Navigating the country music scene as an outsider is no small feat, but Orville Peck has managed to carve out a successful career doing just that. On his third album, “Stampede,” Peck’s rebellious spirit shines through, leading to collaborations with a diverse array of artists, including Willie Nelson, Elton John, Mickey Guyton, and Kylie Minogue.
When the South African musician debuted with his album “Pony” in 2019, he was an enigmatic figure. With a deep baritone reminiscent of country legends like Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings, Peck kept his true identity hidden behind a mask and a pseudonym. His mask, a broad strip of leather covering his forehead down to his nose bridge, along with a Stetson hat and long fringe, obscured his face. As his popularity grew, Peck gradually revealed more of himself. Now, as he gears up to release “Stampede,” a duets album, only the hat and eye mask remain.
“I think it’s sort of in parallel with my confidence,” Peck explains. “When I first started — my first album — I really needed the mask.”
Releasing a duets album requires a lot of self-assurance. Each track is a fresh collaboration, a new creative venture. “Every single song is me, 50%, and then 50% the other artist,” he notes. “There’s a long tradition in country music of duets and duos. I think of Johnny Cash and June Carter, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris,” he continues, hinting that he thought this kind of project would come later in his career.
“But then when Willie asked me to do [the song] ‘Cowboys,’ it was like, ‘Oh, is this maybe the right moment?’ And so, then I asked Elton, and then I asked Kylie, and then, you know, it just kept going.”
A collaboration that didn’t materialize? Dolly Parton.
Peck is referring to the 1981 queer country cult classic, Ned Sublette’s “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other,” which Nelson covered in 2006 and Peck often performs live. When they played a festival together a few years ago, Nelson invited Peck onto his tour bus for coffee and suggested they re-record the song as a duet. Nelson told Peck, “It’s more important now than ever,” Peck recalls.
“The fact that he wanted to do this particular song with me, and his reason being to support and encourage the LGBTQ community, I mean, it’s incredibly validating.” They later filmed a music video for the duet at Nelson’s Luck Ranch in Texas.
“Stampede” includes unconventional duets and covers, like “Papa Was a Rodeo,” a bluegrass rendition of the Magnetic Fields’ indie rock song with Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, and “Death Valley High,” a tribute to Sin City with Beck. Beck told the AP, “Elvis in Vegas is, you know, Vegas by way of Memphis. It’s a totally different thing from Sinatra Vegas.”
There’s also “Midnight Ride,” a disco track featuring Kylie Minogue and Diplo, which the trio debuted live at a Pride event in Los Angeles in June.
“I’ve learned over the years how important visibility is,” Peck says, “Bringing something that’s really joyful and inclusive.”
Peck feels at home as an outsider. “Country radio — country with a capital C — is its own thing,” he says. “You have to do a lot of politicking to play the Nashville game. It’s never interested me.
“I want my music and art to speak for itself. I don’t feel the need to play the Nashville game to be accepted and validated,” he continues.
“I know how country I am. I get to work with amazing legends like Willie Nelson and Tanya Tucker, people I grew up idolizing, who love me. That’s enough validation for me. If I’m not on top 40 country radio, that’s fine.”
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