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Peter Blecha

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Peter Blecha
Born
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Washington
Occupation(s)Historian, curator, essayist, author, musician

Peter Charles Blechais an American historian, curator, essayist, author, musician, and director of the Seattle-based Northwest Music Archives. He is primarily known for research related to aspects ofPacific Northwest musical history.In addition to his books, essays, and album liner notes, Blecha has also served in multiple consulting and curatorial positions.

Early life

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Blecha was raised in theBeacon Hillarea of Seattle. His family moved toOlympiain 1962, and at an early age he took piano and drum lessons. After graduating fromWinlock Miller High School,he returned to Seattle in 1974 to enroll at theUniversity of Washington,studying art history under Constantine Chrisfofides, art underJacob Lawrence,andNorthwest Coast artunderBill Holm.[1][2]

Career

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In the early 1970s, Blecha was active in the Olympia rock scene as a member of GodMother, Warbucks, and Valhalla, and later in Seattle with the Debbies, the Musical Chairs, conCordia disCors, and the Chains of Hell Orchestra.[3]

In 1983, he formed the Northwest Music Archives to document record labels from the Pacific Northwest and began 17 years of writing the "Northwest Music Archives" column in Seattle's music magazineThe Rocket.[4][5]

The following year his exhibit, "The History of Northwest Recording", was mounted at theSeattle Public Library's main branch utilizing his own collection and items from recording engineerKearney Barton.In 1987, he wrote and co-produced (with Mike Webb) a 10-hour special, "The History of Northwest Rock", forKVIradio, and in 1988 returned to the University of Washington to studymuseology.In 1990, Blecha began hosting the area's first all-Northwest oldies radio specialty show – "Tall Cool Ones" – onKCMU,[6]and also served on the Northwest Area Music Association's Hall of Fame Committee.[7]

In 1992, Blecha was hired as an archival consultant byMicrosoftfounderPaul Allenfor a specific project: the Jimi Hendrix Museum,[2][8]and served on the project's Planning and Design, Exhibit Development, and Concept Development teams. Over the following several years, the project's mission was expanded to include the Northwest's regional music history. Leading the curatorial department’s artifact acquisition effort, Blecha secured thousands of historic items while also conducting interviews with scores of rock stars and other music industry figures, earning a reputation as the "Indiana Jones of rock 'n' roll"[9]and the "archaeologist of Northwest rock"[10]for his work in locating important musical artifacts related to major rock artists and performances.[11]The museum opened in June 2000 as theExperience Music Project(EMP), now theMuseum of Pop Culture(MoPOP), with Blecha as a Senior Curator with three major inaugural exhibits: the "Jimi Hendrix Exhibit"; the "Northwest Passage Gallery" (about the history of Northwest music); and "Quest for Volume: A History of the Electric Guitar".[12]

In the following years, Blecha served in volunteer positions with theStone Age InstituteAdvisory Board, theAssociation for Recorded Sound CollectionsExcellence in Publication Committee, theNorthwest African American MuseumAdvisory Committee, and the Joint Artists and Music Promotions Action Committee (JAMPAC). He was also named as an Ambassador for theSeattle CenterFoundation's Next 50 history committee.[13]

In 2001, Blecha began working forWalt Crowley'sHistoryLink,an online encyclopedia of Washington State history.[2]As of 2024, he continues to serve there as a Staff Historian and Contributing Editor, writing hundreds of essays about regional topics. He has published ten books and written feature essays forThe Seattle Times,Seattle Business,Seattle Weekly,Seattle Metropolitan,Seattle Magazine,Life,No Depression,DISCoveries,and others.[13]

Blecha researched historic brands of guitars manufactured in the Pacific Northwest from the 1930s through the 1950s includingAudiovox,Bud-Electro, Hanburt, and Coppock, with many documented in essays inVintage Guitarmagazine.[14]He also researched pioneering Northwest-based record companies from the 1940s (Linden,Morrison), 1950s (Dolton), and 1960s (Jerden,Etiquette,Camelot). In 2013, he launched the Northwest Music Archives website to document all known Pacific Northwest-based record labels and musical artists.[15]

