Tucker Peterson

Tucker was raised in Mississippi — same place as Carl Jackson. He got his first guitar from Carl's Mom and Dad. The Petersons have been in that area since 1850, and one common thread runs through all of them: music.

On weekends when there was music played, it was moonshine, dice and music. His Daddy was the greatest of them. Old black men would park their log trucks in the ditch and walk up to play. A small Tucker watched in amazement.

"I asked one named Neckbone, 'Was that in G?' He said he knew 'nothin' 'bout no G.' I never forgot that. To this day I only trust what Neckbone trusted — feelings. To this day I like open chords, yet my strumming hand is all up and down the guitar, telling it how I feel."

Tucker's Daddy was one of the best singers he's ever heard. He only ever wrote one song, but he recorded it. It took off and a record company sent him money to come to Nashville. Daddy took the money and went drinking — and really regretted that in his life. Tucker's Daddy died in January 2007. His song "Hillbilly Rocker Son" is his tribute.

"He liked my music and was proud that I wrote my own stuff. Still among the Petersons I probably rate under him, even though I've done much more — but I am good with that."

Tucker didn't put a band together until the last few years. "Hard. Musicians are quirky people — you gotta go with the quirks. If they want green M&Ms, I try to get them green M&Ms."

He's open to suggestions about arrangement, but the bottom line is his way or the highway. He's fired a lot of guitar players. One night a guy sitting in butchered "Help Me Make It Through The Night." Tucker told him three times to lay back. When the song was done: "Pack your stuff, now." The crowd clapped as he walked out.

As for vices — Tucker doesn't do drugs, never has. Coffee is his vice. He takes a thermos to his gigs.

"I feel the rawest of form is the best of entertaining."

Tucker points to Elvis's "Aloha From Hawaii" as the perfect example. Elvis knew what it would take — he cleaned up, got to fighting weight, and delivered two legendary shows. "Those performances will be the best of his legacy." Raw form. No shortcuts. Your fans came, and you deliver.

Tucker has been involved with Bosque County Community Theatre since 2004. His first show was "Foxfire," where he played Dillard Nations — a singer/songwriter. "I was lucky on Foxfire because Dillard and Tucker were the same." He won two Omar Awards for the role.

The play had songs with words but no music. Tucker was told to just play some songs he knew. He refused: "No way, this needs to be Dillard's music. People in the audience shouldn't know the songs." He took the words and worked relentlessly on an entire original score. About two weeks out, he delivered — and blew everyone away. That play went up against the musical "Grease" for awards and took 17 of the 24 Omars, including one for Tucker's original music score.

He went on to direct "Butterflies Are Free," "Deathtrap," and assisted on "On Golden Pond." He designed and built the sets for the shows he directed. "Being proud of the work is what's important. I'm really not all that much on the awards — I usually take the plaques off, say thank you and donate them back for next year."

"I love theatre. It is real acting. You are live — you can't fix something when someone screws up, and they will. You have to teach the actors how to cover each other. All plays have mess-ups; it's the illusion you create so that no one sees them."