On Feb. 7, a local blues legend was inducted to the Arizona Music Hall of Fame at Music in the Garden.
Big Pete Pearson has been performing at Music in the Garden at Desert Botanical Garden for more than two decades, drawing large crowds and sold-out shows. The Garden has been such a special place to Pearson that he chose to hold a short ceremony during his performance in early February.
“I was speechless. My guitar player had a wonderful speech prepared. I was very, very, very—I don’t know the word for it. I was happy and excited. One of the greatest things to happen to me,” Pearson said.
Performing for a sold-out crowd at Music in the Garden, Pearson gave a timeless and energetic show at 88-years-old. He has become a staple at the Garden’s outdoor concert series.
“I want to thank the Garden for having me there. I hope the Garden and its guests like what I do when I come. I hope the Garden keeps having me there until I am rolled out in a stretcher.”
Pearson hails from Jamaica and raised in Austin, Texas. In the 1950s, he moved to Phoenix, where he has ruled the blue scenes ever since. Throughout his career, he has worked with other music legends, including Ray Charles, B.B. King and Muddy Waters. Pearson’s has written and release multiple albums during the span of his career, including “I’m Here Baby,” which hit No. 1 worldwide and won Best Blues Album of the Year at the Independent Music Awards in 2007. His latest album, “Stepping Out,” also is played on hit TV shows, like “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago PD”.
