Who is Pete Molinari?

Pete Molinari is a British folk and blues singer/songwriter, originally from Chatham in Kent. Born in to a large Maltese, Egyptian and Italian family, his early influences were 1960s folk musicians such as Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. Molinari was also inspired by the writing of Jack Kerouac which led to him heading to New York, originally planning just a month's stay.

The American Adventure

In fact Molinari ended up in the US for two years in which, aside from New York, he visited other significant musical cities such as New Orleans, Memphis, San Francisco and Los Angeles. During these couple of years he was able to hone his talent playing in the folk and blues clubs of New York's East Village.

The Debut Album

After two years in the States, Molinari returned home, where painter/poet/musician Billy Childish helped him produce his debut album in 2006. Titled “Walking off the Map” it was released on Damaged Goods Records, having been recorded in Childish's kitchen. A double A-side was later released , “A Virtual Landslide/There She Still Remains”, which came to the attention of a couple of the national newspapers, and led to a performance at Glastonbury festival.

Follow-up Albums

“A Virtual Landslide” was the title of Molinari's second album, released in 2008, again on Damaged Goods Record label. Recorded at the Toe Rag Studios, Molinari worked with producer Liam Watson to use a full band sound and therefore modernise a classic style and sound. 2010 was to see the release of the album “A Train Bound for Glory” to critical acclaim. This was to see him appear on the long-running Later with Jools Holland TV show, as well as see Molinari get nominated at the Mojos for Best Newcomer.

Four years later in 2014, “Theosophy” was to become Pete Molinari's fourth album release, where he was again to work with Liam Watson. Named after the Theosophical Society which was formed back in 1875 and spanned science, arts, mysticism and religion, this album featured a number of other contributors. Recorded at Humbug Studios on the Isle of Wight, musicians Dan Auerbach and Barrie Cadogan guested, while Grammy winning producer Tchad Blake and DJ Andrew Weatherall also added to the creative process.

Peer Recognition and Acclaim

Pete Molinari has received acclaim for his work from some of the music world's most recognisable artists. These include Ray Davies, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Yoko Ono. Indeed in 2013 at the Meltdown Festival at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Pete Molinari accompanied Yoko Ono on stage, singing the classic John Lennon songs “Woman” and “(Just like) Starting over”.