Pete Droge Artistfacts

March 11, 1969
Droge was part of the Seattle music scene in the early '90s, a time when grunge bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were all the rage. His music, though, was more rootsy, and in 1993 he moved to Portland, Oregon, which was a better fit for his sound. He did make an important connection in Seattle: Pearl Jam producer Brendan O'Brien, who helped him get a record deal and produced his first album, Necktie Second.
Droge had a minor hit with his first single, "If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself)," and although he was able to make music for a living the rest of his life, he never had another hit, and he's OK with that. "It's easy to get wrapped up in external success: sales, awards, etc," he said on the Songfacts Podcast. "I'm well under the radar of blockbuster sales, but I'm happy just to stay connected to the beauty of making and sharing music that can make people feel something."
Droge started dating fellow musician Elaine Summers in 1993, and they got married in 2008. She sang background vocals on his first two albums and played the cowbell on "If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself)." In 1997, Droge produced her debut album, Transplanting. In 2009 they started a side project together called The Droge & Summers Blend.
Droge and Elaine Summers perform a song he wrote called "Small Time Blues" in the 2000 movie Almost Famous, where they appear as a musical duo in the spirit of Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons. Droge auditioned for the role of the bass player in the fictional band Stillwater; he didn't get the part, but director Cameron Crowe asked him to write a song for the film, which is how "Small Time Blues" was born.
In 2002 Droge formed a group called The Thorns with fellow singer-songwriters Matthew Sweet and Shawn Mullins. They released an album and toured in 2003 but broke up soon after.
Droge is adopted. He didn't seek out his birth mother until 2009, when he turned 40. Through a records request, he found out her name was Barbara Ann Thomas, and she had died just months earlier. He ended up connecting with some of her relatives, including Pete's grandmother.
Droge produced Bayleaf, the first solo album from Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gosssard. It was released in 2001.
He was stricken with chronic fatigue in 2015 that took him out of action for about eight years. During this time he began a meditation practice, meditating for about two hours a day when the symptoms were at their worst.

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