Peter Blecha

Last updated
Peter Blecha
Born
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater University of Washington
Occupation(s)Historian, curator, essayist, author, musician

Peter Charles Blecha is an American historian, curator, essayist, author, musician, and director of the Seattle-based Northwest Music Archives. He is primarily known for research related to aspects of Pacific Northwest musical history. In addition to his books, essays, and album liner notes, Blecha has also served in multiple consulting and curatorial positions.

Contents

Early life

Blecha was raised in the Beacon Hill area of Seattle. His family moved to Olympia in 1962, and at an early age he took piano and drum lessons. After graduating from Winlock Miller High School, he returned to Seattle in 1974 to enroll at the University of Washington, studying art history under Constantine Chrisfofides, art under Jacob Lawrence, and Northwest Coast art under Bill Holm. [1] [2]

Career

In the early 1970s, Blecha was active in the Olympia rock scene as a member of GodMother, Warbucks, and Valhalla, and later in Seattle with the Debbies, the Musical Chairs, conCordia disCors, and the Chains of Hell Orchestra. [3]

In 1983, he formed the Northwest Music Archives to document record labels from the Pacific Northwest and began 17 years of writing the "Northwest Music Archives" column in Seattle's music magazine The Rocket . [4] [5]

The following year his exhibit, "The History of Northwest Recording", was mounted at the Seattle Public Library's main branch utilizing his own collection and items from recording engineer Kearney Barton. In 1987, he wrote and co-produced (with Mike Webb) a 10-hour special, "The History of Northwest Rock", for KVI radio, and in 1988 returned to the University of Washington to study museology. In 1990, Blecha began hosting the area's first all-Northwest oldies radio specialty show – "Tall Cool Ones" – on KCMU, [6] and also served on the Northwest Area Music Association's Hall of Fame Committee. [7]

In 1992, Blecha was hired as an archival consultant by Microsoft founder Paul Allen for a specific project: the Jimi Hendrix Museum, [2] [8] and served on the project's Planning and Design, Exhibit Development, and Concept Development teams. Over the following several years, the project's mission was expanded to include the Northwest's regional music history. Leading the curatorial department’s artifact acquisition effort, Blecha secured thousands of historic items while also conducting interviews with scores of rock stars and other music industry figures, earning a reputation as the "Indiana Jones of rock 'n' roll" [9] and the "archaeologist of Northwest rock" [10] for his work in locating important musical artifacts related to major rock artists and performances. [11] The museum opened in June 2000 as the Experience Music Project (EMP), now the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), with Blecha as a Senior Curator with three major inaugural exhibits: the "Jimi Hendrix Exhibit"; the "Northwest Passage Gallery" (about the history of Northwest music); and "Quest for Volume: A History of the Electric Guitar". [12]

In the following years, Blecha served in volunteer positions with the Stone Age Institute Advisory Board, the Association for Recorded Sound Collections Excellence in Publication Committee, the Northwest African American Museum Advisory Committee, and the Joint Artists and Music Promotions Action Committee (JAMPAC). He was also named as an Ambassador for the Seattle Center Foundation's Next 50 history committee. [13]

In 2001, Blecha began working for Walt Crowley's HistoryLink, an online encyclopedia of Washington State history. [2] As of 2024, he continues to serve there as a Staff Historian and Contributing Editor, writing hundreds of essays about regional topics. He has published ten books and written feature essays for The Seattle Times , Seattle Business, Seattle Weekly , Seattle Metropolitan , Seattle Magazine , Life, No Depression , DISCoveries, and others. [13]

Blecha researched historic brands of guitars manufactured in the Pacific Northwest from the 1930s through the 1950s including Audiovox, Bud-Electro, Hanburt, and Coppock, with many documented in essays in Vintage Guitar magazine. [14] He also researched pioneering Northwest-based record companies from the 1940s (Linden, Morrison), 1950s (Dolton), and 1960s (Jerden, Etiquette, Camelot). In 2013, he launched the Northwest Music Archives website to document all known Pacific Northwest-based record labels and musical artists. [15]

Books

Author

Co-author

Other works

Articles and essays

Selected works from books, magazines and websites:

Documentaries

Liner notes

Selected liner notes and booklets from major LP and CD releases: [18] [19]

Music

Blecha's recordings include singles, EPs, and albums with multiple artists as a drummer, guitarist, and songwriter: [19]

Lectures

Selected lectures and topics:

Personal life

Blecha resides in the Seattle area with his wife, Kate Race, an artist, musician, and graphic designer. [20]

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References

  1. ↑ "Constantine Christofides". University of Washington. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Hamlin, Andrew (November 21, 2022). "Give Up Your Vows, Save Our City: An Interview with Peter Blecha". The Seattle Star . Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  3. ↑ Jones, Jeanne Lang (April 27, 2007). "The Collector". Puget Sound Business Journal .
  4. ↑ Flanary, Patrick (September 17, 2011). "The Hype Machine: Conversations with those who were listening to 'grunge' before the explosion – and making the most noise" (PDF). Billboard . p. 18. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Collectors scramble for 10,000 rare, old albums". Tri-City Herald . Kennewick, WA. Associated Press. January 27, 1984 – via Newspspers.com.
  6. ↑ Friedman, David (April 1990). "Tall Cool Ones". The Wire . p. 27.
  7. ↑ Smith, Dorian (April 27, 1988). "Five Rock Acts Named to NW Hall of Fame". The News Tribune . p. B5 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Iverson, Jon (May 3, 1998). ". . . While I Kiss the Sky. Rare Jimi Hendrix Audio Tapes Surface". Stereophile . Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  9. ↑ Eichhorn, Dennis P. (June 21, 2000). "Collection Agent: EMP's Very Own Indiana Jones". The Rocket . Seattle.
  10. ↑ Guiden, Mary (April 17, 2009). ""Archaeologist" of NW rock chronicles fascination with local bands". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Noteworthy collection". The Washington Times . September 27, 2005. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  12. ↑ MacDonald, Patrick (June 20, 2000). "Mining rock's treasures in basements and bidding wars". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Peter Blecha". Blackpast. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  14. ↑ Estrada, George (September 13, 2005). "Guitar collector scores rare finds". Black Hills Pioneer .
  15. ↑ "About Us: The Team Behind This Website". The Northwest Archives. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  16. ↑ Winner of the Association of King County Historical Organizations' 2009 Virginia Marie Folkins Award. Also nominated by the Association for Recorded Sound Collections for a 2010 Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research.
  17. ↑ Winner of the American Association of Port Authorities’ Award of Merit and the National Association of Government Communicators’ Second Place Award.
  18. ↑ Peter Blecha at AllMusic
  19. 1 2 Peter Blecha discography at Discogs
  20. ↑ Payne, Patti (October 17, 2016). "Historian/author Peter Blecha is writing the storied history of Ste. Michelle for its official 50th anniversary". Puget Sound Business Journal . Retrieved July 7, 2023.
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