Neville Peter was born on November 17, 1972. He was born and raised on the beautiful island of St. Thomas. When he was about six months old, his parents noticed that he did not make eye contact with them anymore. He did not smile back when they smiled at him, nor did he respond to their faces peering at him over the rails of his crib. His parents wondered if there was something wrong with his vision, so they took him to the doctor. He was diagnosed with Glaucoma, which is a very painful disease that causes nerve damage in the eyes.
At the time, not much could be done to stop the disease or to repair the damage already done. Neville cannot remember ever being able to see perfectly, but he is thankful to God that he had the privilege of some sight for the first 12 years of his life. About the age of five or six, he began to sing in church. During the congregational songs, he would sing as loud as he could. They say you could hear him above the organ and everyone else. He did it just for fun and because the older members seemed to enjoy his singing. However, his younger friends did not enjoy his singing that much and they began to tease him about it, so he decided to tone it down, to sing softer or not sing at all. However, the older members began to ask him, “What happened?” “Why didn’t I hear you today?” To which he would reply, “I was singing bass.”
At the age of fourteen, Neville began to study piano. It was offered as an elective at his school. Two years later, he rediscovered his voice at a high school Christmas concert where the audience gave him a standing ovation. Not long after, he began receiving invitations to sing at other concerts, church events and talent shows on the island. This led him to reconsider his career options. He began taking his music very seriously. By this time, most of his musical interests were geared toward Jazz, Pop, Reggae, and R&B. He began singing in many of the local nightclubs, but out of love and respect for his parents, he still attended church and would sing there from time to time. At the age of 19, Neville left St. Thomas and moved to Miami. There he attended the University of Miami where he received his BA in Studio Music and Vocal Jazz. While in college he received an award from Down Beat Magazine for best National College Jazz Male Vocalist of the Year. During this time he began performing on South Beach and other clubs in the Miami area. Neville has toured with Cassandra Wilson and has worked with Gladys Knight. When Gladys heard a recording of him singing his original music, she said that he was destined for the Grammies. However, shortly thereafter his career in secular music was cut short by God’s divine providence. Although resisting God’s call initially, on January 1, 1998, while playing at a New Year’s Eve party in Michael Cane’s restaurant, Neville decided that he had seen all the world had to offer and he did not find it appealing. It was at that moment He resolved to give all of his talents to God, withholding nothing. He then began writing and performing Christian music and God has really blessed!
He has written over 100 Gospel songs and has had the privilege of sharing the stage with Bishop T.D. Jakes, Gladys Knight, Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, Natalie Cole, Shirley Caesar, Richard Smallwood, Kurt Carr, Bebe Winans, and many others. He has performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall and appeared on many television programs including, TBN’s “Praise the Lord” program, I-Gospel with Alicia Williamson, Celebration of Praise with Ron Rosson, and Cynthia and Friends.
During an interview he was asked “If new technology were developed that would allow you to regain your sight, would you want to take advantage of it?” His answer gives such insight into his love for the Lord. He paused and thought and then said, “Well, yes and no. Yes, because it would be nice to be able to get into my car and just go wherever I want without having to depend on other people, but no, because I think it would be really cool if the first face that I see is the face of Jesus.”
His two favorite Bible verses are Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” and Isaiah 42:16, “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them. I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” His greatest joy is to use his music to introduce people to the Savior and to show them how to get ready for His soon return.
The best description of Neville’s music is that, “It ministers to the soul and quiets the troubled spirit.