Biography
Multi-instrumentalist Pete Sutherland revives the old-time dance traditions of the American southern mountains, New England, and the Celtic isles. He once belonged to the mid-1980s folk trio Metamora alongside hammer dulcimer player Malcolm Dalglish and guitarist Grey Larsen, and he has since extended string-band practices through his roles in The Clayfoot Strutters and Mac Benford’s Woodshed All Stars. He has also issued recordings both under his own name and in tandem with his wife, Karen.
Sutherland’s first musical recollections center on the opera and musical-theater albums his parents preferred. Although he performed in several teenage rock groups, his most sustained engagement has been with traditional folk music. Early inspiration came from Vermont-based fiddler Louie Beaudoin and Appalachian fiddlers Tommy Jarrell and Ed Haley; in 1973 he joined the Arm & Hammer String Band. Relocating to Burlington, Indiana in the early 1980s, he helped establish Metamora, with whom he cut six albums, among them the soundtrack for the Disney feature Tuck Everlasting.
His first solo release, the 1984 album Poor Man’s Dream, merged traditional fiddle tunes with original compositions. Following Metamora’s 1989 dissolution, Sutherland returned to his home state, where he resides today.
Sutherland’s first musical recollections center on the opera and musical-theater albums his parents preferred. Although he performed in several teenage rock groups, his most sustained engagement has been with traditional folk music. Early inspiration came from Vermont-based fiddler Louie Beaudoin and Appalachian fiddlers Tommy Jarrell and Ed Haley; in 1973 he joined the Arm & Hammer String Band. Relocating to Burlington, Indiana in the early 1980s, he helped establish Metamora, with whom he cut six albums, among them the soundtrack for the Disney feature Tuck Everlasting.
His first solo release, the 1984 album Poor Man’s Dream, merged traditional fiddle tunes with original compositions. Following Metamora’s 1989 dissolution, Sutherland returned to his home state, where he resides today.
Albums
