Blues From the Age of Five

In a live performance from Jazz à Vienne Festival 2009 Lucky Peterson (guitar and vocals), with Noel Johnston (2nd guitar) play “Dead Cat On The Line.”

Lucky Peterson’s father, bluesman James Peterson, owned a nightclub in Buffalo called The Governor’s Inn. The club was a regular stop for fellow bluesman Willie Dixon. Dixon saw a five-year-old Lucky Peterson performing at the club and, in Peterson’s words, “Took me under his wing.” Months later, Peterson performed on The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show and What’s My Line?. Millions of people watched Peterson sing “1-2-3-4”, a cover version of “Please, Please, Please” by James Brown. At the time, Peterson said “his father wrote it”. Soon he recorded his first album, “Our Future: 5 Year Old Lucky Peterson,” for Today/Perception Records and had an appearance on the show “Soul!” on public television.

As a teen, Peterson studied at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, where he played the French horn with the school symphony. Soon, he was playing backup guitar and keyboards for Etta James, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and Little Milton.

Today, Peterson lives in Dallas, Texas. He still tours, but says he spends an increasing amount of time playing music for his church.

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