Ralph Peer facts for kids

Ralph Sylvester Peer (May 22, 1892 – January 19, 1960) was an American music expert. He was a talent scout, a recording engineer, a record producer, and a music publisher. In the 1920s and 1930s, he helped shape the music world.

Peer was a pioneer in "field recording". This meant he took recording equipment outside of studios. In June 1923, he went to Atlanta, Georgia, to record local music. He set up in places like hotel rooms or empty buildings. This helped capture unique sounds from different regions.

Ralph Peer's Music Career

Ralph Peer was born in Independence, Missouri. He worked for Columbia Records in Kansas City, Missouri for some years. In 1920, he became the recording director for OKeh Records in New York.

Recording Early Blues and Jazz

In 1920, Peer oversaw the recording of "Crazy Blues" by Mamie Smith. This was a very important moment. It was the first blues recording made especially for the African-American audience.

In 1924, he managed the first commercial recording session in New Orleans, Louisiana. There, he recorded many jazz, blues, and gospel music groups.

Discovering Country Music Stars

Ralph Peer is also known for what many call the first country music recording. This was "Little Old Log Cabin In The Lane" by Fiddlin' John Carson.

A huge moment happened in August 1927. Peer was looking for new talent for the Victor Talking Machine Company. He set up a temporary studio in Bristol, Tennessee. This event is now famous as the Bristol sessions. During these sessions, he recorded two legendary acts: Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family.

• Jimmie Rodgers, who later became known as the Father of Country Music, recorded "The Soldier's Sweetheart" and "Sleep, Baby, Sleep".
• The Carter Family recorded their first songs, including "Bury Me under the Weeping Willow" and "Single Girl, Married Girl".

These recordings are seen as the start of modern country music.

Recording Other Talents

In 1927, Peer also recorded The Memphis Jug Band. They were important for early RnB music. He recorded them in a temporary studio on Memphis's Beale Street. He also recorded a preacher named Elder J.E. Burch in Atlanta. This preacher later inspired Dizzy Gillespie to start playing music. In 1929, he recorded female country singer Billie Maxwell.

Becoming a Music Publisher

Peer later started his own company, Southern Music Publishing Company. Through this company, he published and recorded many country and jazz artists. Famous musicians like Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie were part of his company. He also moved into popular music with songs like "Georgia On My Mind" by Hoagy Carmichael.

His company grew very important in the 1930s. Peer helped introduce Central American music to the world. In 1940, a big change happened in the music industry. A disagreement between the copyright group ASCAP and US radio stations led to a new group, BMI. BMI supported music by blues, country, and "hillbilly" artists. Peer's company, Peer-International, quickly became a major part of BMI's music collection.

Songs During and After World War II

During and after World War II, Peer published many popular songs. These included "Deep In The Heart Of Texas" and "You Are My Sunshine". "You Are My Sunshine" was sung by Jimmie Davis and covered by Bing Crosby. Other hits he published were "Humpty Dumpty Heart" (Glenn Miller) and "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You" (Russ Morgan). He also published "The Three Caballeros" (Andrews Sisters) and "The Coffee Song" (Frank Sinatra). In 1945, he published "Les trois cloches" ("The Three Bells"), which was recorded by The Browns.

Later Successes and Rock 'n' Roll

In the 1950s, Peer published "Mockingbird Hill", a huge hit for Patti Page. He also published "Sway" (Dean Martin) and "I Know An Old Lady" (Burl Ives). When rock 'n' roll became popular, Southern Music published hits by Buddy Holly, Little Richard, The Big Bopper, and The Platters. In 1948, Peermusic started its classical music division, Peermusic Classical. They published works by composers like Charles Ives.

A Passion for Plants

Starting in the late 1940s, Ralph Peer developed a strong interest in camellias. He became an expert in growing these beautiful flowers.

Ralph Peer passed away in Hollywood, California, in 1960. His wife, Monique Iversen Peer, became the president of his company. Their son, Ralph Peer, II, joined the company later and became its CEO in 1980.

Honors and Awards

In 1955, Ralph S. Peer received the Veitch Memorial Medal. This award came from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for his work with plants.

In 1984, Peer was honored by being elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Legacy of Ralph Peer

In 2017, Ralph Peer was featured in an award-winning documentary series called American Epic. The films were directed by Bernard MacMahon. They included restored recordings of Ralph Peer himself. In these recordings, he talked about how he found and recorded some of the very first country, blues, and RnB musicians in the 1920s.