WHO AM I? WHATS MY NAME?
PETER J. HAYES JUNIOR
This is my dad (he's pretty cool, I know right!), He's an absolute beast on the drums, yet the kindest, most giving person you'd ever meet. Oh! and how could I forget? He's the funniest jokester around. If you were in the same room as my dad for more than a few minutes, your face would be sore from smiling and laughing so hard. He loved making people laugh, it was just one of his many specialties. Peter was the most skilled drummer I have ever heard. He had a total of 8 symbols on his shiny black Pearl drum kit, and let me tell you, he used every single one of them, he used them very well too! He could really play the s*!t out of that kit.
Peter was a classic hard rock kinda guy, loving bands like Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Aerosmith, & KISS, with his favorite song of all time being "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin; but his musical taste didn't stop there. My dad had a very eclectic taste in music, also favoring artists like Snoop Dogg, Teena Marie, Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam, En Vogue, Zapp & Roger, Karyn White, the list is truly endless! In my opinion, he had the best taste in music out of anyone I've ever known. Is that biased? If it is, I truly don't care, because all of my favorite songs were introduced to me by my dad XP. I even made a "Peter Playlist" for you so you can see for yourself! These are some of the songs that make me think of my Dad the most:
THE PETER PLAYLIST
- "We Lookin' Fresh" - Reina Williams
- "Gin & Juice" - Snoop Dogg
- "Hit 'em Up Style" - Blu Cantrell
- "Let the Beat Hit 'em" - Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam
- "Hey, Hey, What can I Do" - Led Zeppelin
- "I Smile" - Kirk Franklin
- "Roni" - Bobby Brown
- "Object of my Desire" - Starpoint
- "Who am I (What's my Name?) - Snoop Dogg
- "Behind the Groove" - Teena Marie
- "Touch Me (All Night Long)" - Cathy Dennis
- "Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin
- "Encore" - Cheryl Lynn
- "Kashmir" - Led Zeppelin
- "Young Hearts Run Free" - Candi Staton
This playlist could go on forever, no lie! These are just some of my top tier favorite "Dad tunes"..
DAD'S KIT
You know, growing up around this drum kit, I never really understood how massive it was. That was until I seen a 5 piece kit for the first time and thought to myself, "what are they gonna do with that?". That's when I found out that apparently, 5 piece kits are standard size!
INSPIRATION
Peter had many influences and inspirations in music, but one of the most infuential for him was John Bonham, the drummer of Led Zeppelin.
SEE HER SMILE
Back in 2023, I helped my dad release an original song of his that he had wrote back in the day. The song lyrics emulate a story line & the track features my dad's vocals, as well as an intricate drum pattern and solo. The song was written about my mom!
You can listen to "See her Smile" on:
- ITunes
- Spotify
- YouTube
Circa 1987
NO NAME
My dad played out often, doing gigs with his friends. One time I had asked him what their band name was and he replied, "We didn't have a name! We were pretty good, and people knew us because of that, so we didn't need one." I thought that was pretty cool.
This flyer is from a Christmas show that they did in 1987 (shoutout to my sister Toni for the photo!). In addition to this flyer they also got a video of the performance, which I have on VHS tape, as well as a DVD version.
OUTTA CONTROL
They created some original music together, including 5 songs that were then burned onto CDs.
- Toast
- No Name
- Oh Ya
- Dead Flowers
- Cuse Me
PETE THE GREAT
PETER HAYES SENIOR
This is my grandfather, my dad's dad; he's also pretty cool, I know!! My grandfather was big into music as well,, and from what I can tell, he was a pretty great guy and a fun person to be around. I'd have to imagine, that's where my dad got those same qualities from! Pete the Great was a very knowledgable man, repairing audio equipment, as well as building his very own speaker sets from scratch.
Long story kinda short, my dad hadn't met his father until he was in his 30s. My dad found out later in life that he was adopted very young, so as soon as he discovered that fact, the search for his father began. My dad located what he figured to be his dad's phone number in a phone book id assume, and gave it a ring. When the line connected he said "Hey, uh, this may sound a little crazy but, I think I'm your son".
Peter Hayes Senior replied with, "Ive been waiting 30 years for this call".
THE GANGS ALL HERE
It was not long after, that Peter Hayes Senior became a regular at Peter's Club. This is likely one of the only photographs that there is of both my grandfathers in the same room! (it didn't happen often.)
GOT BASS?
This is 1 out of 2 matching speakers that my grandfather built. They are Klipschorn brand, horn-loaded speakers, each equipped with an 18 inch subwoofer hidden in the bottom cabinet. I also have another set that he custom built, which are much smaller than these big boys!
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
When my dad first met his dad, it was almost as if they had known each other the whole time. They shared not just one, but multiple traits. Peter Hayes Senior was big into music himself, & also a talented carpenter. They were so alike, that it was almost unbelievable. The two of them got along very well since day one.