Andrew Peterson (musician)

Musical career

In 1996, Peterson began touring across America with his wife Jamie, and guitarist Gabe Scott. Peterson had yet to release a full-length album, and had no recording contract. Then one day, Caedmon's Call lead guitarist and vocalist Derek Webb came across his website, and was so impressed by the lyrics that he invited Peterson to open for his band at an upcoming show. The band enjoyed his performance and he was invited to join them on their 1998 tour.

This led to Peterson signing in 1999 with Watershed/Essential Records. His first full-length album, Carried Along was released in 2000. The album was listed on CCM Magazine's list of the Top 10 albums of 2000. It featured the top ten radio single, "Nothing to Say".

Peterson's second album, Clear to Venus released on September 11, 2001.

In 2003, Peterson released Love and Thunder. It featured Alison Krauss, Cliff Young and Randall Goodgame and was produced by Dove award-winning Christian music veteran, Steve Hindalong. Also in 2003, Peterson read narration for the audio version of Ray Blackston's novel Flabbergasted, and Caedmon's Call recorded "Mystery of Mercy", a song Peterson co-wrote with Randall Goodgame, for their album Back Home

In 2004, Peterson's song "Family Man", from the album Love and Thunder, was nominated in the category "Country Recorded Song of the Year" for the 35th Annual Dove Awards. Peterson also released a Christmas album, Behold the Lamb of God: The True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ. Since the holiday season of 2004, Peterson and a wide variety of fellow Nashville area musicians have gone on tour playing the songs from the album. Musicians involved in the tour include: Ron Block, Todd Bragg, Garett Buell, Cason Cooley, Sara Groves, Andrew Gullahorn, Phil Keaggy, Sandra McCracken, Bebo Norman, Fernando Ortega, Andrew Osenga, Eric Peters, Pierce Pettis, Jill Phillips, Gabe Scott, Ben Shive, Jason Gray, Matthew Perryman Jones, Brandon Heath, David Wilcox and Derek Webb. The tour culminates in an annual performance in Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.

In 2005, Peterson released The Far Country and Appendix A: Bootlegs and B Sides.

In 2006, Peterson worked with his friend Randall Goodgame to release Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies, a children's album. The album produced two tracks which were featured on the newest video in the best-selling Veggie Tales series called The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's. Peterson sang the song "Arise, Arise" on Songs from the Voice, Vol. 2: Son of the Most High, a compilation album produced by Don Chaffer of Waterdeep. That same year, Michael Card recorded Peterson's song "The Silence of God" for his album The Hidden Face of God. Peterson has appeared on Card's radio show on numerous occasions.

In 2007, Peterson independently released Appendix M: Media / Music / Movies, an EP containing live versions, original demos, and rarities. Later that year, Randy Travis recorded Peterson's "Labor of Love" for his 2007 Christmas album Home for the Holidays.

In July 2008, Peterson signed with the Christian label Centricity Music. On October 21, 2008, Peterson released Resurrection Letters, Volume Two, a collection of songs about what the resurrection of Jesus Christ means for people today. The album reached No. 9 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums.

In August 2010 Peterson released Counting Stars, which debuted at No. 7 in Billboard's Top Christian Albums. His single from the album, "Dancing in the Minefields", reached No. 13 on Billboard's Top Christian Songs chart and stayed on the chart for 19 weeks.

On August 24, 2012 Andrew released the album Light for the Lost Boy to critical acclaim, due to a fuller band sound which maintains his depth of lyrical content.

Writing

In 2007, Andrew Peterson published The Ballad of Matthew's Begats with illustrator Cory Godbey. It is a children's book based on the song of the same name from Peterson's annual Christmas show, Behold the Lamb of God: The True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ.

Peterson also wrote a four-book series of fantasy/adventure novels for young adults entitled The Wingfeather Saga published by Waterbrook Press, a subsidiary of Random House and Rabbit Room Press. The first novel, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, was released March 18, 2008. The second novel in the series, North! Or Be Eaten, winner of the 2009 Christie Award for Young Adult Fiction, was released August 18, 2009, and the third novel in the series, The Monster in the Hollows, was released in May 2011. The series concluded with The Warden and the Wolf King, and won the 2015 Clive Staples Award for Imaginative Fiction. This novel was funded successfully through Kickstarter in August 2013 and was released in July 2014.

Musical style

Peterson plays in the vein of a folk, rock, bluegrass, country, blues, and pop musician, while to a lesser extent rock and roll, where this enables him to play Christian pop, Christian rock, folk rock, roots rock, and country gospel styles and genres of music.

Personal life

The son of a pastor, Peterson spent his childhood in the rural farm town of Monticello, Illinois. Peterson's family relocated to Florida when he was seven. His parents originated from that state. After living outside of Jacksonville for a few years, his family settled in Lake Butler. Peterson graduated from Florida Christian College in 1997. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife and three children.

Singles

(Selective singles and videos)

Video

Books