Biography

Former CMT’s Lance Smith calls Don Pedigo “The Hard Rocking Heartthrob from the Heartland!” Pedigo was recently a finalist in CMT’s Music City Madness competition and featured on CMT’s Top Twenty Countdown.

If I wanted to, if I felt the need to be lazy, I could spout off a list of clichés that have always been the foundation of Don’s biographies. It would be an easy task to say that he’s from a small rural community, he’s hardworking, or tell you that he’s the son and grandson of protestant ministers. While all of these are indeed fact, they fail to give any indication of the artist and person that is Don Pedigo. Isn’t that the problem with artist bios? They tell you everything while telling you nothing. Their purpose tends to be that of the proverbial magic mirror. One wishes words written about them to tell them just what they want to hear, just how wonderful and interesting they are. These fluff pieces’ biggest malady is this very fact, and because of it we are left with a hollow shell of a story, instead of the substance that every artist hopes that they, themselves, contain.

Initially, one could say it was the church that Don first experienced music, but that would indeed deny our mother of this honor. Some of my earliest memories (and I’m sure Don’s) is hearing our mother playing the piano through the walls as I fell asleep. Moving ahead, we both found adventure of listening to the music that church would find unacceptable. I remember our grandmother finding Don’s copy of Kiss’ Love Gun, and condemning us devil worshippers. Even at a young age, Don was able to connect with the rebellion and glory of discord that rock and roll is supposed to, or at least used to, instill in the youth of our society. At the age of thirteen, he became a bass player to fill out a band set to perform covers of Beatles and various college rock songs. Soon, he was given a natural finish Peavy electric guitar that paved the way to hours upon hours of Zeppelin and Hendrix. Eventually, Don began to move past the confines of the popular music of his day and age. For many years, he continued to learn and grow as a musician and a fan of music, purposefully perpetuating an expanding base of influences.

When we were kids, I remember the two of us rummaging through our father’s vinyl collection. At the time, I only knew that it was exciting to have access to such a wealth of music. Artists like CCR, Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Cash, and Jim Croce littered the set. We’d sit and put on record after record after record. I didn’t know it at the time, and I’m sure Don didn’t either, that these times were the catalyst of our musical futures. By no means did I want to undersell the importance of our father’s tastes when speaking of Don’s history, but I do want to stress that only in retrospect could either of us know just how crucial they have come to be. There came a time in Don’s life when he made a conscious decision to begin writing songs. Once his life as a singer songwriter began it didn’t take long to see what direction he was heading. He was making a bee line straight for our father’s vinyl. Country, classic rock, and folk music became the staple influences coming through his songs and approach. We are who we are, and I see now, even in my own life, that all the time I spent away from Americana music was only a very large cycle in the goal of coming full circle, back to where I come from.

Since that time Don has met and worked with very influential and important people (and if you talk to Don, I’m sure he will tell you all about it). He has played many places that I’m sure if listed in succession would be very impressive. He’s sold songs. He’s going to sell more. He has a great record and another one of the way. Once again, if you know Don, or meet him, he is always more than happy to let anyone know how he is doing and what he is doing. What I do want people to take with them is that Don is my brother and I love him. He’s a responsible family man who pulls off the impossible everyday: he lives with his head in the clouds while having his feet on the ground. He loves his family and he takes care of them, but refuses to not let himself be happy. Despite his shortcomings, we can all learn a little something from Don. Don’t give up and don’t even worry about it. Just keep doing what makes you happy and it will just keep getting better. If anyone ever has anything bad to say about my brother I would reply with these words: “He will beat someone up for you and he will get beat up for you.” I can’t say the same about too many people.