Peter One

In the latter half of the 1980s, Peter One achieved mainstream success, both in his native Ivory Coast and much of Western Africa, as part of a duo with musical partner Jess Sah Bi. Their warm blend of melodic folk, rock, and Afro-pop owed as much to American influences like Simon & Garfunkel as it did to regional troubadours like G.G. Vickey. For a time they were immensely popular and released a pair of albums together before political unrest and economic circumstances caused One to immigrate to the U.S. in 1995. The music career he aspired to build in the States never materialized, and he spent the next two decades in Nashville working as a nurse. Remarkably, interest in his music was revived in 2018 when American indie Awesome Tapes from Africa reissued the duo's debut, Our Garden Needs Its Flowers, to critical acclaim. One, who had never stopped writing songs, eventually signed with Verve and at the age of 67 made his solo debut with the 2023 album Come Back to Me. Growing up in the small farming town of Bonoua, One was mesmerized by the area's only radio station, which offered a surprisingly diverse array of European, American, and African music. He was particularly drawn to American folk acts like Simon & Garfunkel and Crosby, Stills & Nash for their organic sound and harmonic purity, traits he also valued in African singers like G.G. Vickey and Eboa Lotin. While studying in the Ivorian capital of Abidjan, he met another aspiring musician named Jess Sah Bi, and the two began writing songs together. Appearances on the national television station led to the release of their debut album, Our Garden Needs Its Flowers, in 1985. The duo's sweet harmonies and blend of African pop with English-sung country and folk was a hit, and over the next few years they enjoyed soaring popularity both at home and among several West African nations. While not overtly political, their song "African Chant" was even played on the BBC when Nelson Mandela was freed from prison in 1990, bringing the pair even more exposure. Within a few years, however, the economic situation and political power struggle in Ivory Coast had become debilitating, and One made the decision to leave home and relocate to the U.S. Rebuilding his music career on foreign shores proved to be a harder task than he expected. One bounced around New York for a while, then did a stint teaching French in Delaware before deciding to try and forge a steadier career path as a nurse. When a nursing position opened up in Nashville, he thought he might also benefit from living in one of America's musical hubs. By this point, he'd started a family and the responsibilities overtook his musical ambitions. Over the next two decades, One worked steadily at a nursing home, supporting his family and writing songs on the side, but failing to find any satisfying creative opportunities. By chance, Our Garden Needs Its Flowers, his 1985 album with Jess Sah Bi, was discovered by a small American imprint called Awesome Tapes from Africa and reissued in 2018. Critics in the U.S and Europe took note, and the renewed attention led the duo to reunite for a handful of prominent shows. Now in his mid-sixties, One's music career had found an unexpected second life, and he ran with it. Signing a major-label deal with Verve, he entered the studio with several decades' worth of material and recorded his first solo album. Released in May 2023, Come Back to Me fused themes of immigration, loss, and love with One's unique country, folk, and Afro-pop blend.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo