DERRICK DOVE & THE PEACEKEEPERS – AN INTERVIEW WITH DERRICK
By Ralph Beauchamp
Derrick Dove is the potent frontman of the blues hotshots Derrick Dove and The Peacekeepers.. The band’s sound is blues based but they filter in a myriad of different genres in order to keep their music singular and original. At any given time, Derrick Dove and The Peacekeepers will surprise you by adding delicious inflections of Southern rock and soul into their songs. The band’s tone and groove feels lived in but with modern accents.
Derrick Dove is an amazing guitarist. His riffs deliver an unmitigated swagger. They are crisp and deliciously brazen. Every note exudes a vibrant flash of cinematic intensity. Dove‘s vocals also distributes an emotive rawness. His voice has that perfect balance between traditional blues textures and boldly melodic edges. Vocally and sonically, everything hits right.
Besides Derrick Dove, The Peacekeepers are comprised of Don Hill III (Bass), Johnathan Thomas (Keys) and Jamie Richardson (Drums). Their musicianship is superb. Each member contributes immensely to their overall sound. They have shared the stage with such illustrious artists such as ZZ Top, Blackberry Smoke and The Marshall Tucker Band. Earlier this year marked a major turning point for the band as they won the 2026 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. No small feat.
Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers will be performing at this year’s Black Bear Americana Music Festival being held at Harwinton, CT from 8/14 – 8/16 with such artists as the Adam Ezra Group and Pure Prairie League.
Derrick Dove was kind enough to sit with AMP for this interview.
AMP: What first drew you to the blues, and who were your earliest musical influences?
DERRICK: Music has always been a part of my household. My dad was a radio DJ and a singer in several bands. I don’t know what initially drew me to the blues. The first person that really inspired me was Little Richard. I loved his singing and hi-flying energy. To me, it was entirely relatable.
My dad was a big Delbert McClinton fan. So, as I got older, McClinton, Bob Seger, Stevie Ray Vaughan became some of my heroes. I know Seger isn’t technically a blues artist but I totally enjoyed how he told stories through his music. That’s what really drew me to the blues. The storytelling, soul and authenticity hit home for me.
AMP: When writing a song, what usually comes first: the lyrics, melody or feeling?
DERRICK: It depends. I’ve worked with all three. I’ll come up with a song idea or hook and then I’ll write down a bunch of words. I probably have a couple of hundred notepads on my phone with lyrics. I also have a bunch of riffs that I can pull up to start the songwriting process. Very rarely do I sit down with the express purpose to write a song from scratch. Plus, everything I do centers around feelings. Like I said, all three work.
AMP: Your music blends traditional blues with modern elements. How do you strike that balance?
DERRICK: I’m not one of those guys that has to push boundaries. I never think of my my music in that fashion. I just write what comes out. I’m not sure there is any balance going around my head or not. It’s just about being in the present and capturing that particular moment in time. My band and I just want to keep it real.
AMP: Blues is deeply emotional. How do you channel that authenticity on stage?
DERRICK: It’s by being truly authentic. I’m a very emotional person. Just ask my wife (laughing). It’s not like I actively try to channel my emotions through our live shows. It just flows out naturally. Music is my therapy. When I’m feeling bad, I pick up a guitar. Vice versa, when I’m feeling good, I pick up a guitar. My goal when we are playing live is for the audience to feel the music. Make them shed a tear or crack a smile. I want to warm their hearts. That’s what playing live means to me.
AMP: What’s been one of your most memorable live performances so far?
DERRICK: There’s quite a few of them. We got to open for ZZ Top. Big sold out venue. You walk on stage and look behind and see all their amps and gear set up. You just say to yourself, “this is nuts”. This is my 16 year old self’s impossible dream.
Also, not sure how memorable this is but it was a Spinal Tap kind of moment. The song is building up onstage and it’s the moment for my big guitar solo. When I stepped forward, I unplugged my peddle board. Hit that first note and nothing. The 2000 people are looking at you and wondering what the heck just happened. Sometimes, you just got to roll with the punches.
AMP: Your last full length was Burn It Down. Can you give us a little insight into the release?
DERRICK: This album is much more of a collaboration between the band members and myself. We all had equal songwriting time as opposed to the prior two records where I pretty much wrote everything. We really wanted to dive into the songs I brought to the table. The band truly incorporated their input. It was a culmination of things we were doing on the road which gave us a head start once we hit the studio. Let me say, this is a true brotherhood. Even though my name is out front, this is truly a group effort. We are all in this together.
As to Burn It Down, it has a wide swing. We cover soul (“Just Walk Away”) ala Otis Redding as well as Sothern rock meets Led Zeppelin (“Time To Pay Up”). The entire album has an amazing strut to it. There’s a straight blues track entitled “Queen Of Broken Hearts” which I love. It’s just a record about where we have been and where we are currently at. We are extremely proud of the album.
AMP: What challenges have you faced as a modern blues artist in today’s music industry?
DERRICK: There seems to still be a little stigma to an artist that adds “blues” to their musical profile as opposed to country or rock. Our mission as a band is to try educate people that there’s more to the blues than meets the eye. They try to put the genre into a little jar and it’s really not that limited. It’s a multi-faceted musical genre with many different feels and sensations.
AMP: How do you see blues evolving in the next decade?
DERRICK: I don’t know because the genre has spread out so far. Like I answered in the last question, there are so many dimensions to blues music. One day you can be playing acoustic swamp music like Robert Johnson and the next, rocking blues with a full band like Gary Clark Jr. who is pushing musical boundaries. Blues, just like any other genre, can go as far as it wants. For us, it’s a feeling that has evolved naturally. We just do what we do. Our music is a lifelong journey and where it ends up will probably even surprise us.
AMP: What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from your work?
DERRICK: I want them to go “WOW”! We want them to realize that we are not what they expected which happens a lot. We are just brothers playing music on the road. There’s no on-stage and off-stage band. We hold no airs. All we want is for our fans to feel our music and have a good time.
AMP: Are there upcoming projects or collaborations you’re excited about?
DERRICK: We are extremely excited about what we have going on right now. Besides touring and playing new places, we are actually recording a new album. Not sure I am liberty to divulge this but the heck with it, I’m giving myself permission. We are recording in Nashville at Ocean Way Studios with the legendary Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith/Rush/Iron Maiden) producing. He’s already pulled out some amazing music from us. There will be some intriguing times ahead.
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