Some time back I decided to embark on a fairly ambitious recording project. I call it a musical autobiography.
The goal is to record and document all of the music that I have played down through the years. That's a lot of music!

As time goes by, we all learn and discard a ton of music. There can be a variety of reasons for working up a new tune. Some is played out of a sense of obligation as a song becomes a big hit and then fades into oblivion. Some is learned by request, played a few times and then forgotten. The best songs though are the ones that grab us on some level, are learned and then carried around as personal treasure. Like old friends. Or an old pair of boots, worn but too comfortable to part with. These are the songs that made us want to learn to play in the first place. And these are the songs that I want to document in this project.

So far, I have managed four CD's of material. The first two, simply titled "Pete's Blues" Vol 1 and Vol 2 are at the heart of what I do.
The second two are part of the ongoing "Old Boots" series. This is everything else that isn't strictly blues. It encompasses Country, Folk, Bluegrass etc. although there are a few blues numbers sprinkled in as well as some originals.

All instruments and vocals were done by me in my little home studio. The drums are programmed as I'm sure anyone with a good ear can tell. Since I am just an amature sound engineer, the quality of the recordings varies. But that was not my main focus anyway.

I have no desire to make money off of this project or even have hopes that it will somehow help to promote my career. It is simply intended to document the music that I have found inspirational down through the years.

One last note: I'm a born sideman. I've always thought of myself as a guitar player first, and a singer second. Many of these songs were originally learned and played with people that really are great singers like Jana Lee, Greg Ryder and Tony Lane. My attempt to sing and record the songs represent my best effort at being a real singer. But I am under no illusions. My main satisfaction musically comes from working with the great vocalists that I have known over the years. A tip of the hat to all of them.

Here's a sampling of what I have done so far. I'm working on Vol. 3 of the "Old Boots" series and will add some of those songs as soon as they are completed.

The Songs: