About the Petersons

  Although she began playing the piano at age three, Jeanne Arland Peterson did not take a formal lesson until she was 15—shortly before she had her first paying gig. From then on, her career as a pianist/vocalist was on star trajectory, her approach heavily influenced by the great Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. She spent 22 years performing on WCCO radio as well as around town on club stages and in recording studios. She was the organist for the Minnesota Twins from 1969-71, and built a resume that included work with Perry Como, Bob Hope, Diahann Carroll, Sonny Stitt, Roy Eldridge, Bud Shank, and George Benson. Along with Judy Garland, Jeanne is one of only two women in the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, and two Minnesota governors—Rudy Perpich and Arne Carlson—declared days in her honor. Additionally, Jeanne was the first woman to receive the prestigious Arts Midwest Jazz Masters Award for excellence in jazz musicianship (1997). In 2005 she was named a Minnesota Jazz Legend at the KBEM Winter Jazz Festival and, in 2009, she was inducted into the Mid-American Music Hall of Fame. Jeanne recently celebrated her 90th birthday with a family tribute at the Old Log Theater.

  Jeanne’s daughter Patty Peterson has received the Minnesota Music Award seven times for Best Female Vocalist and Best Group, and for Best Jazz Recording for her debut CD, The More I See You. In addition to her singing career and three solo recordings, she has worked as an actress, print ad model, and national anthem singer, and, for seven straight years, was the number one female radio personality on WCCO radio. Patty recently launched “The Playroom,” 4-6 p.m. Sundays on KBEM radio. Said Jon Bream (Minneapolis Star Tribune), “She can cover anything from Chaka Khan to Cole Porter with equal authority, exhibiting star quality and drive!” Watch for a new recording this fall.

  Daughter Linda Peterson began singing on radio, television and in commercials at the tender age of two. For more than two decades, she has toured internationally as a pianist and vocalist, recording two CDs in Copenhagen and another in the U.S. She might be best known for her original composition, “Too Late to Leave Early.” A performance at the famed Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles garnered raves in the LA Times; critic Don Heckman noted that “Her voice has an appealingly burry, late-night edge, and her phrasing is rich with blues-tinged melodic alterations. Equally important, she sings with great respect for both music and lyrics.”

  Son Billy Peterson sang in commercials with sister Linda at age nine and played bass and drums in his father’s ensembles while in junior high. He played in a variety of combos and big bands throughout his high school years, including a summer tour with the Righteous Brothers and a stint with the Lawrence Welk All-Stars. After graduation, Billy played three years with Billy Wallace (Clifford Brown’s pianist) and co-founded the band Natural Life with saxman Bob Rockwell. He has recorded with Leo Kottke and performed or recorded with BB King, Johnny Smith, Lenny Breau, and the late Les Paul. In 1975, he appeared on Bob Dylan’s acclaimed Blood on the Tracks, and a few years later began a long-standing collaboration with Ben Sidran, which led to his ongoing work with the Steve Miller Band.

And there will be more Petersons on hand when Minnesota’s First Family of Music takes us for a ride through the Gershwin songbook on Sept. 25. For tickets ($20; and $17, seniors and TCJS members), contact the Box Office at (952) 563-8575. Schneider Theater is located in the Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 W. Shakopee Road, Bloomington.