Peter Himmelman - Gematria (1987)

Minnesota native Peter Himmelman was the leader of a pop/rock quintet called Sussman Lawrence that made two independent albums in the early '80s and earned him comparisons to such new wave singer/songwriters as Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson. The group became Himmelman's backup band for the release of his debut album, This Father's Day (1986), which earned him a contract with Island Records. He followed with Gematria (1987), Synesthesia (1989), and From Strength to Strength (1991). By the last release, he had moved to Epic Records, releasing 1992's Flown This Acid World and 1994's Skin. Stage Diving appeared on the Plump label in 1996. The following year, he released the children's album My Best Friend Is a Salamander on the Baby Boom label. Later that year, Himmelman signed with the Six Degrees subdivision of Island Records. His first album for the label was Love Thinketh No Evil, released in spring 1998. More children's recordings followed, as did 2004's Unstoppable Forces on Majestic. In 2005 he delivered the raw and bluesy Imperfect World, followed by his first anthology, Mission of My Soul: The Best of Peter Himmelman. The children's album My Green Kite appeared in 2007 from Rounder Records. A new album, The Pigeons Couldn't Sleep, was released in 2007, followed by My Trampoline and The Mystery and the Hum in 2009 and 2010, respectively.