Editing Peter Case

{{short description|American singer-songwriter}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2009}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| image = Peter Case at McCabe's, 2008.jpg
| caption = Peter Case at McCabe's, 2008
| name                = Peter Case
| background          = solo_singer
| birth_name          = 
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1954|4|5}}
| birth_place         = [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], [[New York (state)|New York]], United States
| origin              =
| death_place         =    
| instruments         = Vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, organ, bass
| genre               = Rock and roll, blues, [[folk rock]]
| occupations          = Singer-songwriter, guitarist
| years_active        = 
| label               = [[Geffen Records|Geffen]], Vanguard Records, Alive/Naturalsound, [[Yep Roc Records|Yep Roc]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yeproc.com/ |title=Yep Roc Records |publisher=Yeproc.com |access-date=2012-09-17}}</ref>
| associated_acts     = [[The Nerves]], [[The Plimsouls]]
| website             = {{URL|petercase.com}}
}}

'''Peter Case''' (born April 5, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His career is wide-ranging, from rock n' roll and blues, to [[folk rock]] and solo acoustic performance.

==Biography==

===Early career===
Case was born in [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], New York and lived in nearby [[Hamburg, New York]]. He wrote his first song "Stay Away," in 1965, at the age of eleven.  A veteran of several rock bands and the local bar scene as a teenager, Case dropped out of high school when he was fifteen (he would later earn a GED), and after several years of traveling arrived in 1973 in [[San Francisco]], where he performed as a street musician. During this period a documentary about the local music scene, ''Nightshift,'' directed by Bert Deivert, captured the young Case on film. In 1976, he teamed up with [[Jack Lee (musician)|Jack Lee]] and [[Paul Collins (musician)|Paul Collins]] to form the early punk-era band [[The Nerves]] in San Francisco. The group's 1976 EP track, "[[Hanging on the Telephone]]", was later recorded by [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]].

The Nerves moved to [[Los Angeles]] on January 1, 1977, and played and promoted some of the first punk-era shows in that city, performing at [[The Masque]], and the [[Whisky a Go Go]], among other venues. They toured nationally in 1977, the first independent band of their era to do a national tour, as they opened shows for the [[Ramones]], and [[Mink DeVille]], and performed on co-bills with [[The Nuns]], [[Devo]], and [[Pere Ubu]].

After the Nerves broke up in 1978, Case formed the rock n' roll band [[The Plimsouls]] in 1979. The Plimsouls became one of the top drawing live bands in [[California]] soon after the release of their debut EP "Zero Hour" on the [[Beat Records]] label in 1979. They grew in popularity and had two major label albums, the first on [[Planet Records|Planet]]/[[Elektra Records|Elektra]] in 1981, and the next on [[Geffen Records]], in 1983. In 1982, "A Million Miles Away"  was released as a 12" single, on the Shaky City/[[Bomp! Records|Bomp!]] label, and became the band's signature song. It was a radio hit in California, and some other regions of the U.S. It eventually charted at number 82 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. Their songs "A Million Miles Away," "The Oldest Story in the World," and "Everywhere At Once" were included in the movie ''[[Valley Girl (1983 film)|Valley Girl]]'' (1983), but by the time that movie had become a cult favorite, the group had broken up.

Case briefly performed with [[Gurf Morlix]], [[Victoria Williams]] (Case's first wife), and [[Warren Tornado Klein]] as the Incredibly Strung Out Band, but their collaboration never resulted in a record. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.marinij.com/2023/10/19/singer-songwriter-peter-case-returns-to-marin-from-a-million-miles-away/| title=Singer-songwriter Peter Case returns to Marin from 'A Million Miles Away' | date=October 19, 2023 |publisher=Marin.com|accessdate=2023-12-29}}</ref>

===Solo career===
[[File:Peter Case at Hopmonk Tavern in Novato California.jpg|thumb|Peter Case at Hopmonk Tavern in Novato California]]
Case struck out on his own with the self-titled album [[Peter Case (album)|Peter Case]] released in 1986 on [[Geffen Records]]. Produced by [[T Bone Burnett]] and [[Mitchell Froom]], the record included three songs co-written by Burnett and one by Victoria Williams, and also featured the talents of Williams, Morlix, Klein, [[Mike Campbell (musician)|Mike Campbell]] (of [[Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers]]), [[John Hiatt]], [[Jim Keltner]], [[Jerry Marotta]], [[Roger McGuinn]] (of [[The Byrds]]), and [[Van Dyke Parks]], among others. One of the songs on the album, "Old Blue Car," was nominated for a [[Grammy Award]]. [[Robert Palmer (American writer)|Robert Palmer]] chose the album as the No. 1 release for 1986 in his year-in-review wrap-up for ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>Palmer, Robert. "The Pop Life: Peter Case Heads a List of the Top Albums of 1986". ''[[The New York Times]]'', January 7, 1987.</ref>