Books

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Author

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  • Blecha, Peter (1997).Wired Wood: The Origins of the Electric Guitar.Seattle: Experience Music Project.
  • —————— (2004).Taboo Tunes: A History of Banned Bands & Censored Songs.Milwaukee:Backbeat.ISBN978-0879307929.
  • —————— (2005).The Taboo Tunes Songbook.Milwaukee:Hal Leonard.ISBN978-0634089244.
  • —————— (2005).Rock & Roll Archaeologist: How I Chased Down Kurt's Stratocaster, the 'Layla' Guitar, and Janis's Boa.Seattle:Sasquatch Books.ISBN978-1570614439.
  • —————— (2007).Music in Washington: Seattle & Beyond.Charleston:Arcadia.ISBN978-1531629670.
  • —————— (2009).SONIC BOOM! The History of Northwest Rock: From Louie Louie to Smells Like Teen Spirit.Milwaukee: Backbeat.ISBN978-0879309466.[16]
  • —————— (2011).Jimi Hendrix, Guitar Hero (ebook).Seattle: Amazon.
  • —————— (2017).Chateau Ste. MichelleWinery: The First 50 Years (1967-2017).Seattle: HistoryLink Documentary Media.ISBN978-1933245478.
  • —————— (2023).Stomp and Shout: R&B and the Origins of Northwest Rock and Roll.Seattle: University of Washington Press.ISBN978-0295751252.

Co-author

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Other works

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Articles and essays

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Selected works from books, magazines and websites:

Documentaries

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  • Interview:Jimi Hendrix: By Those Who Knew Him Best(Chrome Dreams Productions, 2004)
  • Interview:The Banned History of Rock & Roll(BBC Radio Scotland,2006)
  • Co-producer, writer:Music on East Madison Street: The Sound of Seattle(Ray-Blecha Productions, 2015)
  • Interview:Bezango, WA(Austin Amandes Productions, 2015)

Liner notes

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Selected liner notes and booklets from major LP and CD releases:[18][19]

  • The Daily Flash:I Flash Daily(Psycho Records, 1985)
  • Various:Nuggets Volume 8: The Northwest(Rhino Records,1988)
  • The Kingsmen:The Best of The Kingsmen(Rhino Records, 1989)
  • The Sonics:Here Are The Ultimate Sonics(Etiquette Records, 1990)
  • The Sonics:Maintaining My Cool(Jerden Records,1991)
  • The Sonics:Psycho-Sonics(Big Beat Records,1993)
  • Various:The History of Northwest Rock Vol. 1: The Original Northwest Sound, 1950s-1960s(Jerden Records, 1994)
  • The Squirrels:Scrapin’ For Hits(Pop Lust Audio, 1996)
  • Various:The History of Northwest Rock Vol. 2: The Garage Years(Jerden Records, 1999)
  • Various:The History of Northwest Rock Vol. 3: Psychedelic Seattle(Jerden Records, 2000)
  • Various:Battle of the Bands: Vol. 1, 1960s(Big Beat Records, 2001)
  • Dave Lewis:The Godfather of Northwest Rock(Jerden Records, 2006)
  • The Sonics:Busybody!!!: Live in Tacoma 1964(Norton Records,2007)
  • Various:Rock ‘N Soul: Seattle Sounds of the 60s(Camelot Records, 2009)
  • The Bumps: "Please Come Down" / "Baby Blue" (Freakout Records/Hockeytalker Records, 2017)

Music

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Blecha's recordings include singles, EPs, and albums with multiple artists as a drummer, guitarist, and songwriter:[19]

  • Chains of Hell Orchestra:Doctor's Daughter(1982 album),Cairo's Ride(1982 album),Chaque Fois(1984 album),One Bad Trip(1984 12 "EP)
  • Shawn O'Neill and the Chains of Hell Orchestra: "Generations Past" onSub Pop7(1982 VA album)
  • Steve Fisk:Kiss This Day Goodbye(1983 album)
  • ME: "Scorpio Moon" / "And Now You" (1985 7 "single)

