give their best and when you think he’s given it his all, and the audience is at their feet, he finds ways of giving even more. At La Luna Negra in Bayonne, at the end of his set, with a standing ovation, everyone thought the show was over until he left the stage and gave the front row bisous. The people in the back were so jealous, until they realized he wasn’t done. By the end of the night he’d given every single person, in the sold out audience, bisous and they clapped and sang with him the entire time. That started a trend that has not stopped and I guarantee you, has never been seen before.

“I am not content with just giving people a show for their money, I have to try to thank each and every member of the audience personally. Musicians are on a stage, like a pedestal, it’s important to break that barrier down and be human.”

Grand parents : in 1958 my grandmother Dorothy Chase and her husband Charles Chase, had two choices, become cobblers, or open a music store. I think I’d have been a great leatherworker/shoe maker. But the FOlk Music Center was born and here I am. Dorothy could play anything with strings, and Charles could repair anything that made music and most things that couldn’t.

Mother Ellen Harper : my mother Ellen, with the voice of an Angel, set aside music to raise her three children, and then came back to music when we were all grown. She now has two albums and a book, with a second book on the way.

Father : My father, Leonard Harper, was a percussionist extraordinaire, who was so charming that you couldn’t be in a room with him without falling in love with him. Unfortunately he struggled with alcohol and died at the age of 55.

Ben harper : my oldest brother Ben, made sure that whatever he did, he did it to the best of his ability. That is a personality trait that has driven him to multiple Grammys and a successful career touring around the world.

Joel Harper : my older brother Joel is a children’s book author and multi-instrumentalist. His first book, All The Way To The Ocean, was rejected by every publishing company in the US. So he published it himself and to date has sold over 100,000 copies. Yes, you read that right, his children’s book has sold over one hundred thousand copies. He has gone on to publish multiple other equally successful titles.

Peter harper : and then there is me… what can I say? I am a musician, sculptor, painter, teacher, husband, and father. I draw, I can screen print, I speak some French, a little Spanish, I used to speak Shona, but have since forgotten most of it, and I used to speak American sign language, but have also forgotten quite a bit of that as well. I’ve traveled all across the US multiple times by car, driven seven thousand miles through Mexico, as well as most of Canada. I’ve lived in Zimbabwe, visited Mozambique, Zambia, and Botswana. I’ve toured through France, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, and England and hope someday to extend that to the furthest reaches of the globe. My son Saul Harper is 18 and has written his first album. He’s better than I’ll ever be, and I hope to take him out on tour with me and introduce him to you very soon.

Studio Recordings

I believe that in the Studio I am a sculptor, using the medium of sound to create an album that resonates with the listening experience that is generated through headphones and speakers. When I play a concert, this is a completely different experience. I am sculpting the same songs, but creating an experience that moves people in real time and real life. I try to create sounds that people wouldn’t see coming. These are 2 parallel universes that complete each other as two sides of a coin complete one another.

Live Concerts

When I play live, I try To play A selection of what feels right at the start of each show. Sometimes, night to night, I’ll change the entire set. Other times I tweak the set order and swap in and out a song or two here and there. Stylistically I can play from folk songs to indie hip hop songs like Get Down and Survive. This allows me to play a multitude of venues as I have the ability to adapt to venues if they are looking for a specific experience. Normally shows are 1H30, however, I have 3 or 4 hours of music ready in my repertoire. Generally at all concerts large and small, I love getting the entire crowd to sing and dance with me.

Growing up in The Claremont Folk Music Center, the non profit section of the store was a museum with instruments from around the world. Every Wednesday, my grandfather, Charles, would host elementary schools from kindergarten to sixth grade, and teach classes to children. I started assisting him at a young age and continued into my late 20’s. This ability to work with all ages has come in handy in France while working with the CDC de SAINT MARTIN DE CRAU, where I hosted a couple hundred school children the day before my show. I spoke to them about music and instruments as well as musicians and a variety of instruments.