Peter grew up in Berkeley, CA and was inspired by folk music at an early age. He began singing chanteys in the late 1980s, encouraged to sing in public by his friends Dick Holdstock and Allan Macleod. In 2003, Peter teamed up with Richard Adrianowicz to perform and record chanteys and other types of sea songs, producing four albums together. Peter leads a monthly chantey sing in San Francisco and organizes an annual Sea Music Concert. Peter regularly performs at sea music festivals in the U.S. and England, and researches chanteys through printed collections and recordings.