1. A Nigerian … Read Full Bio ↴There are at least four musicians called Peter King:
1. A Nigerian Afro-beat tenor saxophonist.
2. An English jazz alto saxophonist
3. An American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
4. An English church-organist.
1. Peter King Adeyoyin Osubu (born 1938), known as Peter King, is a Nigerian musician who played several instruments, but was best known as an alto saxophonist playing a combination of Afrobeat and Jazz. Peter King is perhaps better known in Europe and America than in Nigeria for his "Miliki Sound" on the record A Soulful Peter King, where he played popular classics such as "Sincerely", "We Belong Together" and "Just Because".
Peter King was born in 1938 in Enugu in the Southeastern region of Nigeria and grew up in Lokoja, Lagos and Port Harcourt. In 1957 he joined the Roy Chicago band in Ibadan, playing the maracas and then the conga drum. He moved to other bands in Ibadan and then Lagos, playing the double bass, drums and then the alto sax. In 1961 he went to London where he studied at various schools of music, including the Trinity College of Music.
While in London, Peter King joined with drummer Bayo Martins and trumpeter Mike Falana to form the African Messengers group. The group performed at festivals and clubs, and served as backup band for acts like The Four Tops, The Temptations and Diana Ross. The African Messengers recorded many 45rpm records. "Highlife Piccadilly", a fusion of Highlife and Jazz was a hit. Peter King formed another band The Blues Builders with which he toured Europe and Northern Africa.
Peter King returned to Nigeria in 1969, and with his group The Voice of Africa performed on the war front during the Nigerian Civil War. Returning to London in 1971 he toured Europe, America and Japan with his group Shango. He assembled and arranged a big band to back the singing group Boney M on their first live concert tour across Europe in 1977. He recorded nine studio albums between 1975 and 1978, and wrote music for several plays and television shows. In 1979 King returned to Nigeria and formed the P.K band. He composed music for soap operas and recorded three further albums. In the early 1980s Peter King and his P.K. Band played on the NTA and at the National Museum, Lagos for three years.
Peter King plays in the Sonny Rollins-Gene Ammons-John Coltrane tradition. He has a unique tone, flawless articulation and a fresh turn of mind in improvisations, and is the leading tenor saxophone voice to have come from the Nigerian highlife and afrobeat traditions. Talking of his hit "Highlife Piccadilly", Peter King said "Our philosophy was to play modern jazz with highlife as the basis ... Afrojazz is my musical direction and a mission". Peter King combined afrobeat with a funk style similar to James Brown. His album Shango was acclaimed by critics. Opening with a simple flute melody, tambourines enter followed by complex duets between horns and looping guitar riffs.
Peter King founded his School of Music in 1982, in a three-room apartment in Maza Maza. At first it had about 30 students. Since then the College has expanded greatly, and is now located in Badagry. It has lecture halls, rehearsal rooms, an assembly-concert hall and hostel facilities. The school has been assisted by Canadian musicians Oliver Jones and Archie Allen and greatly assisted by the French government. Almost two thousand students have graduated from the school since 1982. The school provides practical tuition and grants certificates and diplomas. It prepares students for the professional examinations of Associate, Licentiate and Fellowship of the Trinity, Royal and London Schools of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
In January 2007 the French Ambassador in Nigeria inaugurated the new facilities of the Peter king school of music at Badagry, Lagos State.
Discography
Mikki Sounds (Orbitone 1975)
Omo Lewa (Orbitone 1976)
A Soulful Peter King (Orbitone 1977)
Moods (Tyrone Records 1978)
African Dialects (Grandstand 1979)
Omolewa
Palm Wine Vendor (2002)
2. Peter King (b. 1940) is an English jazz saxophonist, composer, and clarinettist.
King was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey on 11th August 1940, and taught himself to play the clarinet at the age of fifteen, quickly switching to alto saxophone. In 1959, at the age of nineteen, he was booked by Ronnie Scott to perform at the opening of Scott's club in Gerrard Street, London. In the same year he received the "Melody Maker New Star" award. He worked with John Dankworth's orchestra from 1960 to 1961, and went on to work with the big bands of Maynard Ferguson, Tubby Hayes, Harry South, and Stan Tracey, the Brussels Big Band, and the Ray Charles band on a European tour. He has also played in small groups with musicians such as Philly Joe Jones, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Red Rodney, Hampton Hawes, Nat Adderley, Al Haig, Bill Watrous, and Dick Morrissey, and singers such as Jimmy Witherspoon, Joe Williams, Jon Hendricks, and Anita O'Day. He is a member of Charlie Watts' Tentet (see Charlie Watts And The Tentet). He has recorded with the Peter King Quartet (for which there is a Last.fm streamable track: "In a Monochrome") the Peter King Quintet, and with the Al Haig Trio and Art Themen as the University College School All Stars.
