Biography and Resume
From his first moments of memory, Singer-songwriter Peter Spink has
heard
music. The son of an accomplished Ragtime pianist, Peter began playing piano at age five. By age thirteen he was on his way to mastering the guitar by routinely stealing the instrument from his sister's bedroom when she was not around. Composing music came naturally to him, and it wasn't long before Mr.
Spink began telling his own stories in song.
After earning a degree in English from Vassar College, Mr. Spink spent the next 10 years as a free-lance journalist. He had already begun honing his song-writing skills in high school, illegally driving the 45-minutes into NYC’s Greenwich Village clubs to perform his songs on open-mike nights. Once a journalist, he began performing around his work schedule and it wasn't long before Mr. Spink's music found a growing audience placing him on the folk circuit, touring coffeehouses, colleges and concert series.
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“Mr. Spink’s music is infused with optimism and the excitement of striking out upon new territory, new experiences...”
– The New York Times
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For Mr. Spink, it has been a 10-year road to Heartland, his fourth and latest release, which is strongly inspired by his years playing smaller venues as a duo with violinist Chris Tedesco. Sparsely orchestrated, Heartland is powerfully concentrated in its clean, wistful, evocative sound comprised only of violin, acoustic guitar, Hammond organ and voice. The songs are some of Mr. Spinks best storytelling to date.
Mr. Spink recorded Heartland on his own in the cavernous basement dining hall of a nearby 130-year-old Masonic Temple, taking more than two years to complete.
Heartland follows Mr. Spink’s widely acclaimed third release, Road Show: a collection of contemporary folk and roots-rock originals, honed over hundreds of outdoor summer concerts with his band. It was hailed as “an impressive compilation.” by the Sunday New York Times and earned him comparisons with The Dave Matthews Band from ELLE magazine.
Mr. Spink's second release, All There Is, features performances by friends Ellis Paul, Cathie Ryan and Annie Burns. "This recording,” Peter says, "tells of people at the crossroads, wrestling with their demons or regrets".
Scott McLennan of the Telegram & Gazette said of All There Is: “It’s adult fare but with a definite kick.”
Mr. Spink first CD entitled, Won't Be Denied, was produced by Scott Petito, features some of today's finest musicians including Leslie Ritter; Jay Ungar on fiddle and mandolin, and Randy Ciarlanti (of The Band fame) on drums.
The CD was embraced by radio stations across the country with more than 40 AAA stations adding a total of seven cuts to their playlists. Composer David Amram called Peter and the album, "A breath of fresh air to the industry."
Following the release of Won't Be Denied, Mr. Spink was recruited by Michael Lang to perform in Woodstock Reunion '94. He has since shared the stage with scores of well-known musicians, including John Prine, The Doobie Brothers, Iris Demente, and John Gorka.
Peter's “Feel the Heat Tour” seven summer tours were underwritten by international spicy food producer Chile Today - Hot Tamale, Peter's music to reach a larger audience. Of Peter's show, John Bates - Outta Sights & Sounds concerts organizer - writes "Peter is marked for greatness". The tour was such a success that it has become an annual summer event, now in its seventh year, encompassing about 40 shows in June, July and August.
Mr. Spink is the recipient of four Billboard Honorable Mention awards for song writing excellence. He has been awarded a national “Meet The Composer”
grant Spring 1999. Mr. Spink currently averages 75+ performances per year.
Mr. Spink resides with his wife and three children in Katonah, New York.
Resume
Booking and Radio Information
Selected Appearances:
Woodstock ’94 (Saugerties, NY)
Norwalk Oyster Festival (Norwalk, CT)
New Jersey Folk Festival (New Brunswick, NJ) River-to-River Festival (New York City) Lakes Country Folk Festival (IL)
The Rich Forum (Stamford, CT)
Outta Sights and Sounds (Heightstown, NJ)
The Minstral Coffeehouse (Basking Ridge, NJ)
The Joyous Lake (Woodstock, NY)
The Bull Run (Sherlie, MA)
The Lansdowne Folk Club (Lansdowne, PA) Emelin Theater (Mamarroneck, NY) Outpost in the Burbs (Montclair, NJ) The Ives Center (Danbury, CT) Cheney Hall (Manchester, CT) The Press Room (Portsmouth, NH) The Grey Goose (Londonderry, NH) Happy Endings (Syracuse, NY) Cafe Lena (Saratoga Springs, NY) Levitt Pavilion (Westport, CT) Café Carpe (Ft. Atkinson, WI) CBGB’s Gallery (NY NY) The Bitter End (NY NY) The Living Room (NY NY)
MAKOR (NY, NY)
The Tin Angel (Phili, PA)
The CAV (Providence, RI)
Club Passim (Boston, MA)
The Point (Phili. PA)
John & Peters (New Hope, PA)
The Night Eagle (Oxford, NY)
Johnny D’s (Somerville, MA)
The Turning Point (Piermont, NY)
The Towne Crier (Pawling, NY)
Andy’s (MD)
IOTA (Washington, DC)
Greene Hall (TX)
The Ginko Coffeehouse (St. Paul, MN)
Concerts at the Crossing (Ewing, NJ)
The Uptown Coffeehouse (Riverdale, NY)
Fast Folk Café (NY, NY)
Boodles Opera House (Chester, NY)
Peter has appeared with:
Bare Naked Ladies
Katie Curtis
Vance Gilbert
Sally Taylor
Martin Sexton
Eddie from Ohio
Cosy Sheridan
The Kennedys
Aztec Two Step
Susan Werner
Lucy Kaplansky
Steve Forbert
John Gorka
Cheryl Wheeler
Anne Murray
John Prine
David Wilcox
Dan Bern
The Bobs
Ray Willie Hubberd
Greg Kihn
Eric Anderson
Maggie and Suzzie Roche
Iris Dement
Loudon Wainwright III
The Doobie Brothers
The Moody Blues
Slaid Cleaves
David Massengill
Carrie Newcomer
Ellis Paul
Richard Shindell
Brooks Williams
Sloan Wainwright
Annie Gallup
Black 47
Holly Near
Vassar Clements
The Burns Sisters
Greg Greenway
Jack Hardy
Daves True Story
Selected Colleges and Universites
Cornell Univ.
Columbia Univ.
Univ of Il.
Drew Univ.
Univ. of VT.
Norwich Univ.
Johnson State College
Vassar College
Sarah Lawrence College
Acheivements
- Peter was one of 14 artists on “Public Domain” a compilation album
receiving a preliminary 2001 Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary Folk category.
- Completed nine outdoor band tours co-sponsored by international food
company Chile Today-Hot Tamale.
- DR Strings endorsed performer.
- Finalist – New Jersey Folk Festival ‘02 Peter is the recipient of a
- national Meet-The-Composer grant and four
Billboard Honorable Mention awards for songwriting excellence.
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