So which Peter King is it?
No, he's not the Nigerian Afrobeat star, the famous sports writer or the Republican Congressman from Long Island. This particular Peter King is a Pittsburgh-based performer, songwriter and guitar teacher with two CDs and numerous gigs to his credit. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called his CD “The Road to Ubatuba” “Jazzy, easy-going acoustic folk-pop in the vein of vintage James Taylor and Paul Simon.” The Beaver County Times said of “Dancing on a Long Leash,” "King has brought a fresh approach to the city’s singer-songwriter scene, with an accessible style that encompasses blues, jazz and Brazilian rhythms.”
King grew up in Philadelphia where he began playing guitar at the age of 4. In Pittsburgh, he earned an M.M. in guitar performance from Duquesne University, studying with Marty Ashby, John Wilson and Bill Purse.
King's live shows run the gamut from melodic, insightful originals to fleet instrumentals to artful reworkings of songs by Paul Simon, Robert Johnson and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Many of Pittsburgh’s well-known musicians have shared the stage with King and his Band of Fast Friends, including Marc Reisman, Mark Perna, Don Aliquo Sr. and Tim Menees.
In 2018, King had the honor of participating in the four-night debut of Steve Hackman's arrangements of Bob Dylan songs with the Mendelssohn Choir at Pittsburgh's Mr. Smalls. On Feb. 9, King is looking forward to performing in the Belle Voci choir's "All You Need is Love" Beatles extravaganza at East Liberty Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, featuring guest choirs, rock band and soloists.
King spent several years writing about pop and jazz for The Pittsburgh Press and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette before he took the plunge into playing and teaching music full-time. "Reviewing concerts and doing phone interviews eight days a week was a bit like writing about the dating scene without getting to participate," King remembers. "I realized I had way more fun with my hands on a guitar than typing at a computer terminal."
Nevertheless, King still draws on his journalism background to give music lectures/demonstrations on The Beatles, Bob Dylan, James Taylor and Paul Simon.
To find out what this particular Peter King is up to, sign up for his mailing list and check out his recordings, videos and radio performances on this Website. Enjoy, and feel free to send him an e-mail.
Stephen Foster Memorial Hall, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Colleges
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts
Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
Immaculata College, Immaculata, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County Community College, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania
Widener University, Chester, Pennsylvania
Festivals
Aliquippa Embraces Art, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Arts on Ellsworth, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Beaver County Riverfest, Pennsylvania
Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Market Square Noontime Concerts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Robin Hill Concerts in the Park, Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Run Around the Square, Regent Square, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Shadyside Summer Arts Festival, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Smoky City Folk Festival, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
USX Tower Noontime Concerts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Art Galleries
Gallerie Chiz, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Clubs/Restaurants/Hotels/Coffeehouses
Andorra, Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania
Around-the-Bend Tavern, Glenside, Pennsylvania
Backstage Bar, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Barnes & Noble, Devon, Pennsylvania
Barnes & Noble, Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Bloomfield Bridge Tavern, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Borders, Beachwood, Ohio
Borders, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
Borders Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Borders, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Borders, Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania
Borders, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Borders Langhorne, Pennsylvania
Borders, Kenny Road, Columbus, Ohio
Borders, Sawmill Road, Columbus, Ohio
Borders, Marlton, New Jersey
Borders, Monroeville, Pennsylvania
Borders, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Borders, Princeton, New Jersey
Borders, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
Club Cafe, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coca Cafe, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Graffiti, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Hotel Indigo (Wallace's Taproom), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Longvue Country Club, Verona, Pennsylvania
La Prima Espresso, Downtown, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
La Prima Espresso, Strip District, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Red-Eye Tavern, Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Rivers Casino, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Rosebud, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Seven Springs, Pennsylvania
Square Café, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Starbucks, Sewickley, Pennsylvania
Starlite Lounge, Blawnox, Pennsylvania
Tavern in the Wall, Aspinwall, Pennsylvania
Downunder Coffeehouse, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Libraries
Cooper-Siegel Community Library, Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania
Shaler North Hills Library, Shaler, Pennsylvania
Oakmont Carnegie Library, Oakmont, Pennsylvania
South Park Library, South Park, Pennsylvania
House Concerts
Resaca Place House Concerts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Squirrel Hill House Concerts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Radio
Gene Shay’s Folklore, WXPN-FM, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Saturday Light Brigade, WRCT-FM, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Kyle Smith’s Local News spotlight, WYEP, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania