Alice Peacock

Chicago singer/songwriter Alice Peacock was immersed in performing at an early age. Her grandfather Fritz Gnass was an actor in Germany, appearing in many films including Fritz Lang's M; her grandmother was a cabaret composer; her father acted in repertory theater in the 1960s; and her mother acted in film and television. Growing up in a big family, Peacock was exposed to diverse musical styles; she listened to one sister's '70s hard rock and another sister's country-rock, as well as her mother's <a href="spotify:artist:0MHgLfmQdutffmvWe5XBTN">Burl Ives</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6kACVPfCOnqzgfEF5ryl0x">Johnny Cash</a> records. While attending college at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI, she joined the university jazz band and also performed with a cover band and did some jingle work. It was during this period that <a href="spotify:artist:64tNsm6TnZe2zpcMVMOoHL">Alice</a> discovered a passion for classic jazz, blues, and standards; she also found herself interested in folk and bluegrass. After college, she moved to San Francisco and sang backup vocals with an R&B band called <a href="spotify:artist:5yJOYR9BU0H9PtdiNjKZKU">E.C. Scott and Smoke</a>; however, she felt musically stifled and moved to Chicago. After several failed attempts to put a band together, Peacock started playing by herself and composing her own highly personal material, drawing inspiration from <a href="spotify:artist:5hW4L92KnC6dX9t7tYM4Ve">Joni Mitchell</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:319yZVtYM9MBGqmSQnMyY6">Carole King</a>. It's difficult to label Peacock a folk, rock, or country performer, since she is really a bit of everything. She released her debut CD, Real Day, on her own label, Peacock Music, in early 1999; strong word-of-mouth and favorable press led to the album being picked up for wider distribution in 2000 by Aware/Columbia. She made her major-label debut in 2002 with a self-titled effort that found <a href="spotify:artist:2MWKhzU2iggdtLs4xLTqrP">John Gorka</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0hEurMDQu99nJRq8pTxO14">John Mayer</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4wM29TDTr3HI0qFY3KoSFG">Indigo Girl</a> <a href="spotify:artist:5XXzbirPMlmi5sXeHUHX6F">Emily Saliers</a> making guest appearances. In 2006, the ambitious album Who I Am found her back on Peacock Music, but this time in cooperation with the major label Universal. ~ Kristen Sohacki, Rovi