Have you ever known someone who instantly knows the right words to say in any situation? I’m convinced that Bob Peek, a very talented singer/songwriter/musician from Belmont, CA, is one of those people, but in his case, those words are the lyrics for a song. “I probably have over 2,000 songs ready to go that I’ve written and have recorded myself or want to have recorded,” he told me when I talked to him recently. You can find some of those songs on his album, My Good Dog, A Doobie, And You, and when you do you’re going to smile because this album, for the most part, is just good fun to listen to.
While he calls the genre modern country pop, the title gives the nod to the “bad boys” like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, and others. I’d say where I grew up, Bob would have been known as a “good old boy” who just enjoys music and loves to share it with people who can appreciate it.
Bob calls what he does “The Bob Peek Thing” because he’s just doing his thing, which doesn’t necessarily fit into only one genre. He’s also in a group called The Collective that performs British Invasion, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and David Bowie. Oh, and Bob also loves Elvis and has written several songs inspired by Elvis’ style. And, if that isn’t enough, he also writes science fiction story songs and has two Sci-Fi musicals written and ready for a producer.
Musical Influences
Bob (pictured here with his dad) says growing up in his family was kind of like the TV show Leave It to Beaver but with Pall Mall cigarettes and Wild Turkey whiskey. Neither his mom or dad played a musical instrument, but he remembers his dad singing all of the classic country songs. “I would say I have music in my soul because my dad was always such a hard-working guy, but he always had a song on his heart and on his lips.” And, like his dad, Bob has been a concrete finisher his whole life.
Bob started playing the guitar when he was 19. “I’m pretty much self-taught. I’ve taken a few lessons to get my chops up in certain areas,” he admits. I grew up in Nashville, and as I told Bob, I remember country music people saying that someone had had some musical training but not enough to ruin them. Bob laughed and said that sounded about right to him.
And, speaking of Nashville, Bob tried it out for about a year. “I had my dreams of pushing my songs, but looking back, I was probably pretty naive at that point,” he says. “When you get down there, you realize that everybody that works at every hardware store and car wash is a fantastic musician or singer trying to break into the music business.”
“One of my songs almost made it onto an album being recorded by John Michael Montgomery who recorded the song ‘Wildfire.’ By then, I was corresponding with my future wife back in the Bay area. I was 25-years old and was homesick for my family and my girlfriend. I also wanted to start a family at some point, so it was time to go back home.”
About the Album
Bob goes back to Nashville from time to time, and this album was recorded there at Beaird Music Group, known as one of Nashville’s best recording studios. “On this album, I’m not actually playing any instruments or doing all of the singing. I wrote all of the songs, some in conjunction with others, but I produced it,” Bob says. He also invited some top Nashville performers to join the party: Adam Cunningham, Kaci Bolls, Jason Eustice, Kayliann Lowe, Matt Dame, Tania Hancheroff, Troy Johnson, Jenny Leigh Freeman, and Lisa Brokop.
Right from the first track, Bob’s lyrics caught my attention with the song, “The Devil I Know,” a fast-moving, foot-stomping fiddle tune with a driving rhythm and lyrics from the girl singer like, “Hey ho the devil I know, we’ve all heard about the apple tree, but I’m not Eve and I’m not naive. I know a lot more than you’d believe.”
Another favorite song for me on this album, and there are plenty, is “Love Don’t Lie,” a ballad Bob sings with a powerful steel guitar accompaniment. This one takes me back to the Ralph Emery Show, a long-running local daily television show that featured up-and-coming talent, as it could have been sung on there any day. Maybe you have to be from Nashville to get that, but this song is definitely a nostalgic look back to where country came from but with an updated twist.
And now that I’ve brought up the “n” word, nostalgic, there’s the song, “Singing Our Highway Song (Do Do Do).” Bob, did we grow up in the same place? For me, this is about a moonlit night and riding down the road in a pickup truck with a special guy. I can almost feel the heat and humidity and hear the crickets. The only thing you left out are the mosquitoes. There were always mosquitoes in the summer where I grew up.
The final song on the album called “Be a Child Again” is very personal to Bob as he wrote it about his mother when she was going through Alzheimer’s and becoming more childlike. The opening phrase is, “Be a child again, and we’ll watch over you like you did when we were very small.” It’s very traditional, almost a bluegrass song, and if you have had an elderly relative with Alzheimer’s, it’s hard not to shed a tear. “I would love to have Allison Krause do this song, and who knows, through connections and word of mouth, it could happen,” Bob says.
Additional Information
So what’s next for Bob now that the album is out? “Here was my goal with this album,” he says, “my biggest thrill is to have my music recorded by fantastic musicians and interpreted by fantastic singers.” Hey, Bob, I think you’ve more than reached that goal.
You can find more background information on the recording, listen to tracks, and purchase the album from Blue Coast Music here. While this is Bob’s first album, I don’t expect it to be his last. And, honestly, even if you aren’t a fan of country music, this album is well worth a listen. Don’t be surprised if it makes you laugh and shed a few tears.
