Rock / Alternative Rock
Melbourne, Australia

“In late primary school I showed an interest in playing the piano so my parents arranged lessons. After several years of following the musical dots, my older brother Ernest showed me some chords on the guitar. It dawned on me that I didn’t need the dots to play music and that I could translate the note reading I’d learnt in piano lessons onto the guitar fretboard. I was off on the guitar. Ernest and I began writing songs together - very bad songs - but it was a start.

Soul Reflection was the first band I was involved in with mates at Mildura Tech School. The drummer Allan Watson conveniently lived a few houses up from the school so skipping classes to play music together was a past time.

I moved with my Mum, Dad, and four brothers from Mildura to Melbourne in 1968. Melbourne had a very strong rock music culture that kept me imbibing live performances by Australian bands like Chain, Daddy Cool, Spectrum etc.

I played and sang at various folk and blues nights at Swinburne University with a school mate David Edny and continued to experiment with songwriting.

At 21 I left my job at Allans music in Melbourne to further pursue performing.

After the Peter York Band, a 5 piece band in the early 1970s, and various other musical combinations, I performed solo for years mostly around Melbourne coffee houses, pubs, restaurants, churches and lounge rooms.

Ten albums of my own songs have been produced along the way which included many other talented musicians - Duane Mitchell, Martin Zammit, Darryl Thompson, Steve Messer, and others.

I currently reside in Melbourne and am involved in the music at TLC Church (Truth & Liberation Concern) in Bayswater, Victoria. Songwriting is still my thing.”

1983 Independent

Peter York - Vocals, guitar
Graham McCoy - Guitar
Les Price - Keyboards
Duane Mitchell - Bass
Martin Zammit - Drums
Jordie Young - Flute, vocals

Rowan Shinkfield - Double bass on “Willie's Blues”
Peter Fiddler - Electric guitar on “Blow Your House Away”

1. Key to My Heart
2. I'm Alone
3. Lovely Smile
4. It's All Right
5. On This Day
6. Noonkanbah
7. Close to the Bone
8. Blow Your House Away
9. Willie's Blues
10. So Good to Be Alive

“Close to the Bone was recorded c.1983 at David Brigg’s studio in North Melbourne, Victoria. The studio time was generously funded by Alan and Jenny Flack. The album may have never eventuated without the generosity of a variety of artists who so kindly contributed.”

1995 Independent

Peter York - Vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass, keyboards, drum programming, darbuka, harmonica, string arrangements, tambourine
Daryl Thompson - Vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass, keyboards, accordion, conga, cowbell, darbuka
Willemina York - Vocals, bass, flute, recorder
Henry Butcher - Bones, bodhran
Tim Gleeson - Drums, bottles, conga, cowbell
Phil Bosua - Drums
Kirsty Conrau - Cello
Steve Messer - Dobro, harmonica, mandolin
Lionel Holt - Mandolin
Carolyn Jackson - Viola
Belinda Gillam - Violin

1. Don't Be Afraid
2. Dry Love
3. Porpoise Play
4. You & I
5. Where The River Flows
6. Your Eyes
7. Fire
8. There You Are
9. Wedding Joy
10. Little Darling
11. Sister Ocean
12. You & I, 3/4
13. Psalm 150 Rag

“Recorded in 1995, There You Are was Peter’s fifth album, his first to appear in CD format, and mingled original songs alongside several adventurous instrumental pieces.”

• Peter York Bio and Music Download