Peterson grew up a child prodigy, picking
out melodies and chords on the piano
at the early age of three. “My mentors were
Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, and Bud Powell,”
Peterson tells me. “And my education
was listening and copying.” At the age of
15, her older brother, saxophonist Donald
Pouliot, convinced her to audition for her
first professional job as a singer. When the
pianist didn’t know one of her selected
songs, Peterson simply replied, “That’s
okay, I’ll play it for myself.” And the rest is
Minneapolis musical history.
Peterson would go on to become a staple
of the Twin Cities broadcast circuit,
anchoring famed radio station WCCO as a
staff pianist and singer for 22 years, all
while simultaneously applying her musical
gifts to a plethora of performance and
recording work. That work continues to go
strong, including recent albums My Calendar
and Young And Foolish.
Peterson’s marriage to Willie would set
in motion a sonic training ground of sorts,
with each of her now-acclaimed children
growing up immersed in music. “We had
rehearsals in the basement, and there was
always music going on in the house,” she
tells me. “My five kids heard all of this, and
thought every household was like that. The
kids would say to their friends, ‘What does
your dad play?’”
More than 70 years after landing her
first gig, Peterson continues at full speed,
with touring and recording dates booked
well through this year and beyond. “I’m
happy to say that I am still busy,” she tells
me. What advice can she offer to aspiring
musical hopefuls? “Besides learning
chords and reading lead lines, I would say
listen to the great players. My education
was listening and learning.”