Paul Peterson's life has been a music-filled journey.
The singer,
instrumentalist, writer and producer is best known to Prince fans as
"St. Paul," co-lead singer of fDeluxe, fomerly known as The
Family, along with Susannah Melvoin. The band also includes Jellybean
Johnson on drums and Eric Leeds on saxophone.
Peterson, like Melvoin,
also comes from a musical dynasty: his late father was an organist
for the Minnesota Twins; his late mother, Jeanne Arland Peterson, was
also a much-celebrated pianist and organist; his sisters Patty and
Linda Peterson are accomplished singers, his brothers Ricky and Billy
Peterson are renowned musicians and producers and his newphew Jason
Peterson (JP) DeLaire is a songrwiter, instumentalist and vocalist. He has worked extensively
with his family and many other artists including Steve Miller, Oleta
Adams and Donny Osmond.
Peterson is currently the
program chair for recording and music technology at the Minneapolis
Media Institute and reunited with his fDeluxe bandmates a few years
ago. They recorded the album Gaslight (and a remix album titled
Relit) and done several shows including a Prince tribute concert
at Carnegie Hall in February.
The band has three shows
next week: one at 8 p.m., City Winery, Chicago, August 22 and at
7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis, August 23. They are
also currently in the planning stages of their newest project,
Underneath the Covers, an album of cover songs, in conjunction with
their fans who are making monetary pledges via pledgemusic.com to
help fund the project.
Peterson got his break at
17 years old in 1983 when he was chosen to be a keyboard player in
The Time, along with Mark Cardenas, replacing former members James
"Jimmy Jam" Harris and Monte Moir. (Terry Lewis, the band's
original bass player, had, along with Jimmy Jam, been let go from the band).
He was later chosen by The
Purple One to head fDeluxe after The Time broke up. He left that
band, after they released their first album in 1985 to pursue a solo career. His
self-titled solo album was released on MCA Records in 1986. He
released later released two more solo albums, Down to the Wire (1990)
and Blue Cadillac (2007).
Peterson took time out from his vacation by the lake last week do an interview for "Dyes
Got the Answers 2 Ur ?s," where he discussed growing up in a
family of musicians, the bond he shares with his fDeluxe bandmates
and teaching the next generation of people entering the music
business:
My mother always said to
do your musical homework and she was right. I always made sure to go
beyond the call of duty when it came to studying my harmony and
musicality. She always made me strive to be a better musician and it
really helped. I feel it helped me be a better musician and a better
person.
My relationship to music
is a love relationship. It's a spiritual relationship. It's a living-and-breathing relationship. It's a daily courtship that never seems
to end. It seems to be a deeper relationship as I get older. I seem
to understand that relationship better as time goes on. I have
learned to respect and never take for granted the relationship I have
with music.
When I was a kid I
thought everybody in the neighborhood played instruments. I grew up
the youngest of the Peterson family and everybody in my family played
(instruments). So, I figured that everybody else's family played,
too. When I met a new kid on the street, I'd say, "Hey, what do
you play?"
My brothers and sisters
are my teachers. They came up before me, not only in life, but, in
the music business. They taught me so much about music and invited me
into their world, even though I was the little brother they liked to
pick on. They always included me in nearly everything they could
musically. (I am) pretty grateful to them for everything.
When I auditioned for The Time...(laughs faintly) I was scared to death. I'll never forget it. I was, of all things, on vacation in a place called Breezy Point and I got the call for the audition.
(I) went home and I did
not get the cassette tape on time. I got it the night before the
audition and had to learn everything the night before the gig.
I was nervous. I went in
did the best I could, based on all the training I got from my family
and all the gigs I had done prior to that. I guess it turned out
okay. I wish I could remember the exact number (of songs I played),
but, it felt like a million songs. It was probably four or five.
I never dreamed... (speaking in a very deep voice) I'd be talking to you. I've been waiting all my life, baby, to talk to you. I've been waiting many years. (Laughs). Say the question one more time and I'll give you a real answer!
I never dreamed a little
white kid from Richfield, Minn. would end up being in the hottest
African-American band in America when he's 17 years old. I never
dreamed that Prince would pick me to be the lead singer of fDeluxe. There's a lot of those. I could go on forever on that. I
never dreamed I'd play music with my sisters, brothers and my mom for
my entire life. I never dreamed I'd finally get on vacation
(laughs).
