If truth and honesty are the hallmarks of great country music, Michael Peterson has created one of the landmark Nashville albums of 2003.

Modern Man, Michael Peterson's debut for Monument Records, is an extraordinary song cycle that tells stories of loss and redemption, hope and fear, love and pain. With lyrics ripped straight from the pages of Michael Peterson's biography, it is a deeply personal work. Yet even in its most private moments, the collection resonates with universal appeal and "everyman" understanding.
"To communicate is to give people a place to connect," observes Peterson. "I had something to say. That's why I made this record. Is it too personal? I don't know. But I believe people will find things to identify with in my stories. When I listen to records by my favorite artists, I get the feeling that they're connected to the music in a way that's truthful and sincere. That was the place I started from when I thought about the kind of record I wanted to make. I started to look for stories. Stories about families, experiences, playing sports as a kid, the place where I grew up. I just started to write about those things. The challenge for a songwriter is how do you take something so personal and deliver it in a way that's universal? I think I understand that now better than I ever have."

Modern Man is an album of the heart's journeys and discoveries. A young father finds unexpected warmth and love in the adoption story "About Caroline." A jilted romantic rocks out in "Lesson in Goodbye." A man learns of heartbreak through an abused pet in "Oklahoma Stray." A lover pledges joyous devotion in "Good Thing When It's Gone."

Perhaps the most powerful moments on Modern Man are in the six songs that Michael Peterson wrote for the collection. The song poet looked into his past to find insight, understanding and healing when he created for this album. Michael Peterson barely knew his biological father, and he explores these complex feelings in "What Makes a Man." His grandmother's inspirational advice rings through the anthemic "Play." Peterson explores issues of masculinity and sensitivity in "Modern Man" and tells a story of regret in "Right About Now." The lessons of his days as a football star are woven into "If My Memory Serves Me Well." He makes peace with his troubled past in "No More Looking Over My Shoulder."

Michael Peterson was raised in ranching country along the Columbia River in eastern Washington state. His father, who was in the shipping business, deserted the family when he was a child. "I thought that one day we would get to know each other. The first time I met him, I was 12. My mom dropped the dishes when my brother picked up the phone and said, 'It's Bob.' Those dishes became a picture in my mind of what the next three years were like, a lot of brokenness. He came to town, and we met him. One of the first things he did was pull out a money clip and give us each a $100 bill. I called him on my 15th birthday and found out he'd been shot to death by his business partner in California two days before."

Two years later, Michael Peterson's stepfather - who'd adopted him and raised him - committed suicide. It was just two weeks before his high school graduation.

The teenager coped with his emotional turbulence by immersing himself in music. He spent long hours at his grandmother's house, which is where his creativity blossomed. He'd learned guitar while working on an area ranch and she encouraged this. Together, they listened to her extensive record collection.

Michael Peterson also excelled in football, becoming a high-school All-American. He went to Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma on both football and music scholarships. The school won its division's national championship with the 6-foot, 4-inch, 225-pound Peterson as its left defensive tackle.

But Michael Peterson dropped out before graduation and drifted to Seattle. That's where he met his wife Tacey, whom he married in 1983. Meanwhile, Pacific Lutheran quarterback Brad Westering got into the music business in Los Angeles. Borrowing money from Tacey's father, Michael Peterson approached his old teammate about producing an album of the songs he'd been writing. Through Westering, Peterson wound up writing songs for R&B star Deniece Williams, as well as gospel headliners The Imperials.

Michael Peterson, produced by Westering, appeared on Sparrow Records in 1986. It was a collection of contemporary Christian songs, very much in a pop mode. But the singer-songwriter soon underwent another sort of "conversion" -- he fell in love with country music.

"A friend of mine said, 'You're a kid from a country town in Washington state. You wear cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. How come you're not doing country music?' The music I loved had always been story driven and acoustic based. So I started coming to Nashville. I stayed one week out of every month for two years."

Michael Peterson made his living in 1986-95 as a motivational speaker for schools and youth groups. But from around 1990 onward, Music City was his goal. He became enthralled with the music of Keith Whitley, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and other country stars. Visits to The Bluebird Café inspired him as a composer. Country songs began pouring out of him.

Michael Peterson moved to Nashville in 1995. He signed with Warner Bros. Records a year later. In 1997, the light-hearted "Drink, Swear, Steal and Lie" became his first country smash. He followed it with the chart-topping wedding vow "From Here to Eternity." Travis Tritt sang a duet with him and recorded "No More Looking Over My Shoulder" as the title tune to a 1998 CD.

Michael Peterson was named Top New Artist of 1997 by both Billboard and Radio & Records. "Too Good to Be True" became his third straight top-10 hit in early 1998. It was followed by the unforgettable portrait of alcoholism "When the Bartender Cries," then the top-20 success "By the Book." Michael Peterson, his debut country disc, became a Gold Record. He was Country Weekly's Male Newcomer and Gavin's Artist to Watch in 1998.

Being Human, Michael Peterson's second country album, contained the 1999 singles "Something 'Bout a Sunday" and "Sure Feels Real Good," as well as a sizzling duet with Bekka Bramlett called "Two of the Lucky Ones." He guest starred on an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger and was named 1999's Male Star of Tomorrow at the fan-voted TNN/Music City News Awards.

Then Michael Peterson entered a time of retrenching and soul-searching that has resulted in Modern Man. "I had done 600 shows in three years. That was an awful lot. It's tough to be creative as a songwriter when you're doing 200 shows a year. I knew it was important to get off the road, so I'd have the time to let that 'fill up' and to figure out what it was that I felt. So about two and a half years ago, I decided in my heart that if I had anything more to offer musically, it had to come out of real experience."

During his renewed burst of creativity, Michael Peterson let the songs come, waiting until he felt the need to record again. Then he took his guitar to Allen Butler's office at Sony. He sat there and played, singing from his heart for Butler and producer Blake Chancey. The next day, they offered him a spot on the Monument Records roster.

Chancey and co-producer Kyle Lehning then worked with Michael Peterson to create Modern Man.

"A couple of years ago, I was in New York City. We went to a bar. There was a jukebox there, and people were having a good time. I went over to it, and there was nothing country on it. I went back to my table and wrote these words, 'There ain't no country on the jukebox playing in this bar tonight. It's just rock 'n' roll and folks singing along. Right now there's no other music that could satisfy my appetite. I need a country song.' It was kind of a revelation -- I realized that a transformation had taken place in me, that country music had gotten ahold of my soul.

"It has given me something I couldn't find anywhere else. It helped me to find the words for feelings I didn't even know I had. That's how important country music is to me, and why I love it so much."