Peter Himmelman (born November 23, 1959, in St. Louis Park, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and film and television composer from Minnesota, who formerly played in the Minneapolis indie rock band Sussman Lawrence before pursuing an extensive solo career.
Career
Himmelman garnered his first solo deal on
Island Records in 1985 after a video for the song "Eleventh Confession" made its way onto regular rotation on
MTV.
His first release,
This Father's Day, was composed for his father, David. In the early '90s, he achieved significant alternative radio play with songs including "The Woman With The Strength of 10000 Men", from his
From Strength To Strength release. He was nominated for an
Emmy Award in 2002 for his song "Best Kind of Answer", which appeared in the
CBS series
Judging Amy, for which he also composed the score. He was the composer for the FOX television show
Bones through the fourth season. He was nominated for a
Grammy Award for his children's album,
My Green Kite .
USA Today has called Himmelman "one of rock's most wildly imaginative performers" for his often highly improvisational stage shows.
Big Muse
In 2011 Himmelman began working with organizations and brands such as McDonald's, Gap Inc., and
Banana Republic to help them achieve better communication, innovation and leadership, via a company he started called Big Muse.
The methodology Himmelman created is designed to help organizations increase innovative thinking, team building and leadership ability. Its main metaphor for teaching these skills is songwriting.
Connection to Daniel Pearl
Himmelman met journalist
Daniel Pearl briefly at the in Washington, D.C., in 1995.
After Pearl's murder in Pakistan in 2002, Himmelman became deeply engaged with Pearl's story and legacy. He visited Pearl's parents,
Judea Pearl and
Ruth Pearl, in Encino, California, and wrote the musical tribute "For a Son" in Pearl's honor.
He has written about Pearl's legacy in publications including
Commentary magazine.
Personal life
Himmelman is married to Maria Dylan, a lawyer and adopted daughter of
Bob Dylan.
They have four children.
Himmelman identifies as an Orthodox Jew,[ Himmelman, an Orthodox Jew, turned down an invitation to perform on The Tonight Show when it became apparent that the performance would fall on the Jewish holiday Sukkot] prays three times a day,[I pray three times a day ... I've been doing this for 24 years, three times a day. http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/tim-townsend/article_b9678b56-f5e9-5be7-9578-9d66c8a6565e.html] and does not work on the Jewish sabbath or Jewish holidays.
Discography
Solo studio albums
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1986: This Father's Day (reissued 1995)
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1987: Gematria
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1989: Synesthesia
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1991: From Strength to Strength
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1992: Flown This Acid World
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1994: Skin
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1999: Love Thinketh No Evil
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2004: Unstoppable Forces (bonus disc: Himmelvaults, vol. 3)
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2005: Imperfect World
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2007: Pigeons Couldn't Sleep (bonus DVD: Rock God – originally titled: Mittin Derinin)
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2010: The Mystery and the Hum
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2014: The Boat That Carries Us
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2017: There Is No Calamity
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2020: Press On
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2024: At the Emergence of Stars
Band albums
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1978: Shangoya – "Get a Grip" – 7" single
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1979: Sussman Lawrence – Hail to the Modern Hero (reissued 1980)
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1984: Sussman Lawrence – Pop City
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2004: The Complete Sussman Lawrence (1979–1985) (double CD reissue with bonus tracks) (CD, Deep Shag Records)
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2013: Minnesota – Are You There? (2013)
Solo children's albums
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1997: My Best Friend Is a Salamander
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2000: My Fabulous Plum (re-issued 2004)
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2004: My Lemonade Stand
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2007: My Green Kite
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2009: My Trampoline
Live albums
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1996: Stage Diving – Live from The Bottom Line – NY, NY
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2008: Pen and Ink
Greatest hits compilations
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2004: The Complete Sussman Lawrence (1979–1985) (double CD reissue with bonus tracks) (CD, Deep Shag Records)
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2005: Mission of My Soul, The Best of Peter Himmelman
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2007: Songs of Folly and Transcendence (1998–2007)
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2011: Best of Kids Collection: Songs to Make Boring Days Fun
Rarities releases
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1998: Himmelvaults, Vol. 1
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1999: Himmelman Music for Film
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2002: Himmelvaults, Vol. 2
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2004: Himmelvaults, Vol. 3 – bundled with Unstoppable Forces
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2005: Himmelvaults, Vol. 4 Pristine
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2005: Himmelvaults, Vol. 5 When Grace Collides with Sin
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2006: Himmelvaults, Vol. 6
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2007: Himmelvaults, Vol. 7
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2008: Himmelvaults, Vol. 8
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2009: Blackout in the Book of Light
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2011: Flimsy
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2014: Himmelvaults, Vol. 9
- Spinoza Bear Project
In the early 1980s, Himmelman wrote and produced songs for Spinoza Bear, a therapeutic stuffed animal that was used to eliminate the stress of children in hospitals, rape victims, autism sufferers and others. He also provided the voice of the bear.
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1984: I'm Your Friend and My Name Is Spinoza – Bonding, Opens Communication
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1985: You Are All You Need To Be – Encouragement, Self Esteem
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1985: Everybody Needs A Little Tenderness – Ease Anxiety
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1985: Dream on the Water – Encourage Sleep
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1986: Do You Wonder – Curiosity, Learning
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1986: Good Friends – Feelings, Relationships
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1991: New Beginnings – Relaxation, Healthy Choices
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1991: Breathing Healthy, Breathing Free – Positive Attitude, Deep Breathing
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1991: Hold On to Me – Grief and Loss
Filmography
From 2008 to 2010, Himmelman produced a live Internet show,
Furious World,
broadcast every Tuesday evening from his home studio. The show featured original live music with his band, video segments that ranged from philosophical to comedic, and special guests from the world of technology, music and the arts.
The film Rock God is a documentary about Himmelman directed by Keith Wolf. Tim Townsend of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote about the documentary in the context of Himmelman's Orthodox Jewish faith and music career.
Film and TV composition credits
TV scoring credits
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Bones (FOX)
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Judging Amy (CBS) – Emmy-nominated song "Best Kind of Answer"
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Men in Trees (ABC)
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Ex List (CBS)
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Heartland (TNT)
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Freshmen Diaries (Showtime)
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The American Embassy (FOX)
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Going to California (Showtime)
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Making the Band 4 (MTV)
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Bug Juice (Disney)
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ER – Season 9 – "A Thousand Cranes" (NBC): "Always in Disguise", from the album Flown This Acid World
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Miami Vice – Season 3 – "Lend Me an Ear" (NBC)
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How To Rock (Nickelodeon)
Film music and scoring credits
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Ash Tuesday – Janeane Garofalo
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Four Feet
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The Souler Opposite – Chris Meloni, Tim Busfield
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Bill's Gun Shop
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A Slipping-Down Life – Guy Pearce, Lili Taylor
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Dinner & Driving – Joey Slotnick, Paula DeVico, Sam Robards, Brigitte Bako
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Liar's Poker – Flea
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Crossing the Bridge – Jason Gedrick, Stephen Baldwin, David Schwimmer
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Pyrates – Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick
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Queen Sized – Nikki Blonsky
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Porn 'n Chicken
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Snow in August
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A Face to Kill For – Doug Savant, Crystal Bernard
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Long Gone – Dermot Mulroney
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Heart of Dixie – Ally Sheedy, Phoebe Cates, Treat Williams
Visual art and writing
Himmelman is also a visual artist and painter whose work appeared on the cover of his 1987 Island release
Synesthesia. A collection of his recent art can be found online.
Himmelman is also a poet and essayist, making many contributions to the philosophy blog Feed Your Head.
External links
