Getting to Know. . . PETER CASE
 by Kathy S-B  ·  18 June 2007

Why isn’t Peter Case more well known than he is? It beats me. Here’s a guy who has had a long career, has written some fantastic songs, and is revered by fellow songwriters as a songwriter’s songwriter. And as if that isn’t enough, he tells fantastic tales in concert. Part yarn-spinner, part-musician.

If you’re up on your music history, you may recall that Peter was a member of the Plimsouls in the late 1970s and early 80s but it’s his solo acoustic work that I’m here to recommend today. Particular favorites: “Beeline” and “Full Service No Waiting.” Go check out his website and see what he’s been up to for the past couple of decades! Be prepared to spend a lot of time because there’s plenty to get acquainted with. Here’s a video of Peter performing “PayDay,” which he mentions in the interview below.

Peter’s the real deal and if you ever have the chance to see him perform, do so!

You have a new CD being released in August called “Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John.” Tell us about it. Are the songs inspired by Sleepy John Estes?

It’s not a blues album. But it is a solo album, in the true style of my favorite solo records, where it’s all about the songs and singing, and the guitar is the band: I’m thinking of folk records of the early 60’s and 70’s. Sleepy John Estes is a hero of mine, back to my street-singer days. I love his soulful singing and original lyrics, and I think he is among the greatest of ‘blues poets.’

Do you or have you ever covered Sleepy John tunes? Did you ever have the chance to see him perform?

I never saw him play. I recorded his ‘So Glad You’re Mine’ on my album ‘Peter Case Sings Like Hell’ back in 1993. His album ‘Broke And Hungry’ on Delmark Records fell into my hands in 1973 and turned my head around, especially regarding the power of acoustic music.

Avalon Blues, the compilation that you produced to honor Mississippi John Hurt a few years ago was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk recording. This CD exposed a whole younger audience to the greatness of John Hurt. How did you first get into John Hurt’s music?

I was looking for something as a teenager in Buffalo New York, I was 14 years old, kind of freaked for various reasons, and I was searching. I found John Hurt’s “Today” album in the public library and put it on. The very deep but quiet groove of his guitar, the lyrics of “Payday” (escaping from the hounds on his back, out to the shanty…) caught my imagination. I could tell right away that here was someone coming from a whole world of trouble (Mississippi for a black person in the early 60’s) but he had strength, humor, so much soul. Also, great song sense. It really is one of the greatest albums of songs, ever. I was the only kid I knew that was into it, and it took quite a while to figure out how to play any of it. Years.

You’ve just published your first book (As Far As You Can Get Without a Passport). It’s the first installment in several volumes of your autobiography and discusses your early days on the road as a busking musician in San Francisco. John Doe says in the Introduction that this book is much more than a glorified bohemian On the Road nostalgia trip. That’s a good thing. What did you want to convey in this book? Have your fans wanted to read about your early adventures?

Above all I wanted to convey a vivid picture of life. Just the feeling being young and alive, adrift in the world, taking it as it comes. These are stories I’ve had in my mind for years now, and have told to many people. John Doe told me that I should write a book, and I did. I’d thought of it before, but I wasn’ t sure I could. I have a website where I write a log (petercase.com) (the pcblog) and a couple of years there, and writing emails got me in shape for it.

Also, it’s a tale of music and life in a world so different from this one: no internet, cell phones. The peer groups’ relations to music was so different. I wasn’t out to have a career. I just wanted to play. And I lived day to day, on the streets.

You know, a lot of people are surprised to find out what kind of life I’ve come from. So, fans have found it interesting, it seems.

After seeing you in concert this fall and hearing your story about your late-night visit to the White House with an ardent fan with “connections,” I can’t wait until that volume comes out. It’s such a great story that you should consider issuing an audio version of it.

Well, there is a live bootleg type recording we’re considering of putting out, one of these days. That is a wild story. it was hard to believe as it was happening, just one of those real strange shots…

You’ve had an interesting career path going from street troubadour to recording some terrific music with the Plimsouls (“A Million Miles Away” is a classic!) and then becoming a most revered singer-songwriter. You really do have a reputation as one of the best by so many musicians which is obvious with the THREE-CD collection, “A Case of Case.” What was your reaction the first time you heard these songs performed by musical colleagues like John Prine, Peter Mulvey, Joe Ely, Kim Richey, and Chris Smither. Did you have anything to do with the selection of these musicians?

That record blew me away, it was just so nice to hear all these people sing my tunes. I learned a lot from it, digging the approaches they took. Now, John Prine’s track ‘Space Monkey,’ was a song we co-wrote, that he also released on his album:Live On Tour. I love John, and it was great to be able to work with him, and just see how he does things. Joe Ely is one of my all time favorites, Smither is a Zen Master of music, I’ve learned a lot from his whole way of touring. He’s really got it down. Peter Mulvey, of course, is a friend, I run into him every so often on the road, for example, we spent some time gigging up in Alaska together. I love what he does.

The guy who put the record together asked me a couple of questions, but I don’t really feel I had much to do with it. But, like I said, it really blew my mind. Chris Smither and James McMurtrey each put their cuts on their own albums as wel. . . it’s great to see your songs getting out there like that.