He’s the One
A star in West Africa four decades ago, Peter One is finally making his comeback, in Nashville
BORN in the Ivory Coast yet based in the United States for 30 years, Peter One’s music draws on two distinct and powerful musical traditions. “My philosophy is, home is wherever you feel comfortable,” says the 67-year-old, who recently retired as a registered nurse and is relaunching his music career. “I feel comfortable here in Nashville because of the music, so I feel like I am home.”
Come Back To Me marks the return of an artist who was once a star in West Africa and may yet become one in his adopted country. Throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, One – real name Pierre Evrard Tra – played to sold-out stadiums and made frequent TV appearances in and around the Ivory Coast. In 1985, he and his friend Jess Sah Bi released the landmark album Our Garden Needs Its Flowers, which blended African music with American blues, folk and country.
Despite their success, it was not a difficult decision to leave Africa, especially with violent political turmoil looming. “Down there wasn’t the right place for me to get to my goal of making a living playing music. My plan was to stay here for a little while, learn about the music business and get my equipment while the political situation died down. But it got worse and worse. So I decided to stay.”
One worked as a messenger in New
York City and as a high-school French teacher in Delaware, finally enrolling in nursing school. “I was looking for something stable that had a more comfortable revenue. I have to laugh, because I never thought I would be working in the medical field.” He volunteered for evening and nightshifts so that he could have his days free to make music, which continued to be his passion. “I’ve never chased money, that’s not me. I just want to play music.”
In 2017, Awesome Tapes From Africa reissued Our Garden Needs Its Flowers, which “pushed the doors open for me,” says One. “That’s when the Nashville community knew about me. That’s when people approached me about recording.” After gathering some new songs he’d just written and some old ones he’d penned back in Africa, he recruited a small crew of local players that includes drummer Ken Coomer, Wilco multiinstrumentalist Pat Sansome and engineer/co-producer Matt RossSpang (Margo Price, Drive-by Truckers). He also toured with Jason Isbell, played Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion, and makes his Grand Ole Opry debut in April.
Come Back To Me ponders the impossibility of returning to what he once knew. The loping country closer “Birds Go Die Out Of Sight” cautions an old friend about returning to Africa. “Don’t go home”, One sings sympathetically, as a harmonica wails in the distance. “There’s nothing for you there”. “I was telling my friend it wasn’t the right time. The country wasn’t stable enough. If you go back, you will have to start from scratch. It’s been so long, you are like a stranger now. Society evolves – it’s not static.”
“Kavudu”, another new song, is more hopeful. “I wrote it for the people of my country. That word means ‘Let’s get together, let’s stay one’. The country went through so much turmoil, which ended up in war. When you talk with people, you feel it. They are not happy with what they live in. So that song is my contribution to bring people back together.” He hopes that he won’t have to wait so long to make his next record. “I would say this album is just the start. As long as I have the opportunity, I will bring more songs.”
“I’ve never chased money, that’s not me. I just want to play music”