About Pete Schaffer 

Pete brings a wide range of influences into his musical expression as a guitarist and songwriter. Born in New Hampshire, he moved with his family to the San Francisco Peninsula when the music and cultural scene of the 60s was in full swing. Seeing a number of concerts at the iconic Fillmore as a teenager accelerated his interest in music and the guitar. 

As a Stanford student, Pete played trumpet in the renowned and fun-loving Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band. 

Pete took advantage of Stanford’s overseas campus program to attend the Stanford-in-France campus in Tours for six months. At the end of the six-month term Pete happened to meet German guitarist and songwriter Wolfgang Michels who was in the area visiting family.  Wolfgang, who had formed a band in Germany, Percewood’s Onagram, was a fan of British and American rock groups and wrote his songs in English. He asked Pete to come to Germany before returning to California and to play a couple of concerts with them in the Bremen area. He encouraged him to return the next year after graduating and play guitar with the band. 

The following June Pete returned to Delmenhorst, Germany, and played lead guitar on Percewood’s Onagram’s fourth album, Ameurope. To sound more American, Wolfgang wanted Pete to be listed on the album as Peter Conant Schaffer, his full name, since Peter Schaffer was such a German name.  Little did anyone know then that the album would be reissued a number of times as a CD by companies including BMG and Warner Brothers in Germany.  In 2014 it was released as part of a 5-CD set by Warner Brothers in Germany.  Below is the cover of that set.  Pete is the guy in the hat. 

Some of the Percewood’s Onagram songs are on YouTube.  The following is a link to the song Leaders. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojehVKy1Ve0 

After a year and a half Pete returned to the U.S. 

In 1976 Wolfgang visited Pete in Menlo Park, California. They decided to make another album with some local musicians and produced Full Moon/California Sunset.  As he had for Ameurope, Pete wrote out the music and lyrics which were published in a songbook. 

When Wolfgang returned to Germany, he found a small company to distribute the record. Because it did fairly well, the record company owner returned with Wolfgang to the Palo Alto area to make another album, Crazy Enough.  This record also received a favorable response. 

Throughout the years Pete and Wolfgang remained close friends, communicating often and sharing musical ideas. Tragically Wolfgang died in the fall of 2017 of lung fibrosis. 

Peter has now put together his first solo acoustic album that includes eight of Pete’s original songs along with Wolfgang’s song, Set You Free.