Rolling Stone once declared Peter Bruntnell to be, “one of England’s best kept musical secrets”. England has successfully managed to keep Peter Bruntnell a secret for all this time, even from itself.
It took someone else to show Peter Bruntnell his own true talent. He began by playing Neil Young and Nick Drake songs in local pubs when a producer noticed his voice and struck up a conversation. Bruntnell describes himself as “comfortable” playing other people’s songs as he began, and may have continued doing nothing more than that until Vic Martin came and asked him if he had any songs of his own.
Bruntnell soon played his songs for Martin, who was unimpressed. Peter went back to work and began writing more intentionally and with greater care. Eventually, he would emerge with the songs for his first album, Cannibal.
Nearly thirty years into his recording career, Bruntnell is now on the verge of his fifteenth LP and is still always on the prowl for a better song. In our chat we cover his love for the American midwest and touring with Son Volt as well as how he is now mentoring younger artists the same way Vic Martin and Pete Smith mentored him.
One English tabloid newspaper with an uncharacteristically decent, albeit it very small, album reviews section was surprisingly on the mark in saying, “He is Britain’s best kept secret for whom the word ‘underappreciated’ was surely invented”. The glossy British music mag Mojo continued very much along the same lines with, “Somehow, some way, this cult and infinitely class songwriter must get his due wider recognition”. He still hasn’t.
Here’s hoping we can unleash the secret genius of Peter Bruntell one listener at a time here at WAIM.
Enjoy!
Cheers,Matty C
