Guitarist lives his dream on stage

Published 9:00 pm Monday, June 5, 2006

TALENT, Ore. – At times, Jeff Pevar is tempted to pinch himself just to make sure it’s all real. He may be wide awake, but he’s living a dream.

“I get to stand on stage with my heroes,” he says, between bites of a hamburger at the Talent Cafe. “It’s a dream come true. I feel very blessed.”

Now 49 years old, Pevar was listening to Crosby, Stills &Nash while he was learning to play the guitar in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Now, he’s the “P” in David Crosby’s band CPR (Crosby, Pevar &Raymond), and he has spent the last two summers on tour with Crosby, Stills &Nash.

He’s taking this summer off from CSN, because some guy named Neil Young decided to sign on for the tour. Along the way, Pevar has played with Ray Charles, B.B. King, Wilson Pickett, Joe Cocker, Phil Lesh and many others. In March, he spent much of the month on the East Coast touring with Jazz is Dead, a band that performs jazz arrangements of Grateful Dead music.

In Grants Pass in February, he jammed with Little Feat at the Rogue Theatre. A couple of weeks later, he played with the Rogue Suspects at a brewpub in Ashland.

Whether the venue is large or small, he just wants to play music.

“I can’t play too much,” he says. “I have the disease. It’s important to honor the gift that’s come my way.”

Pevar, whose nickname is “Peev,” grew up in Hartford, Conn., where he taught himself how to play the guitar. He was playing in bands by the time he was 14 and was performing in clubs in Boston and New York at 15.

His big break came in 1983, when he landed a spot in Rickie Lee Jones’ touring band. About the same time, he heard Ray Charles was coming to town. Charles was playing two shows that night and Pevar went to the first show, where a mutual friend introduced him to Charles’ band leader.

He requested an audition, but was told he’d need a tape. So he rushed to a friend’s studio and cut a tape.

He got back to the Ray Charles show just as the band was pulling out of town after the evening’s second show. He slipped the tape to the band leader, who must have liked it because Pevar was called back for a live audition.

He went on tour with Ray Charles in 1984, ‘85 and ‘86.

“Guys in the band would say, ‘The old man likes you, Pevar,’” he says, laughing at the memory. “What a thrill for me. I mean, this guy was the ultimate.”

It was in 1992 that Pevar started working with David Crosby and Graham Nash. While he keeps many other irons in the fire – Jazz is Dead, solo performances and composing – he considers Crosby and Nash his “biggest account, if you will.”

They have first claim on his time, and he tries to accommodate other commitments only after he has honored his obligations to the legendary folk-rockers. Crosby, especially, has been Pevar’s touchstone for the past 14 years.

It was two years ago that CPR included Medford’s Ginger Rogers Craterian Theatre on its tour schedule. On a day off, Pevar was exploring the Rogue Valley and met Inger Jorgensen, a local artist and singer who owns a studio and framing shop in Ashland.

“My life hasn’t been the same ever since,” says Pevar. After the CPR tour ended, he rushed back to Ashland. He and Inger have been together ever since, and the couple recently bought a house near Talent. A self-described workaholic, Pevar says his move to the Rogue Valley has had a profound impact.

“So, here I am in this beautiful valley. I can take a breath and think about what’s really important in life,” he says. “We all have to make a choice to be our own best friend or our own worst enemy. Living here is allowing life to show me where I need to go.”

Associated Press

Guitarist Jeff Pevar was listening to Crosby, Stills &Nash while he was learning to play the guitar in the late ’60s. Now, he’s spent the last two summers on tour with the legendary band.