Charlie Peacock. Photo: Jeremy Cowart
Few artists can claim a career as diverse and impactful as Charlie Peacock. With a résumé spanning jazz, gospel rock, folk, pop, Americana and beyond, he’s spent five decades shaping the musical landscape, both as an artist and a producer behind some of the most influential records of the last 40 years. Now, with the release of his memoir, Roots & Rhythm: A Life in Music, Peacock offers an intimate, deeply personal look at the journey that brought him here.
Published via Wm. B. Eerdmans in February, Roots & Rhythm isn’t just a chronological account of accolades and accomplishments. Instead, Peacock weaves a literary tapestry that explores his ancestral, musical and spiritual roots. The book has already made waves, landing in the Top 5 of multiple Amazon music categories, and for good reason: it’s a story that extends far beyond music, touching on themes of faith, creativity, reinvention and resilience.
A fourth-generation musician, Peacock’s great-grandfather was a Louisiana fiddler, an early thread in the expansive musical fabric he would later stitch together. His own journey began with a love of jazz, honed under the mentorship of legends like Herbie Hancock. From there, his career took an unpredictable turn—discovered in northern California’s punk and pop underground by industry giants Bill Graham and Chris Blackwell, Peacock soon became a key figure in the rise of gospel rock in the 1980s.
His production work has defined multiple genres, from the soaring anthems of Switchfoot to the haunting harmonies of The Civil Wars. His contributions to film and television—such as 12 Years a Slave and A Walk to Remember—have further cemented his reputation as an artist with a singular vision.
“Well, that’s just in my blood,” Peacock says when asked about his multi-genre mastery. “That’s what I grew up with in my home and as a young musician in northern California. The very first thing we learned to play was the blues. If you were a working musician as a teenager there, you were playing every form of Black American music—modern jazz, funk and all points in between.
“Then there was the whole singer-songwriter era of my teenage years—Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, James Taylor—and my North Stars in jazz were Miles Davis and John Coltrane. So all of that just made me eclectic.”
But Peacock’s memoir isn’t just about the music; it’s about how the music was made. In Roots & Rhythm, he approaches storytelling much like he approaches making music—blending keen observation with emotional depth. Figures like beat poet Gary Snyder, evangelist Billy Graham and producer T Bone Burnett make appearances, creating a sweeping narrative where literature, faith and music collide. Throughout his career, Peacock has navigated the complexities of faith in the music industry, balancing artistic integrity with spiritual conviction.
He has never been one to fit neatly into labels—whether in genre or theology. His influences extend beyond the Bible Belt, drawing from European Christian thinkers like C.S. Lewis and the philosophical roots of ministries such as L’Abri in Switzerland. In Roots & Rhythm, Peacock reflects on how this perspective shaped his approach to music and creativity, rejecting a purely pragmatic view of art in favor of beauty for beauty’s sake.
“When I was a very young follower of Christ, I did a lot of reading and thinking about what it meant to be fully a disciple of Christ, but always fully an artist too. So I didn’t have a pragmatic view of art—I felt like art was meant to be allowed to just do its thing.
“I was never someone who thought, ‘Well, this music is useful because we can use it for evangelism.’ I definitely rebelled against the idea that something is only good if it’s useful,” Peacock says. “To me, nature itself is both useful and beautiful, and I’ve always followed that. At the end of the day, if I have no idea how something will be used but I think it’s beautiful, I’m completely content with that.”
That philosophy has guided his career, allowing him to cross musical boundaries with ease. From jazz to pop, gospel to folk, his work remains unified by a deep respect for the creative process itself. Even as his career reached new heights, life threw unexpected challenges his way. In 2017, Peacock was diagnosed with Dysautonomia and Central Sensitization, a disorder affecting the brain and central nervous system. His once-relentless pace came to a halt, forcing him to focus entirely on recovery. But even in the midst of illness, music remained a lifeline.
“There was something about the brain on music—it took my attention away from the intense pain I was in. It was as if it sort of said, ‘You need to go away for a bit, we’re busy making something.’ And it was pretty phenomenal because when I would stop making music, the pain would surge forward again. So for a while, every waking hour when I wasn’t sleeping, I was in my bonus room making music—every kind of music. That was a saving grace for me.”
During his treatment, Peacock continued to create, collaborating with artists around the world and finding new ways to channel his passion. That resilience is evident in both his memoir and his most recent album, Every-Kind Of Uh Oh, co-produced with his son, Sam Ashworth. The record, released in 2024, marks a return to the core influences that first inspired him—classic singer-songwriters, jazz and gospel—offering a reflective companion piece to Roots & Rhythm.
At its heart, Roots & Rhythm is more than just a memoir—it’s an invitation. Peacock encourages readers, particularly aspiring musicians, to embrace the rhythms of their own lives, to let music and faith lead them toward gratitude and wonder. His journey is a testament to the power of reinvention, of pushing past limitations and of staying true to the art that calls you.
“I’m always listening—paying attention not just to my life, but to the community around me, looking for signs and symbols of direction. Some people need chaos to create, others need solitude. For me, it’s about staying open, being willing to follow where the music and life want to take me next.”
From his early days as a jazz prodigy to his pioneering work in folk and Americana, from Grammy-winning productions to deeply personal songwriting, Peacock’s story is one of boundless creativity and unwavering passion. With Roots & Rhythm, he shares not just the highlights, but the lessons learned along the way—offering a guide for those willing to listen. And for Peacock, as always, it’s all part of the same song.
LB Cantrell is Editor/Director of Operations at MusicRow magazine, where she oversees, manages and executes all company operations. LB oversees all MusicRow-related content, including the publication’s six annual print issues and online news. She is a Georgia native and a graduate of the Recording Industry Management program at Middle Tennessee State University.