Ralph Peterson Jr., May 20, 1962 – March 1st 2021 was an American jazz drummer. His grandfather and four uncles were drummers. Peterson started playing percussion when he was three years old. Peterson was born in Pleasantville and played the trumpet at Pleasantville High School. He also worked in local funk groups. Livingston College and Rutgers were his options to study drums. However, he failed the entrance exam for percussion and enrolled instead as a trumpeter. He graduated in 1984. He joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in 1983 as their second drummer. In 1984, he worked with Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Out of the Blue (1985-1989), Tom Harrell (1985-1988), Branford Maralis (1986), David Murray (1987), Craig Harris (1987), James Spaulding, (1988), Roy Hargrove (1989), Jon Faddis (89), Dewey Redman (1989), Jon Faddis(89), Dewey Redman (1989), Mark Helias (1989), Wynton Marsalis (with the Count Basie Ghost band) and Wynton Marsalis Peterson was a sideman for Jack Walrath (1992), Charles Lloyd (1992), Kip Hanrahan (1992), Bheki Miseleku (Courney Pine), Steve Coleman, George Colligan and Stanley Cowell. He also played with Mark Shim, Betty Carter, Mark Shim, Mark Shim, Mark Shim and Mark Shim in the 1990s. In 1988, he began to record as a leader with a quintet consisting of Steve Wilson, Geri All, and Phil Bowler on Volition and V. Allen and Bowler also recorded together as a trio for “Triangular”. Bowler was replaced by Essiet Essiet on the 1988 Triangular recording. He recorded as “The Fo’tet”, a quartet with Don Byron (later Bobby Franchesini), Steve Wilson (later Belden Bullock), Melissa Slocum (later Belden Bullock), Bryan Carrott, and Bryan Carrott in 1989. After a time in Canada, he returned home to Philadelphia and recorded Triangular 2 along with Slocum, Uri Caine. He was also a member of the “Hip Pocket” group, where he played trumpet. Peterson was a professor at Berklee College of Music, Boston and University of the Arts, Philadelphia. Peterson made a bold move in 2010 when he founded Onyx Productions Music label. Peterson, who was suffering from cancer complications, died March 1, 2021. From Wikipedia