King's composing has moved beyond individual numbers for performance and recording, and includes an opera, Zyklon, in collaboration with Julian Barry.
His autobiography, Flying High: A Jazz Life and Beyond, has been published by Northway Books.
3. Peter King (b.1954) is a U.S. singer-singwriter.
King was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1954. His early influences were blues and singer-songwriters including James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. King studied classical music at Penn State University. He studied jazz and Brazilian guitar with Marty Ashby in Pittsburgh and earned an M.A. in guitar performance from Duquesne University in 1994.
4. Peter King is organist at Bath Abbey in England.
Star Eyes
Peter King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That to me is what your eyes are,
Soft as stars in April skies are,
Tell me some day you'll fulfill
Their promise of a thrill.
Star eyes,
Flashing eyes in which my hopes rise,
Let me prove that it adores
That loveliness of yours.
All my life I've felt
Content to stargaze at the skies.
Now I only want to to melt
The stardust in your eyes.
Star eyes,
When if ever, will my lips know
If it's me for whom those eyes glow?
Makes no diff'rence where you are,
Your eyes still hold my wishing star,
Oh, star eyes, how lovely you are.
Peter King's song Star Eyes is a love song that celebrates the beauty of the eyes of the person he loves. The lyrics describe the eyes as "soft as stars in April skies," a comparison that highlights the unique and gentle nature of the person's eyes. The singer expresses the hope that someday the eyes will fulfill their promise of a thrill, suggesting a desire for a deeper connection with the person beyond just admiring their beauty.
The lyrics next transition to a more personal and intimate note as the singer declares their love for the person. They state that their hopes rise when they gaze into the flashing eyes of their loved one and they want to prove that their heart adores the person's loveliness. The declaration of love is powerful and heartfelt, conveying a strong desire to be with the person and to make them feel loved and cherished.
The song ends with a sense of longing and uncertainty, as the singer wonders when they will know if it's them for whom those star eyes glow. The final line, "Oh, star eyes, how lovely you are," captures the essence of the song's message, which is a celebration of the beauty and allure of the person's eyes.
Line by Line Meaning
Star eyes,
The singer is addressing the person and complimenting their eyes
That to me is what your eyes are,
The singer is explaining that the person's eyes are like stars to them
Soft as stars in April skies are,
The singer is further explaining the gentle beauty of the person's eyes
Tell me some day you'll fulfill
The singer is requesting that the person fulfill a promise of creating an exciting experience together
Their promise of a thrill.
The singer is hoping that the person's star-like eyes will lead to an exciting adventure
Flashing eyes in which my hopes rise,
The singer is describing how the person's eyes cause their hopes to increase
Let me show you where my heart lies.
The singer wants to show the person where their true affection lies
Let me prove that it adores
The singer wants to demonstrate their love for the person represented by their beautiful eyes
That loveliness of yours.
The singer is again complementing the person's beauty and expressing their love for it
All my life I've felt
The singer is reflecting on their past and how they have always focused on looking at the stars in the sky
Content to stargaze at the skies.
The singer has been happy looking at stars in the sky, but now they want something more
Now I only want to to melt
The singer now wants to move beyond just looking at stars and merge with them in the form of an adventure with the person represented by their star-like eyes
The stardust in your eyes.
The singer wants to be a part of the person's life represented by their beautiful eyes, even if it means leaving behind their previous stargazing lifestyle
When if ever, will my lips know
The singer is wondering if they will ever find out if the person's beautiful, star-like eyes are for them or not
If it's me for whom those eyes glow?
The singer is asking if the person's eyes are shining for them specifically
Makes no diff'rence where you are,
The person's location is immaterial to the singer - they just want to be a part of their life
Your eyes still hold my wishing star,
The singer still envisions a future with the person, and their eyes still represent that vision
Oh, star eyes, how lovely you are.
The singer concludes the song with a final compliment to the person and their star-like eyes
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GENE DE PAUL, DON RAYE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind