Dickie Peterson
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Richard Allan Peterson (September 12, 1946 – October 12, 2009)R.I.P. Richard ‘Dickie’ Peterson (Blue Cheer) (1948 – 2009)
; www.inlog.org.
known as Dickie Peterson was an American musician, best known as the bassist, lead singer and only constant member of
Blue Cheer Blue Cheer was an American rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009. Based in San Francisco, Blue Cheer played in a psychedelic blues rock or acid rock style, and ...
. He also recorded two solo albums: ''Child of the Darkness'' and ''Tramp''.


Biography

Born in
Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...
, Peterson played bass from the age of thirteen onward, and knew at the age of eight that he wanted to become a professional musician. He came from a musical family: his father played trombone, his mother played piano and his brother, Jerre Peterson, initially played flute. Drums were Peterson's first instrument. Peterson spent much of his youth in
East Grand Forks, Minnesota East Grand Forks (also known as EGF) is a city in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,176 at the 2020 Census, making it the largest community in Polk County. It is located in the Red River Valley region along the easte ...
, the twin city to
Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...
, where he was born. He attended
Grand Forks Central High School Grand Forks Central High School (GFC) is a public senior high school in the Grand Forks Public Schools district. It is located in downtown Grand Forks. History GFC was originally built in 1882 at a cost of $26,000. Its first graduating class ...
from grade 10 through grade 12. His parents died when he was young, resulting in his living with his aunt and uncle on a farm in North Dakota, for part of his youth.Chuck Haga, "Final cheer for a Blue Cheer". ''
Grand Forks Herald The ''Grand Forks Herald'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, established in 1879, published in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It is the primary daily paper for northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. Its average daily circulat ...
'', October 22, 2009; www.grandforksherald.com.
Peterson cited
Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
as a significant influence. He credited his brother, the late Jerre Peterson, as being his lifelong musical influence.Interview with Dickie Peterson
by Ken Schneider, 2005; www.stonerock.com.
Jerre was one of the lead guitarists in the initial lineup of Blue Cheer (the other being
Leigh Stephens Leigh Stephens is an American guitarist and songwriter best known for being former lead guitarist of the San Francisco psychedelic rock group Blue Cheer. Blue Cheer Leigh Stephens has recorded two albums with the band, ''Vincebus Eruptum'' an ...
) and played with various formations of the band in later years. Peterson spent much of the past two decades preceding his death based in Germany, playing with Blue Cheer and other groups on occasion. In 1998 and 1999, he played various dates in Germany with the Hank Davison Band and as an acoustic duo with Hank Davison under the name "Dos Hombres." He appeared on the album, ''Hank Davison and Friends - Real Live''. In 2001 and 2002, Peterson played, principally in Germany, with Mother Ocean, a group he formed that included former Blue Cheer guitarist Tony Rainier, as well as brother Jerre Peterson. Throughout his life, Peterson's relationship to music had been all-consuming. Peterson provided the following self-description: "I've been married twice, I’ve had numerous girlfriends, and they’ll all tell you that if I’m not playing music I am an animal to live with. … Music is a place where I get to deal with a lot of my emotion and displaced energy. I always only wanted to play music, and that’s all I still want to do." In his early life, Peterson was a user of various drugs and was a
heroin addict Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. O ...
for a number of years. In 2007, Peterson said he believed
LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...
and other similar drugs can have positive effects, but that he and other members of Blue Cheer "took it over the top."Dickie Peterson dies at 63; bassist and lead singer for the power trio Blue Cheer
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
, October 16, 2009.
He had ceased much of his drug use by the mid-1970s, and stopped drinking 10 years before his death. Blue Cheer has been considered a pioneering band in many genres. Peterson did not consider that the band belonged to any particular genre: "People keep trying to say that we’re heavy metal or
grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
or
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
, or we’re this or that. The reality is, we’re just a
power trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quartet ...
, and we play ultra blues, and it’s rock ‘n roll. It’s really simple what we do." On October 12, 2009, Peterson died in
Erkelenz Erkelenz (, li, Erkelens ) is a town in the Rhineland in western Germany that lies southwest of Mönchengladbach on the northern edge of the Cologne Lowland, halfway between the Lower Rhine region and the Lower Meuse (river), Meuse. It is a med ...
, Germany, at the age of 63 from
liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...
, after
prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...
spread throughout his body.William Grimes
Dickie Peterson, Singer for Rock Band Blue Cheer, Dies at 63
Obituary, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', October 13, 2009.
He was survived by his second wife, his former wife, a daughter from his first marriage, and a six-year-old grandson.Comments of Marilyn (Peterson) Stephens
, first wife of Dickie Peterson, October 13, 2009. Tribute blog to Dickie Peterson; www.inlog.org. Peterson's first wife asserts that his year of birth was 1946, rather than 1948.
Blue Cheer's Dickie Peterson Remembered
www.roadrunnerrecords.com.
Peterson was cremated and his ashes given to his daughter, Corrina. Peterson wished his ashes to be spread in the
Rhine River ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , sourc ...
in Germany and in the
Redwoods Sequoioideae, popularly known as redwoods, is a subfamily of coniferous trees within the family Cupressaceae. It includes the largest and tallest trees in the world. Description The three redwood subfamily genera are '' Sequoia'' from co ...
of Northern California, at a site to be determined by his daughter.Comments of Blue Cheer co-founder, producer and former manager
Eric Albronda Eric Albronda (born November 18, 1945) is an American musician. Albronda was the first drummer for Blue Cheer, briefly, prior to being replaced by Paul Whaley. He also co-produced (with Leigh Stephens) ''Red Weather'', the first solo album by for ...
, October 28, 2009 a
Blue Cheer Message Board
(Thread: "Death of Dickie"); www.bluecheer.proboards.com.
Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart OC (; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an ...
, the drummer for
Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
, said in tribute to Peterson:


Discography

* 1998: ''Child of the Darkness''
Captain Trip Records Captain Trip Records is a Japanese music label founded and run by musician Ken Matsutani. The label specializes in experimental music and various subgenres of rock, particularly psychedelic rock and progressive rock. In addition to the publication ...
; released only in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
* 1999: ''Tramp'' Captain Trip Records; released only in Japan


References


External links


Dickie Peterson Video Interview with Serene Dominic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Dickie 1946 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American singers American rock bass guitarists American rock singers Blue Cheer members Deaths from cancer in Germany Deaths from liver cancer Singers from North Dakota People from Grand Forks, North Dakota Guitarists from North Dakota American male bass guitarists 20th-century American male singers