HARK!
I hear…a legend…
Payday, baby!
All I need is my money!
It’s payday, girl
And all I need is a little honey…
Happy birthday, Big Pete Pearson!
The underappreciated, living legend of the Phoenix blues scene’s birthday isn’t until Oct. 4, but the Westside Blues & Jazz–Big Pete’s regular spot–is throwing a party for him Saturday night, Sept. 24.
He’ll be turning…86!
Not even the pandemic slowed down this likable piece of living history.
“I'm back!!” he posted on his website on May 11, 2021.
“After this long pandemic I am fully vaccinated and ready to get back on stage.”
As a HARK Valley story last summer noted, the Westside Blues & Jazz club–located in a strip mall in north Glendale–was all ready to open in March of 2020…just as the pandemic hit. The club had to sit on the sidelines, until finally opening a year after the original plan.
Since then, Paul Vincent Perez and Cindi Jackson’s cozy spot has become a key venue on the Valley live music scene.
Big Pete fit right in, opening the blues joint and becoming a regular since.
"Big Pete has been awesome to work with at the club," Perez said.
"When we were preparing to open in April 2021, we wanted the best of the best to open for us. Who better than Big Pete Pearson!
"We have truly been blessed to have such a legend open our doors and one that continues to play twice a month and packs the house."
Saturday night, it’s time for another big payday for Big Pete, as the cover for his birthday party is $20. As usual, he’ll be backed by Scotty Spenner (lead guitar), Jim Robertson (rhythm guitar), Curt Arndt (bass) and Claire Griese (drums).
As you can see from this summer of 2019 video from a blues festival in Italy, Big Pete lets his band do the heavy lifting these days; but just hearing him add his soulful wailing to instrumentals is a fantastic buzz.
And when he sinks into the likes of Paycheck–the blues just doesn’t get any better. Big Pete can hang with John Lee Hooker, B.B. King and all the greats.
Big Pete has some serious island rhythm, as he was born in Kingston, Jamaica, before launching his career in Texas. He was raised by his grandparents in St. John’s Baptist community just outside Austin; his grandfather was a minister and his grandmother was a missionary.
Talk about a man who knows how to please a crowd: Big Pete was only 9 when he gave his first performance at a local bar.
Since coming here in the 1950s, Big Pete has been the anchor of the Phoenix blues scene–which was noted when he was inducted in the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame in 1995.
Like many greats, he is appreciated more far away: In Europe, such as at the Italian festival linked above, he plays with his European band, The Gamblers.
Over the years, some of his most popular albums have been One More Drink and I’m Here Baby. In 2009, he released The Screamer, followed by Choose in 2012 and Steppin’ Out two years later.
Show up Saturday and you’ll witness that–just like his song–he’s still got his Mojo Working.
And, as usual, he’ll be singin’ the blues…with a big grin.
As club owner Perez puts it:
"Big Pete Pearson is without a doubt Phoenix’s King of the Blues! Big Pete is simply the best blues singer and a good friend."