Orville Peck

Orville Peck
Peck in a short film directed by Alfred Marroquín in December 2020
Background information
Birth nameDaniel Pitout
Born (1988-01-06) January 6, 1988 (age 35)
Johannesburg, South Africa
OriginCanada
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, drums, guitar, piano
Years active2017–present
Labels
Websitewww.orvillepeck.com Edit this at Wikidata

Daniel Pitout, known professionally as Orville Peck, is a South African country musician based in Canada. He wears a fringed mask and has never shown his face publicly. He released his debut album Pony in 2019, followed by the EP Show Pony the next year. His second studio album Bronco was released on April 8, 2022.

Early life

Peck was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and lived there until he was 15. As a child, Peck taught himself music by playing on an acoustic guitar and an old Casio keyboard. He is the son of a sound engineer, and he did voice-over work for cartoons and other media as a child. Growing up, he trained in ballet for 12 years, and performed in musical theatre. By the time he was in his early 20s, Peck had been on national tours of musicals.

In his mid-20s, he moved to London to study acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and later starred in a play on the West End.

Career

"Orville Peck" is a pseudonym; he has been described as "presumably older than 20 and younger than 40".

Peck self-produced his debut album, Pony, and released it in 2019 through a collaboration with Sub Pop. He has noted that he "wrote, produced and played every instrument he could" on the album while working in a coffee shop and living with his parents. In June of that year, he performed his songs "Dead of Night" and "Take You Back" live on CBC Radio One's Q. Pony was named to the initial longlist for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize in June 2019. The album also received a Juno Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020.

Peck performed "Dead of Night" on Jimmy Kimmel Live on January 29, 2020. He also announced a tour of selected cities in the United States, including performances at the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals.

In May 2020, Peck announced the follow-up to his debut album, an EP titled Show Pony, with a release date of June 12, 2020. In July, 2020, Peck announced the delayed release of Show Pony until August 14, 2020, in recognition of the Black Lives Matter movement and the ongoing protests against police brutality in the United States.

Peck recorded a cover of "Smalltown Boy" for the 2020 Pride edition of the Spotify Singles series. The song was released exclusively on Spotify on June 29, 2020, and everywhere else on July 31, 2020.

In April 2021, Peck was featured on American drag queen and singer Trixie Mattel's EP, Full Coverage, Vol. 1. He appeared on the song "Jackson", a duet cover of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash's "Jackson". Although not credited in the liner notes for the EP, Trixie Mattel has confirmed that the whistle part in "Video Games" is Orville's whistle. In June, he was revealed to be the sixth artist on Lady Gaga's Born This Way The Tenth Anniversary, with Peck reimagining the song "Born This Way" in a country style. On March 16, 2023, Peck made an appearance as a guest on the judge's panel on MTV's RuPaul's Drag Race, alongside RuPaul Charles, Michelle Visage, and Ross Mathews. In 2023, Peck was a coach and judge on My Kind of Country.

Artistry

Identity

It has been confirmed that Orville Peck is a persona of Daniel Pitout, drummer of the Canadian punk band Nü Sensae. Previously it had been speculated that Pitout was Peck based on the similarity of Peck's tattoos, as well as Peck mentioning that he was in a punk band. Pitout was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, as was Peck. Pitout also starred as a replacement in Peter Pan Goes Wrong in the West End in 2016, which lines up with Peck mentioning he was in a West End play while he lived in London. Pitout is also listed by ASCAP as the songwriter for Peck's song "Old River" and other songs that match the titles of the songs released by Peck, such as "Roses Are Falling".

Influences

Peck strongly identifies with 1970s era country music and lists classic stars Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Bobbie Gentry, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton as influences. Outside of country music, Peck has mentioned Roy Orbison, Oasis, Whitney Houston and Lana Del Rey and film directors David Lynch and John Waters as influences.

Personal life

Peck is gay. Regarding his reasons for wearing a mask to perform, Peck has stated that "the only reason I don't talk about it in depth is not because I want to dodge any questions, but because I want people to have their own take on it. I don't want to lay it out and pin it down. I just don't think that's important."