The first time I met
Prince was at the first callback—my second audition (with The
Time). He wasn't at the first one. I was nervous. He was this
big rock star.
He walked into the room
and I think we were picking out swatches for the material we were
going use for the suits in the movie ("Purple Rain"). It
became my orange suit. I had picked out a beautiful black pinstriped
suit and he said "No, you've got to stand out." Then he
picked out an orange one for me. I said "I'm not wearing that."
He said "Yes, you are."
So, that was one portion
of our meeting.
Filming "Purple Rain..." talk
about being thrown to the wolves, in a good way. My phrase is "Be
ready for the opportunity, because, you don't when it's going to
strike." I was fortunate enough for that to be a pretty
incredible opportunity.
Those guys put me right in
the mix. One minute, I'm auditioning for the band, the next minute
I'm filming for a little film. We didn't know what it was going to
do-- now it's turned into an incredible entity and is part of music
history. It's pretty humbling, but, you never know that going in. You
have to be ready.
I think growing up in that
family of mine prepared me for a lot of different situations. (But),
it couldn't prepare me for what those guys gave to me. It was a whole
new line of education.
The one and only scene
where I had a line was when we're (The Time) walking through the back
hallways of First Avenue and Morris Day leans back and says "How's
the family?"
They had us there quite a
bit, more than you would think. (There were) a lot of club scenes. We
didn't have any major speaking roles, but, we were there a lot. It
was freezing. I remember that.
Paul Peterson on replacing
departed members of The Time: "I didn't understand the relationship
that those guys who remained had with the leaving members. I was a
little on the oblivious side. I was so green, which was probably a
good thing.
Looking back, it was
probably hard on them. It wasn't hard on me. I'm sure losing their
best friends was hard on them. They started this band together, now,
they've got some kid from Richfield coming in trying to fill these
shoes. I'll tell you what, I think it took a minute for them to
adjust to it.
But, Bean (Jellybean Johnson, the band's drummer) and I have been tight for 30 years. I call him my big brother. No one ever knew we'd have relationships that would last that long."
But, Bean (Jellybean Johnson, the band's drummer) and I have been tight for 30 years. I call him my big brother. No one ever knew we'd have relationships that would last that long."
I love teaching so much
that I am the program chair for recording and music technology at the
Minneapolis Media Institute. The campus is at the old Flyte Tyme
Studios.
It's a very interesting
connection that I have with Jimmy (Jam) and Terry (Lewis), taking
their places in The Time and, later, being in their studios teaching
the next generation of producers and engineers how to win in the
music business. It's fulfilling and incredible.
The building was up for
sale and my friend Tom Tucker bought it with another partner. They
started a school, which became Minneapolis Media Institute. I ended
up heading it (the program) after Tucker passed away. I tour less now. You never know what you're going to get with
teaching. I can tell you that it can be really fufilling and really
frustrating.
You know and I know what
it takes to make it in the (music) business. Some of these 20 year
olds-- who think they know everything-- don't understand the work
ethic that you need to be able to succeed. I feel that I get paid to
teach them how to be teachable: to try (and) change the culture of
the next generation of producers and engineers so they understand
what it takes to make it in the ever changing music business.
It's probably harder now
to make it in the music business than it was when I was coming up.
You could sell records when I was coming up. Now you can't sell
records anymore. There are a very select few people who sell records.
These guys have to figure
it out. It's the wild west. We arm them with as many different skills
as possible so they can have multiple income streams, put them all
together and be able to make a living. It's challenging, but, it's
fun.
I've been teaching for 12
years. I've been the program chair for two or three years. It's
funny, sometimes, I'll just show my students my (music) videos and
give them a little ammunition. They say "That's you? Are you
dancing on the ocean?" I'll say "I'm dancing on the ocean,
yes I am."
Paul Peterson on filming
the video for his first solo single "Rich Man": "That (music
video) cost more money...I'm still paying for that video! (Laughs).
You know Paula Abdul was the choreographer. Yeah, that was my girl.
(A.J. Johnson, of "House Party "fame, who is also featured in the
video) used to date my drummer Sonny Emory. She was a great friend of
mine.
