Pierre Jamerson: LA studio musician, songwriter & producer

by UniteNews Staff

We caught up with studio musician, songwriter, and producer Pierre Jamerson to talk about what he has been up to since he left Springfield over five years ago. UniteNews: Can you describe what it was like for you growing up in Springfield, Missouri?

Pierre: I was born on the Northside of Springfield, However, I grew up on the Southeast side, with my parents, Pastor Lamarr P. and First Lady Deborah Jamerson, who are currently Pastors of New Hope International Ministries. I attended Bingham Elementary, Hickory Hills Middle School and I attended Central High School for a year but I graduated from Glendale High School. In high school, I played basketball and music on the side.

UniteNews: When did you become interested in music?

Pierre: My parents noticed that I was always beating on things, so they bought me a Casio keyboard when I was about five years old. Although they had purchased a keyboard, they enrolled me in drum lessons, and I stuck to playing drums from the ages of five to thirteen. In my early days of elementary school, every kid was required to take music class, so we all learned to play the recorder and I remember the excitement of learning how to play songs on it. Anything that involved music or making sounds fascinated me, and I never put it aside.

I started playing the keyboard when I was eight and took les- sons from a piano teacher named Helen Finley, who taught at Hoover Music Company. I could read music, but I also had an ear for music, so when she played something, I could play it back to her without looking at the music. Although I knew what the notes were on the sheet, it was quicker for me to play it by ear. After taking lessons from Ms. Finley, I moved on to Piano Craft, where I learned a method called Suzuki, which was based around learning by ear. The classical pieces couldn’t hold my attention as time went on, so I lost interest.

A turning point happened later when I took music lessons from a lady named Prophet Beverly Daniels from Southern California. She had recently moved to Springfield, and she taught me the real fundamentals and outline of Jazz and Gospel music. Even through- out college, I continued to study music and take piano lessons from the University professors.

UniteNews: What was your first paid gig?

Pierre: My first real gig was playing for church, but I had been doing it for so long that it didn’t feel like a real gig. I was probably fourteen when I started. The church always paid me. After I moved to LA, my first gig was a tour with a Latin artist named Jorge Blanco.

UniteNews: What was the story behind your move from Springfield to LA?

Pierre: After graduating from Drury University with my BA in psychology, I started a studio teaching piano and engineering, producing and mix engineering local talent while still working for my parent’s business Jamerson Door, Inc. I had a friend named William Fortney who worked at Palen Music Center. After he moved to LA we kept in touch. I sent him some recordings from Springfield I worked on, but he didn’t seem impressed. In about two years into running my studio, William called and asked me if I had thought about moving to LA. He mentioned a studio that worked with Hollywood and Disney clients and offered to let me take over his housing lease. He thought it would be good for me to grow and reach my potential. He gave me three days to decide.

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