Judge Kenneth Peterson (December 13, 1964 – May 17, 2020), known professionally as Lucky Peterson, was an American musician who played contemporary

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, fusing

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

, R&B,

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

. He played

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

and

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

. Music journalist Tony Russell, in his book ''The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray'' has said, "he may be the only blues musician to have had national television exposure in short pants."

Biography

Peterson's father, bluesman James Peterson, owned a nightclub in Buffalo called The Governor's Inn. The club was a regular stop for fellow bluesmen such as

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

. Dixon 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 Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'', ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'' and ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

''. Millions of people watched Peterson sing "1-2-3-4", a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "Please, Please, Please" by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

. At the time, Peterson said "his father wrote it". Around this time he recorded his first album, ''Our Future: 5 Year Old Lucky Peterson'', for Today/Perception Records and appeared on the public television show, ''

Soul! ''Soul!'' (also stylized in uppercaseC. Gerald Fraser January 30, 1991, ''New York Times''. Accessed online 21 April 2008.) is a performance/variety television program that showcased African American music, dance and literature in the late 1960s ...

''. As a teen, Peterson studied at the

Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts The Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts (BAVPA) is a magnet performing arts high school and part of Buffalo, New York's public school system. It serves grades 5-12 and requires students to apply in the field of their desired major conc ...

, where he played the

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

with the school symphony. Soon, he was playing backup guitar and keyboards for

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

Bobby "Blue" Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...

, and

Little Milton James Milton Campbell Jr. (September 7, 1934 – August 4, 2005), better known as Little Milton, was an American blues singer and guitarist, best known for his number-one R&B single " We're Gonna Make It". His other hits include "Baby, I Love ...

. The 1990s were a prolific period for Peterson. Two

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...

Bob Greenlee Bob Greenlee (born July 6, 1941, in Omaha, Nebraska) is the executive director of the Greenlee Family Foundation. Greenlee was educated at Iowa State University where he received his B.A. in 1963 and M.A. in 1968. Decades later, in 1997, Iowa Stat ...

produced albums for the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

-based

Alligator Records Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the ''Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970. History Iglauer started the label using hi ...

(1989's ''Lucky Strikes!'', and the following year's ''Triple Play'') remain his finest recorded offerings. He then released four more for the

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

, (''I'm Ready'', ''Beyond Cool'', ''Lifetime'', and ''Move''). While with Verve, Peterson collaborated with

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Durin ...

on a tribute to gospel singer

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was integral to t ...

, called ''Spirituals & Gospel''. Peterson played

electronic organ An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has since developed ...

behind Staples' singing. More albums from Peterson came after 2000. He recorded two for

Blue Thumb Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obse ...

(''Lucky Peterson'', and ''Double Dealin), and one for

Disques Dreyfus Dreyfus Records (; french: Disques Dreyfus, link=no, ) is a record label which released the work of artists such as Jean-Michel Jarre who was part of the label for more than 20 years. Francis Dreyfus founded Disques Dreyfus in 1985. The label wa ...

entitled, ''Black Midnight Sun''. In 2007, he released ''Tête à Tête'' on

JSP Records JSP Records is a British record label, founded in 1978 by John Stedman (John Stedman Promotions), releasing recordings by blues musicians such as Professor Longhair, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louisiana Red, Deitra Farr, Charlie Sayles, ...

. In 2013, the Blackbird Music/55 Arts Club

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

of '' Live At The 55 Arts Club Berlin'' was nominated for a

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...

. Peterson was a favorite of Louisiana bred blues star Kenny Neal, and Peterson's organ and piano work shines on six of Neal's albums between 1989 and 2015. Lucky Peterson

Personal life

Peterson lived in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and maintained a rigorous tour schedule performing all over the world. He had four children. He died on May 17, 2020, in Dallas at age 55. According to French music critic and journalist Alex Dutihl, Peterson died of a massive brain hemorrhage after falling ill at home.

Discography

*1969: ''Our Future: 5 Year Old Lucky Peterson'' – Today TLP-1002 *1972: ''The Father, The Son, The Blues'' (with James Peterson) – Today TLP-1011 *1984: ''Ridin' '' –

Evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field. In epistemology, evidenc ...

26033; originally issued on Isabel 900.519 Pand IS-919.2 D *1989: ''Lucky Strikes!'' –

Alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...

