Ken Peltier

Local country music fans never have to wait long to catch Ken Peltier playing a live show. Since 1998, he and his band have had an almost unbroken string of weekend gigs.

Widely regarded as Alaska’s premier country act, the Ken Peltier Band can be found sharing its hard-driving outlaw country and southern rock music with appreciative audiences at clubs, concert venues, and events around the state. His national profile has led to concert-opening gigs for more than 70 acts, including some of the biggest names in the business, and he was among the headliners on a six-day country music cruise.

Music was not always part of Peltier’s life. He played trombone at Palmer High School in the 1980s, but didn’t get serious about guitar until the early 90s, when a chance stand-in appearance with a local band led to more frequent gigs.

“Music chose me. It allowed me to meet amazing people around the world,” he said. “Music entertains, but also heals and assists those in real need.”

Peltier should know. He has had to overcome immense personal challenges and family tragedy.

He lost part of two fingers in a construction accident in 1998. Instead of ending his playing days, Peltier taught himself to play with thumb picks taped to his hand. The experience taught him about the value of perseverance.

“Don’t listen to dream stealers,” he said. “It’s not who you know, it's who knows you.”

In 2009, he was sidelined for four months with stage 4 throat cancer that nearly silenced his distinctive baritone vocals. More recently, an automobile accident claimed the life of his son Luke, 20, last summer in Utah.

In a Facebook post after the accident, Peltier and his wife, Amy, remembered their youngest of two sons as “beautiful, talented, smart, and full of grace.”

“He was patient and loved by so many people across the country that have known him,” the post said. “Today is a day we never saw coming. No parent should ever have to see their child this way. It is the highest level of pain and sadness I have ever felt.”

Staying busy has always been part of Peltier’s existence. He was accepted right after high school graduation into the Alaska Operating Engineers’ heavy-duty mechanic apprenticeship program. He parlayed that into a 25-year career before retiring last year, at 52, as the statewide training administrator over the same program that launched him.

Peltier’s skills on the job also got him appointed by former Gov. Sarah Palin to the Alaska Workforce Investment Board, where he filled the vocational training seat through the tenures of three governors.

All of that was in addition to his music. For the Ken Peltier Band, that included donating their time and talent to supporting leukemia lymphoma research, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, American Cancer Society, and other nonprofit groups.

Back at home, Peltier said he enjoys his time in the Alaska outdoors and the “great peace” he finds there. He listed “the mountains – hunting, hiking, riding in them; fishing our waters; and the sunrises” as among his favorite aspects of living here.

“I’m just a kid from Palmer with a dream,” he said.

Despite his impressive list of personal accomplishments, Peltier has remained humble, gracious, and family-focused. He had no trouble identifying what he considers his proudest achievement.

“By far, our two sons, Dalton and Luke,” he said. “They are two of the finest humans I have ever known.”