About Peter Dula
Peter Dula is a country singer/songwriter from Slovakia (Europe), but music hasn’t been his love and passion from the very beginning. He used to be a hockey player and in 1999 went to Boston, MA to play hockey for a junior league (on a path to try out for the NHL). His plans suddenly changed when he was diagnosed with cancer. He was treated in Boston for 6 months. Peter got well and went back home to Slovakia, but in a few months the disease returned. He had to undergo a bone marrow transplant. "It was the toughest battle of my life, but I got through it" says Peter.
In between his treatments he picked up his father's old guitar and his dad showed him a few chords. That's how it all started. Peter never sang or played any instrument before in his life. His dad had some old records by Johnny Cash and Peter started playing and singing his songs. "His voice and his music touched my heart and Johnny Cash became my biggest influence," Peter comments. Later on Peter discovered some other great country singers that also had a huge influence on him and their music was helping him recover from his illness and get through the hard times during his treatment (Alan Jackson, Don Williams, Joe Diffie, Buddy Jewell, Randy Travis, Mark Chesnutt...)
"I fell in love with country music right away and it became a part of my life". He learned a lot by listening to these great artists. If you ever heard Peter sing, you know he sings with his heart and soul and delivers his music with such honesty and feelings. His music will reach out and touch you.
Peter is now fronting Europe's top country band The Rowers. They released a CD which won them a Slovak GRAMMY® Award and other numerous prestigious awards including the best European country band of 2007. They broke the European airplay record when the single "I’m Leavin’" spent consecutive 14 weeks at the top of the ECMA chart. Peter & The Rowers swept the board at the 2007 European CMA awards taking home 6 awards along with the most prestigious “Artist of the Year†award. Peter’s songs are dominating the major European country charts and he and his band are extensively touring Europe.
Since the beginning of 2008 Peter has been battling cancer again but that did not stop him. He is still trying to perform , record and write songs. In spring 2008 Peter recorded a duet with honky tonk legend and Grammy winner Joe Diffie. Their song "Long Gone Loner" made it to no.1 on the major European Country Music Chart and to no.3 on the prestigious HotDisc International Chart.
In June 2008 Peter was invited to perform at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville and on June 8th he made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium. With the performance on the Grand Ole Opry he made his biggest dream come true. Country music is helping Peter keep going through the hardest time of his life!!!
Peter has worked and shared the stage with Joe Diffie, Marty Stuart, George Jones, Mark Chesnutt, Buddy Jewell, Sammy Kershaw, Michael Peterson, Andy Griggs, Chris Young, Billy Yates, Kevin Denney, Kerry Kurt Phillips, Roger Springer, Lorrie Morgan, Neal McCoy, Tammy Cochran, Leslie Satcher, Brice Long, T. Graham Brown, Danny Leigh, Billy Ryan and many more.