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THEN . . . |
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| Pete
Carlson’s music and ministry has always been about the
process of becoming all that God intends . . . the process
of forgiveness and all-encompassing grace. His personal style
is clear-cut and down to earth; a style that embodies vulnerability,
accessibility, and honesty. And, he expresses those qualities
through the gift of music. All
this began early in the life of Pete Carlson. Born in Bridgeport,
Connecticut and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Pete grew
up in a Christian home. His teen years proved especially formative,
giving numerous opportunities to perform his music. |
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high school, Pete became involved with Youth for Christ (YFC)
while singing in quartets, choral groups, and as a solo artist.
He finished 2nd in the National YFC Talent Competition as
a soloist and also as part of a four-man folk group. During
his college years at Taylor University, Pete began touring
as a solo artist throughout the Midwest and East Coast. And,
during his senior year, joined with five other artists to
form a YFC group that traveled around the world for three
months, singing and ministering on several continents. |
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| Following
graduation, Pete traveled with a Philadelphia-based group
as a singer/guitarist. After a year or so, though, Pete returned
to Indiana and received a Master’s degree in Student
Personnel Administration in Higher Education. Although he
worked in that area for a brief time, the music and ministry
continued to pull at him and he moved forward with his own
solo music ministry in 1974. |
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In
concert, Pete uses his expertise on guitar and piano, interwoven
with his dry wit and warm sense of humor. His winsome style
is equally refreshing and is, by no means, about easy, simple,
formulas to walk through this life.
For
the next 16 years, Pete traveled and ministered throughout
North America, made several South African tours, and continued
to hone his writing skills. His first record in 1974 was
an independent project, Jesus, Your Name; followed
by three under the Tempo/Chrism label -You Were There,
Hideaway, and Off the Beaten Path.
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| In
1982, Word Records offered Pete a record deal and he was blessed
to be teamed up with an up-and-coming producer/writer by the
name of Keith Thomas (Amy Grant, Vanessa Williams, Whitney
Houston). Their co-writing and collaborative creative effort
produced widely-acclaimed releases in the CCM marketplace:
Dreamer’s Dream and Child of the Heavenly.
Pete’s last album project was Living in the Name
of Love, produced by Mark Baldwin, a much-heralded Nashville
session guitarist and producer. Mark and Pete co-wrote the
majority of songs on the album. |
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| Today,
Pete and his wife, Cherryl live in a small suburb of Nashville
and have three grown children. Pete continues to be involved
with songwriting and represents other writers through
his two publishing companies-Matters Most Music (ASCAP)
and Nextense Music (BMI). |
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| Carlson
Music Management, Inc. was created in 2005 and is a
company that provides licensing services, clearance,
and music supervision (film and television) for various
clients. Also, as part of CMM, Inc., Pete acts as the
representative for music publishers desiring to sell
their copyrights/song catalogs and acts as the “realtor”
for their intellectual property.
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| Over
the years, Pete’s songwriting has found new “homes”
with artists such as CeCe Winans, Joy Williams, GLAD,
Sandi Patty, Take 6 among many others. Also choirs and
choral groups around the world are singing Pete’s
songs published by Word, Lillenas, Hal Leonard, Worship
Today, LifeWay Worship Music Group, and others.
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For the
last 30+ years, Pete has been involved with music and ministry
and is always looking for new ways to spread the Word.
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