Pete Droge

Pete Droge has built a long-lasting career working in the margins of the mainstream, writing poetic folk-rock songs that are at turns rugged, rueful, and wry. The Seattle singer/songwriter started out in the early '90s amid the Pacific Northwest's burgeoning alternative rock scene, bringing a rootsy jangle to early highlights like 1994's Necktie Second and its 1996 follow-up, Find a Door, both released by Rick Rubin's American Recordings label. The former yielded "If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself)," a hit single that featured in the film Dumb and Dumber. Droge himself appeared in director Cameron Crowe's 2000 musical love letter, Almost Famous, then formed a successful side project, the Thorns, with like-minded songwriters Matthew Sweet and Shawn Mullins. Droge continued recording on his own while also venturing into commercial work and film scoring -- he composed the soundtrack to the 2012 documentary A Lot Like You. He also made a trio of collaborative albums with his wife, Elaine Summers. In 2025, Droge returned with the poignant Fade Away Blue, his first proper solo album in almost two decades.Born in Eugene, Oregon, Droge was adopted and raised outside of Seattle on Bainbridge Island. His early musical exploits included stints with various Seattle rock bands, the most successful of which was Ramadillo, who broke up in 1992. After this, he largely began working as a solo artist, often accompanied by Summers, whom he met in 1993. Droge's friend, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, helped him land a deal with American Recordings, which released his solo debut, Necktie Second, in 1994. Produced by Brendan O'Brien, the album's hooky tongue-in-cheek single "If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself)" became a radio hit and found an even wider audience when it was included in the Farrelly Brothers' 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber. Soon he was touring as the opener for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. He again worked with O'Brien on his 1996 follow-up, Find a Door, which was credited to Pete Droge & the Sinners. At the time, American was faltering, and, despite critical acclaim, the album's promotion suffered as a result. He and O'Brien moved to the Epic subsidiary 57 Records for 1998's Spacey and Shakin. In 2000, he and Summers made a cameo in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous, playing two un-named characters loosely based on Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. Rather than make another solo outing, Droge formed an Americana supergroup, the Thorns, with Matthew Sweet and Shawn Mullins. The trio released an eponymous album in 2003 and toured with the Jayhawks and the Chicks. No longer in the major-label system, Droge started his own label, Puzzle Tree, to release his next two solo albums, Skywatching (2003) and Under the Waves (2006). Over the coming years, Droge shifted his focus to writing for commercials, television, and film, and in 2012 he composed the score to director Eliaichi Kimaro's emotional documentary film A Lot Like You. He continued to write songs, but in a more collaborative manner. With his wife, he formed the Droge & Summers Blend, a joint effort that produced three albums, starting with 2009's Volume One, followed by a second volume in 2014 and a third in 2023. While suffering from chronic fatigue (ME/CFS), Droge's performing career was put on hold. During this period, he slowly began writing a group of songs inspired by the search for his birth family and his relationship with his adoptive parents. The resulting solo album, 2025's Fade Away Blue, was his most personal to date, reflecting on themes of identity, belonging, and trauma.
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