FLORIDA MUSIC AWARDS HALL OF FAME 2025 INDUCTEE: PETER GRAVES
Peter Graves
Forthcoming Florida Music Awards Hall of Fame Inductee 2025
The year 1971 brought Graves and the band to Joe Namath’s Bachelor’s III in Fort Lauderdale for a five-year engagement that featured performances with Mel Torme, the Temptations, Lou Rawls, the Four Tops and countless other nationally known artists.
In 1976, the Peter Graves Orchestra opened the inaugural season at the Sunrise Musical Theatre with such notable performers as Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Shirley Bassey, Henry Mancini, Dionne Warwick, and George Benson. Frank Sinatra enjoyed working with the orchestra so much that he used the orchestra for his engagements in the Southeast U.S. for 20 years. From 1977 to 1996, the Peter Graves Orchestra performed with Sinatra from Florida to Texas, New Orleans and Atlanta, including three Super Bowl concert performances.
Mr. Graves and members of the orchestra toured and recorded with the Bee Gees since 1976 and have received 6 platinum albums and numerous platinum and gold singles for their work with the Brothers Gibb over the years. Other artists the orchestra has toured with include Julio Iglesias, Engelbert Humperdinck, Lou Rawls, and Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.
In addition, Mr. Graves has received a platinum album for his arranging and performing on the Barbra Streisand album “Guilty”. Other award-winning albums include “Monkey Grip Glue” by Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones, “Firefall” by Firefall, “Heartbreaker” by Dionne Warwick, “Shadow Dancing” by Andy Gibb, “Right Place, Wrong Time” by Dr. John, “Islands In The Stream” by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton and many others.
In 2005, Peter Graves was the lead arranger and conductor on the Barbra Streisand / Barry Gibb collaboration “Guilty Pleasures”, which was released in August 2005. In September it debuted at #5 on the charts, and by October had been certified a Gold Album with sales of over 500,000 records.
Currently, Peter Graves is Darius Rucker’s conductor and musical director on his solo dates with the Darius Rucker Big Band when Darius is not performing as a solo country artist or as the lead singer with the ever-popular Hootie & The Blowfish.
Graves and his orchestra have also performed for the NFL at six Super Bowls with headline acts such as Frank Sinatra, Kool & The Gang and the Four Tops, The Temptations, Frankie Valli, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson. During the first nationwide tour of “Phantom Of The Opera”, the Peter Graves Orchestra was chosen as the pit orchestra.
Video Clip for Planned FMA Show – Postponed Featuring Peter Graves Career Highlights
“Frank Sinatra Always asked for Peter and his Orchestra when he was in this area for his shows.” Jack Boyle Famed Music Promoter of Cellar Door Productions
