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About Peter McCory
Peter McCory has been entertaining kids professionally since 1996. A life-long musician,
he stumbled upon children's music by accident. While working as a hospital public relations
director, he was asked to provide some music at a hospital-sponsored health
and safety day for kids. When the day finally came, kids flocked around to listen and
watch him play in the hospital lobby. Peter was hooked. Never had he found such an eager
audience. He had a strange feeling his music would never be the same.
Today Peter performs several hundred shows for children a year. In between, he plays for
adults, too. He has a special love of performing for seniors, and they seem to love his
music as much as children do.
Peter was inspired by one-man band Bob Devlin, known around Washington, DC for his street performances
and love of children. When Bob passed away, Peter began experimenting with his own one-man
band sound, building on what Bob had done. And he found that playing different instruments
simultaneously was fun! He decided to try to keep Bob's memory alive with his own one-man
band act.
"I always tapped my foot when I played guitar, " Peter says. "I found out you
could do a lot of things with those feet. One-man banding is kind of like toe tapping
gone crazy. And it's crazy fun."
Peter loves to write... especially songs. He's written hundreds of songs in
numerous different styles over the years. He's also written several works for the stage
which have been produced, including a musical play (he wrote the script and songs), dramas,
comedies, one-acts and children's plays.
Peter's CDs of original children's songs have won Parents
Choice Recommended Awards and favorable reviews in School Library Journal and
Booklist (the journal of the American Library Association).
Peter has another useful skill which came in handy. He grew up
in his dad's workshop, and is very good with tools and tinkering. Many of the musical gadgets
he plays had to be custom made in his shop. After all, you can't go to a music store
and buy a gadget that lets you play snare drum with your foot. Some children get down on
their hands and knees just to watch the levers and pulleys. Sometimes it's pretty obvious
who tomorrow's engineers will be!
Pete's music doesn't stop when there's no kids around. When not performing for kids, you will
often find him playing bass with the
"Bristow Blues Band," Bristow, VA, and drums with the "Kena Shriners Band," Manassas, VA.
Way Back When...
Peter never intended to pursue a career in music or with children. He actually majored in
biology at JMU, but never got to be the next Jacques Cousteau. So his career path drifted in
a lot of different and fun directions. He got into radio broadcasting, and was on the air as
an announcer at several DC area stations. He also helped start a radio station in his home town
of Warrenton, VA, and continues to do a little voiceover work on the side. His radio experience
got him into public relations, and for several years he was a media spokesman for a major metro
area police department, before getting into hospital PR.
But no matter what Peter found himself
doing for a living, the music was always there, and just wouldn't go away. For most of his life
a folk singer/songwriter who couldn't find a place to play, Peter says he just needed to find the
right audience. And it happened when he discovered the joy of performing for kids.
"I'm a person who needs to feel like what I do makes
a difference in the world," Peter says. "I'm passionate about kids and music, so I'm
blessed in being able to combine both into what I do for a living. It's been the most rewarding
thing I've ever found to do with my life."
All content on this website © 2023, Peter McCory.