I introduced her (Abdul)
to the producer (Oliver Lieber) who wrote "Forever Your Girl,"
"Opposites Attract" and all those tracks. That's my boy.
He's in the band as a matter of fact (as fDeluxe's guitar player).
It was fun. I'm not the
greatest dancer in the world. I think she had a struggle with me. I
was long, lanky and didn't grow into my body until about 10 years
after that video. She made me pull it off though. I've got to give it
to her. We spent a whole week on dance steps...and she turned me into
something that I wasn't. That took me out of my comfort zone."
fdeluxe's new covers album
should be incredibly interesting. We are still in the process of
picking out songs. Everybody has their own favorite songs and (we)
want to make sure they fit the fDeluxe style or that we can arrange them
into the style. Lieber's going to produce it and hopefully, if this
pledge comes to fruition, we'll start as early as October and have it
out by Christmas.
We all have such eclectic
tastes. We're looking at David Bowie, or obvious ones like Bill
Withers and Sly and the Family Stone, to less obvious ones like Red
Hot Chili Peppers.
It's going to be
interesting. It's all about the song. If you have a good foundation
of a song, you can pretty much go in any direction you want. Leiber
is such a killer producer that if I can just leave it in his hands
and keep my claws off the steering wheel, we'll be fine.
He wrote "Rich Man"
with me and my brother ended up producing it. He had his hands in the
production as well, but, he didn't get any credit. Sorry
Oliver, I love you.
I haven't looked (at
the pledge percentage) in a couple of days, because, it's like the
stock market: you don't want to keep looking at it. I think we are
past the 50 percent mark with another month to go. (As of this
writing, the fan pledges have reached 59 percent of the goal with
34 days remaining).
Our fans have been pretty
incredible. There are some great and interesting exclusives on there
and people are taking advantage of them. There are (pledge amounts)
from $12 to $20,000.
I'm inspired by a lot of
different artists, especially Stevie Wonder. It's funny that you
would ask that question, because, sometimes I can into a little bit
of a "Why did I get into this business in the first place?"
attitude.
The last month has kind of been that way for me. I've been driving back and forth to the cabin and I've been listening to incredible artists that I grew up loving: like Wonder-- the early records, even before Songs in the Key of Life-- George Benson, Breezin. I got to work with all these guys. That's the cool part. But, this is where it all began, where I fell in love with what I do. Then you go to Earth, Wind and Fire and Steely Dan. The musicality and the groove that is in all of that music. That inspires me.
The last month has kind of been that way for me. I've been driving back and forth to the cabin and I've been listening to incredible artists that I grew up loving: like Wonder-- the early records, even before Songs in the Key of Life-- George Benson, Breezin. I got to work with all these guys. That's the cool part. But, this is where it all began, where I fell in love with what I do. Then you go to Earth, Wind and Fire and Steely Dan. The musicality and the groove that is in all of that music. That inspires me.
All the inner harmonies
and melodic tensions that are created by groups of musicians just
being in a room with each other, having a conversation, musically, is
so incredibly inspiring. My family inspires me. They kick my ass all
the time. They don't let me slide on anything and that's good. They
made me a better man and musician for it.
I've always wanted to tour
a little more extensively with fDeluxe, my friends. But, that seem to
be a little bit harder to do as we age. Not only because we're 50
years old, but, because, we all have separate lives. No one's banking
their incomes on it; we're doing it more for fun than anything else.
I wish that we could make
it more of a...full-time, making records, making a living situation,
because, we love doing it. It's just that we've got kids--in grade
school and in college. We all have different lives and we come
together when we can. But, I wish we could do it more often.
It all changed...
(speaking in a deep voice) when we started talking on the phone
tonight, baby. (Laughs). It all changed...huh? It all changed when I
got that audition for The Time. Everything changed.
It led to other things.
When I was done with The Time and done with fDeluxe (in its first
incarnation under Prince), I toured with many different artists like
Steve Miller, David Sanborn, Kenny Loggins, Oleta Adams. Everything
changed when I got the nod. Somebody said "Yeah kid, you got
it."
We all look for that one
break. I guess that was it.
My first solo album was
probably one of my favorite records I've ever done. I learned a lot.
I was frustrated, I was creative, I was green and I didn't know what
I was doing. I got paid to learn. That was my music college right
there. It cost a hell of a lot more than it costs today, though.