4770 *1991: ''Triple Play'' – Alligator 4789 *1993: ''I'm Ready'' –

517513 *1994: ''Beyond Cool'' – Verve 521147 *1996: ''Lifetime'' – Verve 531202 *1996: ''Spirituals & Gospel: Dedicated to

'' (with

) – Verve 533562 *1998: ''Move'' – Verve 537897 *1999: ''Lucky Peterson'' –

/Verve 547433 *2001: ''Double Dealin' '' – Blue Thumb/Verve 549475 *2003: ''Black Midnight Sun'' – Dreyfus 36643 *2004: ''If You Can't Fix It'' (with James Peterson) – JSP 8816 *2006: ''Lay My Demons Down'' (with Tommy McCoy) – Blues Boulevard 250232; originally issued on Green Swamp. *2007: ''Tête à Tête'' (with Andy Aledort, Larry McCray) – JSP 8805 *2009: ''Organ Soul Sessions'' –

Emarcy EmArcy Records is a jazz record label founded in 1954 by the American Mercury Records. The name is a phonetic spelling of "MRC", the initials for Mercury Record Company. During the 1950s and 1960s, musicians such as Max Roach, Clifford Brown ...

/Universal (France) 5313798 -CD set also available individually as ''Brother Where Are You?'' (5313801), ''Mercy'' (5313800), and ''The Music is the Magic'' (5313799). *2009: ''Darling Forever'' (with Tamara Peterson) – JSP 8814 *2010: ''Heart of Pain'' – JSP 8824 *2010: ''

You Can Always Turn Around ''You Can Always Turn Around'' is a studio album by the American musician Lucky Peterson, released in 2010. It won the Grand Prix du Disque award the same year for the best blues album. Track listing Personnel ;Musicians *Lucky Peterson – A ...

'' – Dreyfus 36967 *2011: ''Every Second a Fool is Born'' – JSP 8831 *2012: ''

Live at the 55 Arts Club Berlin Judge Kenneth Peterson (December 13, 1964 – May 17, 2020), known professionally as Lucky Peterson, was an American musician who played contemporary blues, fusing soul, R&B, gospel and rock and roll. He played guitar and keyboards. Music journ ...

'' (with Tamara Peterson) – Blackbird Music 201209 CD*2013: ''Whatever You Say'' (with Tamara Peterson) – JSP 8848 *2014: ''I'm Back Again'' – Blues Boulevard 250357 (a single disc compilation of the ''55 Arts Club'' set) *2014: ''The Son of a Bluesman'' – Jazz Village 570035 *2014: ''Travelin' Man'' – JSP 8854 *2015: ''July 28, 2014: Live in Marciac'' – Jazz Village 570076 *2016: ''Long Nights'' – JSP 3001 *2017: ''What Have I Done Wrong: The Best of the JSP Studio Sessions'' – JSP 3009 (compilation) *2017: ''Tribute to Jimmy Smith'' – Jazz Village 570135 *2019: ''50 – Just Warming Up!'' – Jazz Village 570165 With

Carey Bell Carey Bell Harrington (November 14, 1936 – May 6, 2007) was an American blues musician who played harmonica in the Chicago blues style. Bell played harmonica and bass guitar for other blues musicians from the late 1950s to the early 1970s bef ...

*1995: '' Deep Down'' – Alligator 4828 With

Kenny Neal Kenny Neal (born October 14, 1957), is an American blues guitar player, singer and band member. Neal was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Raful Neal, and he comes from a musical family. He has often performed with his brothers in his ...

*1989: ''Devil Child'' – Alligator 4774 *1991: ''Walkin' on Fire'' – Alligator 4795 *2015: ''Bayou Blood'' – Alligator 4809 *1994: ''Hoodoo Moon'' – Alligator 4825 *2008: ''Let Life Flow'' – Blind Pig 5122 *2010: ''Hooked on Your Love'' – Blind Pig 5137

References

External links

* Lucky Peterson biographyat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...

Lucky Peterson Official Website
at www.luckypeterson.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Lucky 1964 births 2020 deaths African-American guitarists American blues singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists Musicians from Buffalo, New York Singers from New York (state) Contemporary blues musicians Guitarists from New York (state) 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century American male musicians JSP Records artists Alligator Records artists 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians

Biography

Personal life

Discography

See also

References

External links