Peter was born on June 6, 1944 in San Francisco. He began playing guitar at an early age and became involved in the folk scene of the early 60s. While attending The College of San Mateo, Peter and his brother Rodney played in a bluegrass band called the Liberty Hill Aristocrats.

By the time Peter met Sam in 1965, he had aspirations of forming a band that would write and perform children’s songs. One of the first songs he wrote while working with children at The Marin Jewish Community Day Camp, north of San Francisco, was “Caterpillar”. This song went on the appear on the first Big Brother and the Holding Company Album.