Lectures

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Selected lectures and topics:

  • "Seattle’s New Music Museum: The Experience Music Project",The Sheldon Concert Hall,St. Louis. MO, September 16, 1999
  • "Quest for Volume: A History of the Electric Guitar",Glenn A. Black LaboratoryLecture Hall, University of Indiana, September 18, 1999
  • "The Black Roots of the Original Northwest Rock Sound", University of Washington School of Music Conference: "Around the Sound: Popular Music in Performance, Education and Scholarship" (catalog, pp. 83–85), 2000
  • "The History of Country Music in Oregon",Bagdad Theatre,Portland, October 26, 2012
  • "The Lost Roadhouses of Seattle", Southwest Seattle Historical Society, February 9, 2023,
  • "Stomp & Shout! The Untold Saga of the Origins of Northwest Rock",Town Hall Seattle,April 19, 2023

Personal life

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Blecha resides in the Seattle area with his wife, Kate Race, an artist, musician, and graphic designer.[20]

References

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  1. ^"Constantine Christofides".University of Washington.RetrievedJuly 15,2023.
  2. ^abcHamlin, Andrew (November 21, 2022)."Give Up Your Vows, Save Our City: An Interview with Peter Blecha".The Seattle Star.RetrievedMay 29,2023.
  3. ^Jones, Jeanne Lang (April 27, 2007). "The Collector".Puget Sound Business Journal.
  4. ^Flanary, Patrick (September 17, 2011)."The Hype Machine: Conversations with those who were listening to 'grunge' before the explosion – and making the most noise"(PDF).Billboard.p. 18.RetrievedMay 31,2023.
  5. ^"Collectors scramble for 10,000 rare, old albums".Tri-City Herald.Kennewick, WA. Associated Press. January 27, 1984 – via Newspspers.com.
  6. ^Friedman, David (April 1990). "Tall Cool Ones".The Wire.p. 27.
  7. ^Smith, Dorian (April 27, 1988). "Five Rock Acts Named to NW Hall of Fame".The News Tribune.p. B5 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^Iverson, Jon (May 3, 1998)."...While I Kiss the Sky. Rare Jimi Hendrix Audio Tapes Surface".Stereophile.RetrievedMay 29,2023.
  9. ^Eichhorn, Dennis P. (June 21, 2000). "Collection Agent: EMP's Very Own Indiana Jones".The Rocket.Seattle.
  10. ^Guiden, Mary (April 17, 2009).""Archaeologist" of NW rock chronicles fascination with local bands ".The Seattle Times.RetrievedMay 29,2023.
  11. ^"Noteworthy collection".The Washington Times.September 27, 2005.RetrievedMay 31,2023.
  12. ^MacDonald, Patrick (June 20, 2000)."Mining rock's treasures in basements and bidding wars".The Seattle Times.RetrievedMay 31,2023.
  13. ^ab"Peter Blecha".Blackpast.29 December 2015.RetrievedMay 29,2023.
  14. ^Estrada, George (September 13, 2005)."Guitar collector scores rare finds".Black Hills Pioneer.
  15. ^"About Us: The Team Behind This Website".The Northwest Archives.RetrievedMay 29,2023.
  16. ^Winner of the Association of King County Historical Organizations' 2009 Virginia Marie Folkins Award. Also nominated by theAssociation for Recorded Sound Collectionsfor a 2010 Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research.
  17. ^Winner of theAmerican Association of Port Authorities’ Award of Merit and the National Association of Government Communicators’ Second Place Award.
  18. ^Peter BlechaatAllMusic
  19. ^abPeter Blechadiscography atDiscogs
  20. ^Payne, Patti (October 17, 2016)."Historian/author Peter Blecha is writing the storied history of Ste. Michelle for its official 50th anniversary".Puget Sound Business Journal.RetrievedJuly 7,2023.
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