Pete Sutherland

Sutherland was born on May 13, 1951, in Burlington, Vermont.[6][7] His mother, Mary Lou, was a classical pianist and homemaker.[7] His father, Bob, worked at General Electric.[7] He grew up in a small house on a dirt road in Shelburne, Vermont, the oldest of four brothers.[7]

Sutherland showed an early interest in music. His mother said that he "could hum a recognizable tune before he could talk."[8] He also took piano lessons.[7] As a teenager, he gathered with peers at a neighbor's kitchen table, where he played guitar to accompany their singing.[7]

After graduating from Champlain Valley Union High School, he enrolled at Castleton State College, where he learned banjo and fiddle and developed his musical interests.[9][8] He transferred to the University of Vermont his junior year,[8][7] where he majored in English and education.[7]

Sutherland (left) playing mandolin in Bristol, Vermont, 2017

In the 1970s, Sutherland spent time in North Carolina learning bluegrass traditions.[9][8] He held various jobs, including apple picking, to support himself.[8]

In the 1980s, Sutherland moved to Bloomington, Indiana.[7] He toured with a band called Metamora, visiting every state except Hawaii.[7]

By 1990, he moved back to Vermont.[7] He played with various musical groups, including the Clayfoot Strutters and Pete's Posse, where he was the bandleader.[7][9] He was also an artist leader for Young Tradition Vermont, a youth music and dance program he helped establish.[7][10]

Sutherland mentored many young musicians, including Oliver Scanlon,[11][12] who joined his contra dance band as a fourth grader and later joined Pete's Posse.[7] The band gained prominence during a 2002 cross-country tour.[7]

Sutherland performed regularly for the Vermont seasonal production "Winter Tales".[7][9] He was also the music producer for the Old Meeting House summer concert in East Montpelier, Vermont.[10]

He hosted concerts at his house for approximately $10, discounted by a dollar for anyone who brought their own chair.[8]

Sutherland met his spouse, Karen (née Billings), while playing hammered dulcimer at UVM's student center in 1972.[7][13] They had a son, Calem, c. 1990,[8] and divorced c. 2016.[7]

Sutherland lived in a converted former general store in Monkton, Vermont.[8][7] He maintained a large garden and foraged for food.[7] He took an interest in his son's hobbies, including at various points baseball, American history and filmmaking.[7]

Sutherland at a town tribute in Bristol, Vermont, in 2017

A few years before his death, Sutherland sold his Monkton house and began living with friends in Chittenden County and central Vermont.[7] He fought prostate cancer for more than a decade.[9][12] He moved into a hospice in Montpelier c. October 2022, but remained mentally acute, and received visits from many musicians who played at his bedside.[12] He ended his life on November 30, 2022, using Vermont's medical aid in dying law.[7]

Sutherland received many tributes after his death praising his contributions, mentoring, and humbleness.[10] The Barre Montpelier Times Argus described him as "arguably the dean of Vermont traditional music" in its obituary.[10]

• Pete Sutherland discography at Discogs