Eli
Dr. Blues
Marcus

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Eli
Dr. Blues
Marcus

Eli Dr. Blues MarcusEli Dr. Blues MarcusEli Dr. Blues Marcus
Home
About Dr. Blues
Traveling Blues Radio
Touched by the Blues
Eli's Blues - blog
More of my Writing
My Music
My Artwork
Friends and Peers
Champagne Charlie
Johnny Mayer
Peter Mathieson
Contact
More
  • Home
  • About Dr. Blues
  • Traveling Blues Radio
  • Touched by the Blues
  • Eli's Blues - blog
  • More of my Writing
  • My Music
  • My Artwork
  • Friends and Peers
  • Champagne Charlie
  • Johnny Mayer
  • Peter Mathieson
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About Dr. Blues
  • Traveling Blues Radio
  • Touched by the Blues
  • Eli's Blues - blog
  • More of my Writing
  • My Music
  • My Artwork
  • Friends and Peers
  • Champagne Charlie
  • Johnny Mayer
  • Peter Mathieson
  • Contact
Jan. 1951 - June 2018

Peter Mathieson


"The Hippie Guru of Calgary"


  • The Brute Force Jug Band,
  • The Backline Orchestra
  •  Paisley Wood 
  • The Psychedelic Peter

I met Peter sometime around 1977, as he was appearing regularly in the Back Room of the Pizza Patio restaurant on Bloor St. west of Avenue Rd. in downtown Toronto.

Peter was a wonderful guitarist and a very witty songwriter as well as a gentle soul, and a very nice guy who was easy to befriend. 

Aside from a teaching me few choice guitar licks, Peter also taught me how to play Backgammon, and we would play a game or two in between his sets on stage.

 I learned to play a few of his songs back then, and I sometimes play them to this this day...

Peter also worked part time at the Millwheel guitar shop (off of Yonge St, above Dundas), and we would sometimes sit and jam when there was a slow day at the store...

Peter moved away around 1980 to St. Louis, and I moved to Israel, so we lost contact with each other... until some time in the mid 2000's when I suddenly received an email from him and we rekindled our friendship, staying in touch by email, regular snail mail letters, and Facebook. 

Peter introduced me to one of his old musical buddies from his Calgary days - Bill Hills, who is a wonderful Blues harmonica player and singer.

I was aware of Peter's lung cancer in his last years, but thought that it was under control or even in remission, but apparently the damage  to his lungs caused severe emphysema, which caused his final demise. 

Rest in peace my gentle friend.

******


  • Composer of the hit song “Yonge Street”, (which was turned into a hit by Raffi on his 1975 album Good Luck Boy) 
  • Peter had a series of satirical songs he called "Ten Terrible Tidbits", which included "Never Wear Your Woollies in the Rain", "The Necrophilia Rag", and "Baggin Boogers by the Bundle".
  • Composer of the “Necrophilia Rag”, a ragtime-style love song about a man who lives with his dead wife in her crypt -

 “you've got such tender eyes,  tender thighs, 

when I'm around you how the time just flies

Oh how I love these tender moments with my bride

'seems like only yesterday, you up and died..."

...

"The love you feel for me is plain and there's no doubt,

I see what's on your mind as it comes crawling out"


  • Composer of the Blues send-up “The Collected Works of Blind Boy Pudley”.
  • Another satirical song is "The Human Fireball" 

".. stand back and watch me smoke 'em

I'm a human fireball..."

  • Sings witty and wry original tunes and covers of old chestnuts that reflect his quirky,  sardonic sense of humor.

Peter's Music

https://www.reverbnation.com/petermathieson/song/20140422-song-for-tt


https://www.reverbnation.com/petermathieson/song/17716383-time-for-a-change


https://www.reverbnation.com/petermathieson/song/17716446-gypsy


https://www.reverbnation.com/petermathieson/song/17716495-the-mine-that-wouldnt-cave-in


https://www.reverbnation.com/petermathieson/song/17716414-the-water-is-wide-waly-waly


https://www.reverbnation.com/petermathieson/song/17716337-necrophilia-rag


https://www.reverbnation.com/petermathieson/song/17716400-he-was-a-good-ole-folksinger


https://www.reverbnation.com/petermathieson/song/17716462-human-fireball



https://www.reverbnation.com/petermathieson/song/17716437-collected-works-blind-boy-pudley


https://www.reverbnation.com/petermathieson/song/17716423-dulcimer-lady


https://dai.ly/x37jse7 Raffi - Yonge Street

Peter's quips and one liners

Shell of a Man

He Was A Good Ole Folksinger

He Was A Good Ole Folksinger

“Well he was only a shell of a man, 

but when you held him to your ear you could hear the ocean”

He Was A Good Ole Folksinger

He Was A Good Ole Folksinger

He Was A Good Ole Folksinger

"He used to be so angry / my God he loved to suffer 

… but … went from angry young man to pissed-off middle-aged duffer"

The Necrophilia Rag

He Was A Good Ole Folksinger

The Necrophilia Rag

“you've got such tender eyes,  tender thighs, 

when I'm around you how the time just flies

Oh how I love these tender moments with my bride

'seems like only yesterday, you up and died!..."

******

******

The Necrophilia Rag

“Um, I just recently returned from a whirlwind tour of one night cancellations…” 

******

******

******

Do you wanna come up & see my handmade guitars? 

******

******

******

Me: Well, Peter, you're looking as handsome as ever!

Peter: How much do you need to borrow?

Photo Gallery

Jamming at the Millwheel guitar shop Toronto
Program of performers from the Pizza Patio restaurant on Bloor St. Toronto

Yonge Street (1972)

See the Chevys row on row going by you with the flow
As they carry all the driftwood to and fro
See a thousand lonely faces press a thousand window panes
Searching for a reason not to go
 

Oh, don't you go to Yonge Street
It's bound to waste your time
Don't you go to Yonge Street
It's bound to waste your time
 

Them fancy dressing ladies they sure look so fine
Damn near enough to drive a man insane
Find the only girls you know in an arcade picture show
Pay your dime and pretend they know your name
 

Don't you go to Yonge Street
It's bound to waste your time
Don't you go to Yonge Street
It's bound to waste your time
 

Well a man sure needs a woman to help him through the night
To keep him keeping on when time get rough
But if I feel tomorrow the way I feel tonight
I feel I'll probably feel I've had enough
 

I'll probably go to Yonge Street
Try to waste my time
Trying to waste my time...    Waste more of my time...

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