It’s nice to see when one of our locals ends up with such a prestigious gig. Steve Peavey, a multi-talented musician, is a member of country legend Dwight Yoakam’s touring band. Locally, Peavey plays with Mule Mountain Trio, a country band with an avid following.
For Peavey, the road to Yoakam (and to Bisbee) was a long one, full of twists and turns, not to mention countless hours of dedication to his craft.
Maine and Micronesia
Steve Peavey was born in Lucerne Lake, Maine, a small town near Bangor. Both his parents were musicians; his father a country musician, and his mother a classically-trained pianist.
“I remember my father would let me strum the guitar at about 6 years old. I was curious about the shapes he was making with his left hand. I didn’t start getting more serious about it until I was about nine,” he recalled.
His first love was heavy metal. “I started learning Metallica, James Hetfield riffs. I had a Telecaster and a Ross Loudmouth amplifier, and, boy, was it loud.”
Around this time, Steve’s mom and stepfather moved to Micronesia, and Steve joined them. “That’s when I really started practicing,” he said, “because there wasn’t a whole lot to do.” He passed the time teaching himself classical guitar, listening to tapes of Christopher Parkening playing pieces with finger and thumb. When Steve returned, he was 14 years old and ready to receive proper training.
Steve’s father introduced him to a teacher named Ron Pinkham, one of the greatest classical guitarists in Maine. Studying with Pinkham laid the foundation, learning all aspects of music, playing with a metronome, and really honing his craft. He also played in the jazz band at his high school.
Photo By: Lisa Landucci
Upon graduation, Steve went to University of Southern Maine to study classical and jazz. Although he didn’t graduate, Steve learned a lot. “I thought the knowledge was more valuable than the degree, so I decided to go out and make a living.”
Building Banjos, Playing Flamenco in San Diego
Steve moved to San Diego, where he got a job at the Deering Banjo company, the largest manufacturer of banjos in the U.S. Building banjos by day, he quickly found gigs almost every night of the week.
Steve had learned mandolin as a teenager, so he ended up playing a lot of traditional Celtic and bluegrass music, as well as flamenco guitar. “There was a Spanish restaurant across the street from where I was playing, and somebody came in and heard me, and wanted to teach me flamenco guitar.”
Discovering Bisbee, Moving to Nashville
Steve first came to Bisbee in 2004, when his mother Stephanie moved here. He stayed for a few months, and played guitar with a guy named Fiddle Jake. “It had always been on my radar since then, as a place to return to someday,” he recalled. “I do love the art and music scene here, and the respect for artists and musicians.”
Photo By: Lisa Landucci
But first, he decided to try and make a career in Nashville, arguably one of the most respected towns in the U.S. for music, particularly country. But getting into the Nashville music scene wasn’t easy, even for a talented player like Steve. “I was pretty good. But not Nashville good.”
“Like Going Back to School”
For a long time, Steve didn’t do any gigs. “I just went out and listened to the best bands I could find. And so it was just like going back to school, but even more intense.”
Steve took what he described as a unique path to Nashville success. He learned to play the fiddle, pedal steel, piano, and bass. Coupled with the instruments he did know, this made him a desirable player. “I diversified and found out that’s a pretty good wild card.”
Grand Ole Opry
It took Steve Peavey more than five years to break into the scene, but it wasn’t until 2021 that he was able to get into the Mecca of country music: The Grand Ole Opry. “I had worked in a band with Don Williams, and he was having surgery. And so he recommended me to play in his place.” While he was never an official member of the house band, he subbed for a lot of shows.
Moving to Bisbee
After almost 20 years in Nashville, Steve felt he needed a change of pace. “I never had any goals coming to Nashville. All I wanted to do was try and become a great musician.”
Steve recalled Bisbee, and since his mother was living here, thought he would give it a try. He quickly hooked up with local talent Timothy Dick, and they formed (with bassist Evan Hubbard) The Mule Mountain Trio. The band, with Timothy on vocals, guitar, and foot-stomping tambourine and Steve on fiddle, pedal steel, and guitar, immediately found a strong following. “I was amazed to meet Timothy, he is truly one of the best I’ve ever known.”
Steve’s Big Break
Ironically, it wasn’t until after he left Nashville that the biggest break of his career happened. “I got the call to come and audition for Dwight Yoakam. That was the result of one of the connections I made in the Opry House Band.”
Needless to say, he got the job, and now plays piano, Hammond organ, fiddle, and pedal steel with Yoakam. “It is absolutely the best gig I’ve ever had.” He tours throughout the year, throughout the country, usually Thursday thru Sunday; in his off time, he returns to Bisbee to play with the Trio as well as hitting the local karaoke spots (he’s a great singer to boot!).
The Future Looks Bright
Steve plans to continue with Dwight on the road, and living in Bisbee playing with the Trio. “I’m always looking for new challenges. I want to build instruments.” Steve’s hobby outside of music is chess, and, not surprisingly, he is incredibly good at that as well. “I studied ancient chess, so I learned a lot of bad openings. It’s intriguing to learn the history of the game,” he said.