Pistol Pete

Pistol Pete Biography

“Pete has been a mainstay of the blues scene in the Northern Illinois area for a very long time. He is a renaissance bluesman covering all the bases from acoustic to high-energy electric blues. He is the complete package, a master musician of the highest caliber. It's been a pleasure having him around all these years.”
~ Rich Gordon, Sunday Morning Blues, WKGL-FM (link hidden) The Eagle

“One of the qualities that I absolutely enjoy about Pete is that he plays with such passion that shows he has studied music of all genres with his eclectic performance style, which includes fantastic vocals in addition to his shredding.”
~ Sweet Music Chica, Big City Rhythm and Blues, June-July 2014

“ … I want to say that I have seen a lot of the best guitar players in the world, and Pete is one of the best.”
~ (link hidden)wen, patron of B.L.U.E.S. in Chicago

World-renowned blues musician Pistol Pete has been an electrifying performer since the 1970s, eventually becoming known for his Jimi Hendrix-like guitar skills and mesmerizing performances.

The Chicago-based shredder, equally skilled in rock, jazz and R&B/Southern soul, has five albums and a Christmas EP showcasing his musical prowess, with a sixth record to be released in 2015. He performs regularly at the renowned Chicago B.L.U.E.S. Bar downtown, and he can often be seen at other high-profile venues such as Untitled (Chicago), the Harlem Avenue Lounge (Berwyn), the Whiskey Roadhouse (Rockford), Miss Kitty’s Saloon (Naperville) and more.

While Pistol Pete has launched himself into Midwest stardom and has a generous fan base overseas, the Downers Grove resident will never take his Chicago beginnings for granted.

Benjamin “Pistol Pete” Newell was born in Los Angeles but moved to Chicago to be raised by his beloved aunt and uncle when he was just 2 months old. Living on Maxwell Street, an area known as Jew Town, he was surrounded by blues music, though his uncle also introduced him to Jimi Hendrix and the psychedelic rock movement. He learned guitar from his uncle at age 4, performed for his first live audiences at 10 and had formed several bands with friends by his teenage years.

It was a Chicago police officer who daily frequented his aunt and uncle’s restaurant who first coined the nickname “Pistol Pete” after hearing the youngster play, but years later, when a young bandmate suggested the group name “Pistol Pete and the Professionals,” it stuck. The unrelated incidents sparked a name and a career that has spanned decades.

Pete released his first album, Loaded, in 1995, and won first place in the 1996 Asti Spumante Showtime talent search, which led to a performance at The Apollo in New York City. In 1997, he took the country by storm, winning the national Jimi Hendrix Electric Guitar Competition. Since then, he has won countless awards for his guitar and performance skills and has opened for musical acts such as Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Foreigner, Kansas, Foghat and Cheap Trick.

Having traveled the world as a musician, Pete has a strong fan base in Japan, and he has two additional albums recorded by Japanese independent record label P-Vine Records.

In addition to being a performing artist, Pistol Pete shares his musical ability by teaching private guitar, bass, keyboard, mandolin, banjo and voice lessons.