Peter Ivers

For the Irish republican revolutionary, see Peter Ivers (United Irishmen).
Not to be confused with Peter Ivars.
Peter Ivers
Background information
Birth namePeter Scott Rose
Born(1946-09-20)September 20, 1946
Illinois, U.S.
DiedMarch 3, 1983(1983-03-03) (aged 36)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, composer, television personality, disc jockey

Peter Scott Ivers (born Peter Scott Rose, September 20, 1946 – March 3, 1983) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and television personality.[2] He was the host of the experimental music television show New Wave Theatre. Despite Ivers never having achieved mainstream success, biographer Josh Frank has described him as being connected by "a second degree to every major pop culture event of the last 30 years."[3]

A native of Brookline, Massachusetts, Ivers' primary instrument was the harmonica, and at a concert in 1968, Muddy Waters referred to him as "the greatest harp player alive."[4] After migrating to Los Angeles, Ivers was signed by Van Dyke Parks and Lenny Waronker to a $100,000 contract as a solo artist with Warner Bros. Records in the early 1970s. His albums Terminal Love (1974) and Peter Ivers (1976) sold poorly, but later earned a cult following.[5] He made his live debut opening for the New York Dolls, and shared concert bills with such acts as Fleetwood Mac and John Cale.[6]

Ivers scored the 1977 David Lynch film Eraserhead and contributed both songwriting and vocals to the piece "In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)".[7] Later in his career, he wrote songs that were recorded by Diana Ross and the Pointer Sisters.[5]

In 1983, Ivers was murdered under mysterious circumstances, and the crime remains unsolved.[8]

  1. ^ a b Bloom, Madison (November 15, 2019). "Becoming Peter Ivers". Pitchfork.
  2. ^ "Peter Ivers". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-10-12.
  3. ^ Sclafani, Tony (September 9, 2008). "Josh Frank on Peter Ivers, Murder & 'New Wave Theatre'". The Washington Post.
  4. ^ Frank & Buckholtz 2008, pp. 69–70.
  5. ^ a b The Guardian article: "The 101 strangest records on Spotify: Peter Ivers – Terminal Love"
  6. ^ Frank & Buckholtz 2008, pp. 25–26.
  7. ^ Frank, Josh (August 6, 2008). "A Meeting of the Strange Minds: Peter Ivers, David Lynch and Devo". Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  8. ^ Wengrofsky, Jeffrey (September 9, 2008). "Following the Bunny Slippers Down the Rabbit Hole". Coilhouse Magazine.