Any connoisseur of Seventies rock music will certainly remember Rare Earth.
Their funky good-time music is still played on classic rock stations across the
country and their place in pop music history is firmly cemented.
Peter Rivera is the original drummer and lead vocalist behind all of the hits.
Wherever these classics are played people inevitably say something like: "I'd
know that voice anywhere" . . .Peter's story is one of those all-American classics;
a kind of "rags to riches" tale in which an obscure white boy, growing up in a red-
brick row house of Detroit, Michigan, finds his way out of the grimy blue-collar
neighborhood that spawned a whole generation of factory workers, dock hands,
and "tough-guy" bar brawlers to the big time glitz and glam of the pop music
industry.
With Peter on drums and lead vocals, Rare Earth sold over twenty-five million
records. Peter recorded over seventeen albums, had top ten hits with:
"Get Ready"
- "I'm Losing You"
- "Born to Wander"
- "Hey Big Brother"
and
- "I Just Want to Celebrate"
The albums "Get Ready" and the two-record set "Rare Earth in
Concert" won double platinum. "One World" and "The Ecology Album" went
single platinum; "Willie Remembers" and "Ma" won gold.
Rivera has been called the premier rock drummer / vocalist of the '70s. Peter's
vocals have been featured on countless radio and television commercials. His hit
voice is heard in several movies and television shows. "A Knights Tale", "Three
Kings", "Chicago Hope" and "Beverly Hills 90210" are but a few. Peter has 34 years of touring
the world. "There isn't much I haven't seen", he says.
At present he lives with Dabar, his wife of thirty-two years, and his family in Southern
California. He tours the world with the Classic Rock All Stars and is currently involved
in projects that include writing and producing music. He has authored his autobiography
and is currently working on a book-to-movie project. He has three children. Two sons are
in professional baseball and his daughter is a senior softball star at a Division I college.
