Pete Peters and the Rhythmakers - Dizzy (Dixie 45-836), 1960
Pete Peters' trademark was rocking up bluegrass and folk standards, though he maintained a bluegrass feel in most of his recordings due to the presence of a banjo. His most cherished cut is his reworking of the bluegrass classic "Rolling In My Sweet Baby's Arms", which he titled "Rockin' 'N My Sweet Baby's Arms", which appeared on several rock'n'roll reissue compilations since the 1980s. It is hard to come by information on Peters. The great amount of men named or nicknamed Pete Peters makes it hard to research anything at all. Here's my humble try.
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| Pete Peters promo picture This photo has been used a few times, including in one of the Buffalo Bop reissues' booklets |
Raymond Carl "Pete" Peters, Jr., was born on August 7, 1933, in Reidsville, North Carolina, to Raymond Carl, Sr., and Eva Wilkins Peters. Peters remained a lifelong resident of his birth place Reidsville.
Peters was active as a musician in the Virginia-North Carolina border region. Obviously drawn to old folk standards, as his discography reveals, his first recordings were in a different style, though.
He made his debut in 1957 for the Virginia based P&J label, releasing "Wig-Walk" b/w "Teen-Age Love Affair" (#100) with his band, the Rhythmakers. While the A side was a fine saxophone driven jiver, its flip was an almost doo-wop like ballad. A similar disc followed in 1958, comprising "Fanny Brown" and "Mean Woman", again with the Rhythmakers and vocal support by a group known as the Five Notes.
In 1960, Peters changed his style to what became his trademark. He took the old bluegrass classic "Rolling In My Sweet Baby's Arms", rocked it up with adjusted lyrics, and recorded it as "Rockin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms". He sent in the tapes to Starday's custom pressing division and got back probably 500-1000 copies of the disc. Its flip side was occupied by a song called "Dizzy", a bluesy Peters original that bears some similarity with Jimmy Reed's "Ain't That Lovin' You, Baby".
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| Billboard April 24, 1961, pop review "Limited Sales Potential" |
Peters recorded at least another two 45rpm discs, "I've Got That Blue and Rainy Day Feelin'" b/w "Just Give Me One More Chance with You" (New Artist #100), for which different sources give three different release dates: 1965, 1968 and 1970. Peters probably also recorded on Shamrock in 1968.
Apparently, no more records saw release by Peters afterwards. He continued to perform country music, bluegrass, and rhythm & blues regionally with the Rhythmakers. His obituary stated that Peters made appearances on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" and the Grand Ole Opry as well and performed with such big names as Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Roy Acuff, Willie Nelson, and Roger Miller.
Pete Peters passed away on March 17, 1999, at the age of 65 years in Reidsville. He is buried there at Reidlawn Cemetery.
If someone knows more about his career, feel free to contact me.
P&J 101: Pete Peters / The Rhythmakers with the Five Notes - Fanny Brown / Mean Woman (1958)
Dixie 45-836: Pete Peters & the Rhythmakers - Rockin' N My Sweet Baby's Arms / Dizzy (1960)
Lance 002: Pete Peters - Rocking Banjo / Blue Heartaches (Apr. 1961)
Dixie 1096: Pete Peters - Red Wing / Wig Walk (1964)
Dixie 1098: Pete Peters - Barbara Allen / Little Rosewood Casket & Red Wing (Nov. 1964)
New Artist 100: Pete Peters - I've Got That Blue and Rainy Day Feelin' / Just Give Me One More Chance with You
Shamrock 505: Pete Peters with the Marlen Playboys - In a World All My Own / From the Bottom of My Heart (1968)
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