(Laughs). MCA Records is probably saying "Yes, it did."
I learned so much about
songwriting, production, being a solo artist: trying to be a pop act
or an R&B act. You've got to set yourself in that midset and I
could not lean on someone like Prince to do it for me. In fact, (it
was) quite the opposite.
I really learned what it
was like to be a producer, a songwriter and an artist on my own
without the help of someone who is a complete superstar. I'm so proud
of that record. It stands up to this day: great songs; really good
musicians and great interplay. I have no regrets with that.
I was out in L.A. and I
got a call from a gentleman at A&M Records. He wanted me to come
over and talk about doing some production on a kid named Janet
Jackson. Well, I knew who she was. This was before "Control,"
when Jesse Johnson was working with her.
I went over there and he
(the representative for A&M Records) said "I don't want you
to produce Jackson, I want you to leave Prince and come with me."
I said "What? Leave Prince? Are you nuts?" Then he showed
me the dollar figure he was talking about and I said "Oooh, I
could do that!"
When you're 18, 19, 20
years old, you think you are invincible and you think you can do
everything. Thank God I had the background with my family --
musically and business wise -- growing up. That's basically how the
ball started and it turned into a bidding war with MCA Records, where
I ultimately ended up. Then, I had to tell Prince I was leaving. That
was not fun.
It's such a whirlwind when
you're in the middle of it. You have no idea. It was tramatic. My own
family said "Are you sure you want to do this? Are you crazy?"
Paul Peterson on
recording the song "Feline" : (I was) trying to learn how
to rap, I don't even know if they called it that then. I still
remember that rap to this day for some reason. (Singing lyrics)
"Feline, get my body working..."
It was funky, it was nasty
and I was worried about what my mom would think. (Laughs). You know,
(Prince) never talked to me about what the plan was (for that song). He and
I didn't communicate on that level. That was his baby. So, I can't
say for sure.
I've never understood
racism, because, a lot (of the time), in music, there really are no
racial lines. I was talking with Sinbad about this the other day.
Maybe I am just oblivious, but, I've been playing Black music my
entire life. I've been accepted in that scene, maybe, because, the
culture of musicians are very inclusive. When I see stupid shit that
people do to each other, it just baffles me.
It may happen in the music
business, but, I believe it's way less prevalent. You're also talking
to a Caucasian here who could be absolutely oblivious to it. But, as
far as I see, where I'm coming from, it's all about the conversation,
the musicality and experience through your instrument.
fdeluxe was always funky.
No matter if you're talking about the first record or the second
record. Nobody expected us to remain friends for 30 years and want to
come together to create new music. We ignored it for a while. We did
a couple of reunions, with Sheila E. and ?uestlove, (but), the stars
were not aligned to take it to the next level. But, when we finally
did this thing with
?uestlove, Susannah and I
looked at each other. We spent the next four years making that record
(Gaslight).
We laughed, we had a great
time and we had to find a groove with each other. You know, I'm not
surprised we're still making music today and we'll continue to make
music into the future.
The key to songwriting is
playing chords that mean something to you: that do something to your
soul; that have an emotional attachment; that you can put into a
phrase for some wordsmith to put their craft on top of.
I've always been a way
better music writer than a lyric writer. I feel my strength is in
harmony and melody. I've been going back to my idols and listening to
all this music. I was listening to Steely Dan on the way up here: all
the musicality, arrangements (and) all the best of the best. That
moves me.
As long as something is
moving me, I know I'm doing something right. I believe in it. I
don't just phone it in.
Our upcoming concerts are
going to be great. I can't wait to see my friends again and play some
music with them. We have such a great time. It's really all about the
hang and the music. It's so fun to see our fans. We know that they're
out there. We know that they've been waiting to see us.
We never had an
opportunity to tour as (the first incarnation of fDeluxe); now we're
trying to make up for lost time. We always involve our fans (and)
we're excited to see them; excited to bring the old music and new
music to them. Its gonna be rocking.
The key to success...work
hard.You have to bring it. You cannot half ass it. You have to always
be 110 percent. Bring it every time and believe in what you're
doing. Otherwise, don't waste your time. And practice. It's no
mystery how people are successful. Work at it.
Working with Donny
Osmond...what a blast! One of my favorite people on the planet. You
want to talk about a hard-working guy? He is everything I just
described. The guy never stops.