In 1989, Case released a second solo album, ''The Man With the Blue Post-Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar,'' this time with the help of artists like [[David Hidalgo]] of [[Los Lobos]], [[Ry Cooder]], and [[Benmont Tench]]. While not a major commercial success, the album was a favorite of critics and other musicians: [[Bruce Springsteen]] told ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine that he was listening to Peter Case more than anyone else that year.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}}

In 1992, Case scored a radio hit with the song "Dream About You" which peaked at #16 on the U.S. ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' Modern Rock charts.<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p3852/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}} Billboard], [[AllMusic]]</ref> After a third album for Geffen, ''[[Six-Pack of Love]],''  Case recorded a live-in-the-studio album of cover versions of folk, blues, and country songs, ''Peter Case Sings Like Hell,'' which was released on Case's own Travelin' Light label. Case signed a contract with [[Vanguard Records]], and the record was re-released on that label in 1993. His next Vanguard record, ''[[Torn Again]],'' was issued in 1995, and features Case with a band including the rhythm section of [[Don Heffington]] and [[Jerry Scheff]], with [[Greg Leisz]] on guitar.

In 1996, the Plimsouls reunited for the first of several reunions. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Case continued to release albums as a solo performer, moving in an increasingly acoustic-oriented direction, and playing clubs and small venues. ''Torn Again'' was followed by ''[[Full Service No Waiting]]'' (1998), ''Flying Saucer Blues'' (2000), and ''Beeline'' (2002) all on Vanguard, in addition to ''Thank You St. Jude'' (2001), a self-released CD that featured David Perales on fiddle and background vocals. In a review of ''Flying Saucer Blues,'' critic [[Bill Wasserzieher]] declared, "I am convinced that nobody of Case's generation writes better songs or does better work in the tradition of Woody Guthrie."<ref>Wasserzieher, Bill. ''Blues Revue'', December 2000.</ref>

In 2004 Vanguard released ''Who's Gonna Go Your Crooked Mile,'' a compilation of tracks from his albums for the label, which also included two previously unrecorded songs, "Wake Up Call" and "My Generation's Golden Handcuff Blues". Both tracks gave evidence of Case's strongly held political convictions.

In the late 1990s, he curated the musical program for the [[Getty Museum]] in Los Angeles. In 2001, he organized, produced, and performed on ''Avalon Blues,'' a [[tribute album]] to [[blues music]] pioneer [[Mississippi John Hurt]], which was nominated for the 2002 [[Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album]]. Case also performed [[The Beatles|Beatles]] songs at the [[Hollywood Bowl]] with [[George Martin]]. Case's solo performances have featured his own compositions as well as covers of songs by [[Memphis Minnie]], [[Sleepy John Estes]], [[Bob Dylan]], [[Neil Young]], and others. He frequently conducts songwriting workshops in California, where he now resides, and in other locations.

In February 2006, [[Hungry for Music]], a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, released a three-disc tribute to Case, entitled ''A Case for Case;'' the set featured cover versions of Case's songs performed by various artists, including [[John Prine]], [[Susan Cowsill]], [[Joe Ely]], [[Dave Alvin]], [[Maura O'Connell]] and others.

In 2006 Case began posting on his blog sections of a memoir entitled ''As Far As You Can Get Without a Passport,'' which was subsequently issued in book form in January 2007 by Everthemore Books. The memoir covers Case's very early days from the time he left his native upstate New York and wound up singing and playing on the streets of San Francisco. This period inspired some of his most memorable songs, including "Entella Hotel "and "Travellin' Light." [[John Doe (musician)|John Doe]], co-founder of the Los Angeles punk band [[X (U.S. band)|X]], contributed an introduction to the book. Case has continued to write and post autobiographical additional material.