Awards and honors

Accolades for Orville Peck
Year Award Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Category Result
2019 Polaris Music Prize Pony Album of the Year Longlisted
2020 Libera Awards Orville Peck Breakthrough Artist Won
Pony Album of the Year Nominated
Best Country Album Won
"Dead of Night" Video of the Year Nominated
Juno Awards Pony Alternative Album of the Year Nominated
2021 GLAAD Media Awards Show Pony Outstanding Breakthrough Artist Nominated
Queerty Awards "Summertime" Indie Music Vid Nominated
2022 "Born This Way" Anthem Nominated
Tom of Finland Foundation Orville Peck Cultural Icon Award Won
Polaris Music Prize Bronco Album of the Year Longlisted
2023 GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Music Artist Pending
Juno Awards Country Album of the Year Nominated
Canadian Country Music Awards Orville Peck Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year Nominated

In June 2020, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade, Queerty named him among the fifty heroes "leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people".

In June 2022, Peck was presented with the Cultural Icon Award by the Tom of Finland Foundation, "for artistic achievement and immeasurable contributions to the art and culture of our community", an award previously presented to Rob Halford, Henry Rollins, Clive Barker and John Waters.

Discography

Orville Peck discography
Studio albums2
Music videos14
EPs3
Singles9

Studio albums

Overview of full-length studio albums by Orville Peck
Title Details Peak chart positions
SCO
UK
Amer.

UK
DL

UK
Cou.

US
US
Cou.

US
Folk

US
Indie

US
Rock

Pony 8 27
Bronco
  • Released: April 8, 2022
  • Label: Columbia, Sub Pop
  • Format: LP, digital download, streaming
22 18 3 3 80 11 4 13

Extended plays

Overview of extended plays by Orville Peck
Title Details Peak chart positions
UK
Amer.

UK
DL

US
Cou.

US
Folk

US
Rock

US
Sales

Show Pony
  • Released: August 14, 2020
  • Label: Columbia, Sub Pop
  • Format: vinyl, digital download, streaming
8 17 46 8 50 20
Bronco: Chapter 1
  • Released: February 11, 2022
  • Label: Columbia, Sub Pop
  • Format: Streaming
Bronco: Chapters 1 & 2
  • Released: March 11, 2022
  • Label: Columbia, Sub Pop
  • Format: Streaming

Singles

As lead artist

Overview of singles by Orville Peck
Title Year Album
"Big Sky" 2018 Pony
"Dead of Night" 2019
"Turn to Hate"
"Summertime" 2020 Show Pony
"No Glory in the West"
"Smalltown Boy"
(Spotify Singles)
Non-album singles
"Unchained Melody"/"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"
(as The Unrighteous Brothers with Paul Cauthen)
"Born This Way"
(The Country Road Version)
2021 Born This Way The Tenth Anniversary
"Miss Chatelaine" (Iron Hoof Remix)
(with k. d. lang)
Non-album single

As featured artist

Overview of singles featuring Orville Peck
Title Year Album
"Jackson"
(Trixie Mattel featuring Orville Peck)
2021 Full Coverage, Vol. 1

Music videos

Overview of Orville Peck music videos
Title Year Director
"Big Sky" 2018 Deni Cheng
"Dead of Night" 2019 Michael Maxxis
"Turn to Hate" Orville Peck
Carlos Santolalla
"Hope to Die" Blake Mawson
"Nothing Fades Like the Light" Deni Cheng
"Queen of the Rodeo" 2020 Austin Peters
"Summertime" Drew Kirsch
Taylor Fauntleroy
"No Glory in the West" Isaiah Seret
"Legends Never Die" (featuring Shania Twain) Cameron Duddy
"Jackson" (with Trixie Mattel) 2021 Assaad Yacoub
"C'mon Baby, Cry" 2022 Austin Peters
"Daytona Sand"
"The Curse of the Blackened Eye"
"Hexie Mountains"

Filmography

Television

Television work by Orville Peck
Year Title Role Notes
2021 The Boulet Brothers' Dragula Guest judge Season 4, episode 3
This Is Pop Host Season 1, episode 5
Miley Cyrus presents: Stand by You Himself Performed "Cowboy Take Me Away" with Cyrus
2022 Trixie Motel Guest Episode 3
2023 RuPaul's Drag Race Guest Judge Season 15, episode 12 & 16 (Performer)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked Himself Episode: "Untucked: Wigloose: The Rusical!"
My Kind of Country Himself

Notes

  1. ^ Pony did not enter the Billboard 200 but peaked at number 94 on the Top Album Sales chart.

This page was last updated at 2023-11-08 06:55 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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