Megan Peeler: My Favorite Country Music Singer

        Johnny’s Music Store is our local music hangout.  (The old timers still call it Johnny’s Jewelry and Pawn)  It is a good place to relax.  They have a fine easy chair right next to the Martin guitars.  Sometimes I’ll take a nap there at lunch. They know my schedule and always wake me up in time to make afternoon office hours. 

        One day a new young lady bounced in.  Johnny pulled her aside.  “Hey, Megan, you need to meet Dr. B.  He’s our local music critic.  Plays mandolin with Neuse River.  He’s the gray haired one over in the easy chair by the Martins.”

        She walked over and Johnny introduced us.  “Doctor B, this is Megan Peeler.”

        “Nice to meet you sir.”   This was a country kid with a nice southern drawl.  We shook hands.

        “You need to go catch her show, Doc.”  Johnny said.

        “Where you playing, kid?”

       “Over at the college for the Poultry Association.”

        “They gonna have good food?”

        “The best.  I played it last year.”

       “O.K.  Sure.  I’ll come by.”

        When she left I turned to Johnny asked, “Can she sing?”

        “Dang right she can, Doc.  Won the Colgate  Country Showdown.”

       “The national contest?”

        “Yep.”

        “Wow.  I reckon she can.”  With those credentials, it didn’t take much for John to convince me this was a must see artist.

        Still, even with the heads up I was unprepared for the energy of her performance.  This was a cute kid, but far more than just a new girl singer.  She had a powerful voice.  The show was a mix of both country classics and her original compositions.  She played guitar and keyboards.  Not but a minute into the show I fished around for a pen and began to take notes on a program.  

         In spite of her young age, Ms. Peeler was already a skilled performer who connected with her audience right away.  Pretty soon, the old folks smiled and the young ones danced.  From a musician’s perspective it was clear she had more than than an informal background.  As it turned out she was a magna cum laude grad in Music Therapy from Appalachian State University, so she had plenty of formal music education.

        We got a chance to chat afterwards.  I was impressed this was a young lady who was not so much into the star mentality but one who loved music.  For Megan, music is a medium for human communication.  She was all about a good show, but also interested in composition, theory, harmony structure, and the power of music to heal.  I told her I played the nursing home circuit and she said she had enjoyed doing some shows like that in her journey.  She engaged her audience and addressed the crowd like she was playing a church picnic, but at the same time was a very serious artist. 

        It brought to mind Wayne Benson’s thoughts on John Cowan.  Wayne toured with Cowan a couple years and he said the man always wanted to entertain to the best of his ability. (which is considerable)  If they had a disappointing turn-out Cowan never let up.  He’d say “we can make eighty just as happy as eighty thousand.”  Megan Peeler strikes me as a pro like that too.

        It has been a while since I’d thought about Megan, but there was an article in our local paper today that she’d landed a gig on national television.  She’s gonna sing the National Anthem in Atlanta to open a NASCAR race.  Way to go Megan.  Folks, if Doc mangled the Star Spangled there’d be a revolution to change songs.  (or at least artists)  It takes a real singer to tackle that one, but Megan can do it.

        We never forgot her around here after she came through and did that Poultry Association gig.  If they tell you at Johnny’s Music a new artist is worth your time to go hear you can count on it, and Megan is all that and more.  Y’all look for her on national T.V.  One of these days if I am in Nashville on a book promo I’m gonna see if she’ll sit in with me and sing a tune at the book store.  Her venues grow bigger every year, and by then the young folks might mob the place.  But I suspect Megan Peeler is gonna stay down to earth regardless of how far her star rises.

        And by the way, if Megan Peeler says the Poultry Association can cook up some mean chicken take her word for it; it was good.

        Look for her her on the Cable Speed Channel Atlanta NASCAR race this Saturday, March 7th at 1:30.

        Her web site :   www.myspace.com/meganpeelermusic

Dr. B

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