On December 6, 2007, Case's ''[[Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John]]'' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album. The record was produced by [[Ian Brennan (music producer)|Ian Brennan]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99290128|title=Peter Case On Mountain Stage|newspaper=NPR.org|access-date=2016-12-04}}</ref> The album featured "Every 24 Hours," a duet with [[Richard Thompson (musician)|Richard Thompson]] on harmony vocals and guitar, and "That Soul Twist," a duet with [[Merle Haggard]] pedal-steel man [[Norm Hamlet]].

In January 2009, Case underwent heart surgery, leading to fund raising efforts by other musicians to help defray his medical costs.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090309212312/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/03/04/rockers-rally-to-help-cover-nervesplimsouls-leader-peter-cases-medical-bills "Rockers Rally to Help Cover Nerves/Plimsouls Leader Peter Case’s Medical Bills"], ''Rock & Roll Daily'' (''[[Rolling Stone]]''), March 4, 2009 (retrieved May 1, 2009).</ref> Case's next project, ''Wig!'', a CD/LP  was released on June 29, 2010, by Yep Roc Records.  The record was an interpretation of electric blues, and featured [[D.J. Bonebrake]] on drums, and Memphis musician Ron Franklin on slide guitar and electric piano. Case and Franklin composed a number of the songs the day before the sessions, which lasted three days.

In 2012, ''The Case Files,'' a compilation of "studio out-takes, demos, and live shots,"  was released by [[Alive Naturalsound Records]]. This record included two 1985 demos made with T Bone Burnett, some spoken word pieces with music from a longer piece called ''Bomblight Prayer Vigil,''  and various other Case rarities.

In December 2014, Case went into the Carriage House studio in Los Angeles, and recorded ''HWY 62,'' an LP of new original songs, with a band including [[Ben Harper]] on lead guitar, D.J. Bonebrake of X, on drums, keyboardist Jebin Bruni, and bassist David Carpenter. The album was released in 2015.

September 2016 saw the re-release of his debut solo album expanded with 7 extra tracks.

In December 2019, Case went to The Old Whaling Church in Martha's Vineyard and recorded with producer Ron Franklin,''The Midnight Broadcast,'' a concept album of traditional and contemporary material featuring Cindy Wasserman (vocals), Bert Deivert (mandolin, drums), Lee Fortier (harmonica, vocals) Franklin (moog, maracas) and Ross Johnson (as the DJ). Mixed by Boo Mitchell at Royal Recorders in Memphis, the album was released in 2021.

==Reunion tribute tour==
In 2012, longtime musical partners Case and [[Paul Collins (musician)|Paul Collins]] announced a reunion tour paying tribute to their groups The Nerves, The Breakaways, The Beat and The Plimsouls. The touring band line-up for the Collins and Case tour was augmented by members of The Paul Collins Beat (Timm Buechler, bass, and [[Amos Pitsch]] of [[Tenement (band)|Tenement]], drums, and Tim Schweiger, a veteran musician). According to the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' Music Blog of March 22, 2012, the tour "fell apart" early due to "musical differences".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/03/nerves-plimsouls-reunion-peter-case-.html |title=Nerves fray on reunion tour, Peter Case continues minus Paul Collins |website=Latimesblogs.latimes.com |date=March 22, 2012 |access-date=2015-12-08}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|Peter Case discography}}

==Bibliography==
*''Bomblight Prayer Vigil.'' ''Verb'', Issue Two. 2006.
*''As Far As You Can Get Without a Passport.'' Everthemore. 2007.
*''Epistolary Rex,'' With David Ensminger. CreateSpace. 2011.
*''Somebody Told The Truth: Selected Lyrics and Stories.'' Boom & Chime Books. 2020.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Peter Case}}
*{{Official website|www.petercase.com}}
* {{AllMusic | id= peter-case-mw0000197263 | label= Peter Case}}
* {{discogs artist|408497-Peter-Case|Peter Case}}
*[http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/peter-case-paul-collins-of-the-nerves-2012-reunion-tour/ 2012 Peter Case & Paul Collins Tribute To The Nerves Reunion Tour press release announcement]

{{Peter Case}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Case, Peter}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American folk singers]]
[[Category:American harmonica players]]
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Record producers from New York (state)]]
[[Category:American rock songwriters]]
[[Category:American rock singers]]
[[Category:Musicians from Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:The Nerves members]]
[[Category:Fast Folk artists]]
[[Category:American folk rock musicians]]
[[Category:Alive Naturalsound Records artists]]
[[Category:People from Hamburg, New York]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from New York (state)]]