Peter Case

Three-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Peter Case almost didn’t get to make his most recent album, Wig!. In 2009 he discovered that he had 99 percent blockage in one of his coronary arteries. Luckily, his physicians detected this in time, performed surgery, and before he knew it, Case was on the mend. Before long he’d set about writing material for his next album. Recorded over the course of three days, Wig! serves as a prime example of why Case has been one of the most beloved songwriters of his generation—keen and intense lyrics, a musical diversity that never seems forced, and good, old-fashioned attention to the craft of songwriting.

Case has been recording on his own since 1986. Having been a member of both The Plimsouls and The Nerves, he was a key figure in the San Francisco and Los Angeles music scenes in the early 1980s. The Plimsouls greatest bout with success came in the first part of that decade when their song “Million Miles Away” was used in the film Valley Girl. But further commercial success eluded the band and its demise seemed imminent.

Since 1986 Case’s songs have been covered by countless artists and he has earned praise from fellow performers such as Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, and Loudon Wainwright III. We’ll hear songs from throughout Case’s recording history throughout the month of August on Strange Currency, including many of the songs from Wig!.

Also:
Each Monday in August, we’ll air special topical editions of Strange Currency, including a survey of locations as reported in song, people immortalized in music, and songs that all correlate to a specific theme. Listen for more details or visit us on Facebook for more information.

The Plimsouls “A Million Miles Away” (featuring Peter Case)