Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, Peter
Mayer has been quietly and steadily building a fervent following
across the country, stepping outside his role as one of Jimmy Buffett's
Coral Reefers to front his own band, The Peter Mayer Group. Melding
a unique and eclectic writing style, a distinctive voice, and virtuoso
musicianship, Peter and his band create compelling and accessible music
that is electrifying in live performance.
Joining
Peter on stage are:
Scott
Bryan is a talented vocalist, percussionist and multi instrumentalist
who comes to the band after touring, recording and songwriting with
Sheryl Crow for the last five years. Scott has shared the stage with
an impressive array of performers from Sting to the Rolling Stones.
Chris
Walters, a New Orleans born pianist, has resided in Nashville since
1989, serving as music director for country music legend Barbara Mandrell
until her retirement in 1997. When not touring with his own group, Chris
performs and records as the keyboardist with various artists, including
the Jeff Coffin Mu'tet, Peter Mayer, and the country group Alabama.
He attended the Jazz Studies Program at Webster University in St. Louis
and was listed by them as a notable alumnus in a recent Downbeat magazine
article. His debut album, "Strange Fruit", was featured on
National Public Radio's Jazz South program.
The
Peter Mayer Group
boasts between them an extensive performing and songwriting portfolio
with experience in any number of styles from jazz to country rock to
classical. Recording under the name PM, Peter released his debut album
for Warner Brothers Records (WB no. 25751) in 1988. Working with Elliot
Scheiner (Steely Dan, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Hornsby) - this album produced
the single "Piece of Paradise," charting to number eight on
Billboard.
When Scheiner
was hired to produce Jimmy Buffett's Off to See the Lizard album, he
suggested that Jimmy use PM for the recording sessions. Buffett was
so impressed with their unique versatility as musicians and performers
that he quickly hired them as part of his own Coral Reefer Band, a successful
relationship that continues to date.
Peter's
life began in Tamilnadu, the far southern region of India, where his
parents served as missionaries for 17 years before returning to their
Missouri roots. Musical influences from that period of his life can
be heard in his playing. Peter recalls, "I can remember Indian
musicians giving Christmas concerts in my parents' house. Wildly playing
drums and flutes, shakers and bells, they would go on for hours and
hours." He went on to study formal theory and composition, and
to teach jazz guitar as a faculty member of Webster University.