He's an incredible
engineer. He can wire a studio. The guy wins "Dancing with the
Stars," because, he's so freaking competitive. He doesn't want
anyone to beat him-- probably because he's the little brother.
We had a blast with each
other. I warped the poor guy. He has this reputation for being the
sweetest little man ever. Of course, I completely warped him.
(Laughs). I mean, nothing bad or anything, but, we had fun. We
traveled the world together.
When I was doing my second
record (Down to the Wire), his producers ended up producing my
record. They were finishing up his record when we were having some
meetings. Donny and I saw each other... and it was just such a
connection. We were laughing just like little brothers. It was just
weird.
He is an incrediby gifted
man. He really is. Good people. Probably the most unaffected rock
star I've ever worked with.
It's been hard gathering
the members of fDeluxe to finish a record in a timely fashion. It is
very difficult, because, everybody's busy.
The Carnegie Hall
Concert...wow. I think that's all I have to say about that. One of
those life moments you never forget. We rocked
them pretty hard. I'll
never forget that.
When we were done playing
the songs everybody (in the audience) stood up. I was busy trying to
wrap up my bass and get off stage. Wendy Melvoin grabbed my arm and
said "Stop. Look out there. That's for you. Drink it in." I
owe her a lot for that. She really made me look and take that in, you
know?
We've worked a lot of
years to get to a point like that. So, it was pretty incredible to be
recognized like that.
The things that matter are what I'm doing right now: hanging with my family; being good to your kids, good to your mate, spending time, being good to one another. That's the most important stuff on the planet. Peace and love, man. I'm a '60s baby, aren't I? (Laughs). That's true, though.
Down to the Wire and Blue Cadillac ...two very different records, but, great records. I'm proud of both of them.
(Down to the Wire) is a
little more pop-rock, which was an area that I was encouraged to go
by my managers and my record company. I loved the record, but, it wasn't
necessarily my M.O. I was blue-eyed soul, if that's what you're
going to call it. It was a departure for me, it was an exploration.
I think that they were
taking a risk on alienating my fans and finding new ones. I was
trying to take the advice of people who were very successful. It's
not a bad record. I love every song on there. It's just another side
of me. I think that record is very well crafted... There wasn't a lot
of rock-and-roll guitar and straight ahead pop stuff going on in my
earlier records.
Blue Cadillac came back
and was kind of funky. That was me going back in the other direction.
In a family full of
musicians...I got the best of every possible portion of that. Being
the youngest was the greatest education of my life. Competition? Yes.
But, competition, because, they wanted me to be better. Competition,
because, they wanted me to be great and do great things.
Being in a family full of
musicians means you play together, you spend Christmas together and
you do gigs together. You hang out with each other. You could be on
tour busses together.
I got to tour with my
brothers in The Steve Miller Band, with me playing rock guitar. We
were all on the bus together. It was incredible. My nephew and I toured with Oleta Adams and Donny Osmond. My brother, Ricky Peterson, and I toured with David Sanborn. I've done countless
records with them all in different points in time. It's been an
incredible ride and a blessing.
Recording the first fDeluxe album (Gaslight) was an exploration to see what we'd come up with. It was an experimentation. It was the culmination of our life experiences and musical experiences in the songs that you hear.
Susannah Melvoin and I
wrote the bulk of that record. We had not ever written a song
together. We had to find our groove and it took a minute to do that.
We love other and we fought like cats and dogs...We made each other
make a better record than we would have done (individually). That's
what being a band is: you make each other better. That's what I think
we do.
It took four years,
because, I was on tour most of the time. But, (it is) a great record.
I'm so proud of it.
If I could change...I
wouldn't change anything. Everything I've gone through has made me
who I am. I like who I am.
I wish I could change that
my mom wasn't more famous. She was pretty famous back home, but, she
was a world-class pianist.
Nothing for me. I'm
cool. I've done as much as I could ever want to do. I ain't done yet,
either. Plenty more to come. (Speaking in a deep voice) Stay tuned...
Click below for more
information on upcoming fDeluxe shows:
7 p.m. and 9 p.m., August 23, Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis
To make a pledge toward fDeluxe's Underneath the Covers album, click here.
To make a pledge toward fDeluxe's Underneath the Covers album, click here.
