Meet Pete Puckett, well, actually it's John David Price Puckett. You see, his Dad's name was John Robert Puckett. He made sure all the boys names started with John. His older brother is John Henry Sanford Puckett, and his younger brother (now deceased) was John Lawrence Brian Puckett. Pete guesses his Dad was just trying to please all of the relatives. A coach in 3rd grade gave him the nickname "Peter Lee". Over the years he settled on just Pete. And oh, he sings Second Tenor.
Pete joined The Contemporary Chorale in December of 2015 and estimates he's missed only one Spring and one Fall show since then. The credit for getting him there goes to his neighbor, lifelong friend, and travel companion, Carol Blackwood, who had joined a year or so earlier. She told him in no uncertain terms that he'd have the time of his life singing with the group — and she was right. "I've never looked back," Pete says, "unless the lyrics were back there somewhere."
Music and performance have run through Pete's whole life. He remembers singing in elementary school, where all the boys had crushes on their music teacher, and then landing the role of Perchik in Fiddler on the Roof in ninth grade. High school brought a blur of a cappella choir, madrigal, band, orchestra, and even music theory. After college, he married his wife (43 years ago) at Lake Highlands Presbyterian Church and has sung in the church choir ever since.
For those who go back far enough, Pete's résumé includes leading roles in Carousel and Show Boat at Garland Summer Musicals, Company in Addison, and numerous productions at Dallas Repertory Theatre — before Raymond Nasher tore the theater down.
Among his favorite Chorale memories: singing and dancing in "This Is Me" from The Greatest Showman, with a close runner-up being "Politics and Poker," in which a group of guys sang and played an on-stage poker game complete with a well-timed "Likewise."
Pete even shares the stage with a bit of celebrity history — he once performed as Bob Cratchit opposite a ten-year-old LeAnn Rimes as Tiny Tim, back before she was destined for bigger things. If given the chance to sing with her again, he says, "This time she will have to stay off of my shoulders."
Pete's path to a life in the arts wasn't exactly a straight line. After dropping out of college to figure out what he really wanted to do, he bought a Kawasaki 1000 motorcycle and rode more than 8,000 miles around the Western United States — including a detour into Tijuana, Mexico. He'd been a journalism major, but after watching Wayne Newton perform in Las Vegas, he changed course entirely, returning to the University of Texas to earn a degree in theatre. "And the rest, as they say, is history."
Oh — and he also built the big green building in downtown Dallas.(See photo)
Since retiring from Pharmaceutical Sales a year and a half ago, Pete has taken up "bowling" — which, in his case, means turning wooden bowls on a lathe in his garage. When he's not making sawdust, he enjoys traveling with his wife (and sometimes Carol) and visiting his two sons and their partners.
His favorite pastime these days is hitting estate sales on Fridays with "The First lady". He admits he initially thought sorting through the belongings of dead people was a little strange, but he got used to it quickly — so quickly that the couple's house is getting rather full these days.
Topping Pete's bucket list is the Camino de Santiago, among many other adventures still to come.
For anyone new to the Chorale, Pete offers this: "This group will give you wings. Someone in this group will stir your heart, open your eyes, and/or inspire you to greatness. Do your part to be that for someone else as well, and there is no telling what we can accomplish. Thanks for joining!"