Now's The Day And Now's The Hour

Examines the role of Scotland at the Alamo and in Texas history. A unique combination of history and music that connects the spirit and background of the Alamo defenders to Scotland. Also contains melody, lyrics and historical notes on all the songs from the CD Scotland Remembers the Alamo.

The author has a unique knowledge of history, music in general and in particular the great melodies of Bonnie Scotland. That combination makes the work a must read whether you are interested in the Alamo alone or in the contributions of the roots of Scottish music as they reach beyond Caledonia. Scotsman the world over need to know that Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott had a big presence at the Alamo. The very title of the book, Now's the Day and Now's the Hour, is ripped from the pages of Scots Wha Ha'e, one of Burns' greatest poems. Carl Peterson has written a marvelous and masterful book about these brave American adventurers.

Over the last 20 plus years Carl Peterson has undeniably become the most successful and busiest Scottish singer in North America, performing at numerous festivals and concerts, and creating nearly 30 recordings. He was the first singer/entertainer to appear in most of the east coast Scottish festivals, opening up a market for many singers and musicians. Carl was born and raised in Greenock, Scotland, emigrating to Canada in 1961. Before coming to the United States in 1983 Carl had already left a legacy in Canada where he was a member of two highly successful groups. The first was The Patmacs, from 1964-1965, a quartet of folk musicians singing songs of Scotland, Ireland, England and USAAt the beginning of the British invasion in 1965 Carl was talked into "going rock" by long time friend Ron McLachlan who had newly arrived from Scotland. They were joined by another Scot, Alan Cramsie, and two Canadians to form The King Beezz. This group would go on to set trends in Canada with 4 hit songs, tours across the country and performances on many of the top pop shows nationally. Although they were based in Canada they were considered part of the British Invasion. Following the break up of The King Beezz Carl turned his attention to folk once again, reforming The Patmacs this time with two lovely young ladies from Edmonton, an Irishman, an Englishman and another Scot. After a few short months of performing at live shows and TV appearances they were signed by Capitol Records of Canada and almost immediately embarked on a 2 year tour that took them clear across Canada with live performances and national TV shows.After the breakup of the 2nd edition of The Patmacs Carl went solo and settled in Montreal where he released 2 solo LPs. While in Montreal he spent two very successful years with fellow Scot Gordon Lee. Eventually Carl turned his attention south to America. It didn't take him long to find success in the festival market. In 1994 he was signed by Community Concerts of New York. Apart from averaging about 40 festivals a year, Carl was handling between 50-70 concerts a year from Maine to Hawaii. After five years with Community Concerts Carl spent two seasons with Allied Concerts from Wisconsin, performing mostly in the upper midwest states. Over all these years Carl has released over 30 recordings, 1 video and published one book. In 2007, 2008 and 2009 Carl's CD Songs of the South with Bagpipes and Banjos won the Vintage Album of the Year award from The Southern Heritage Music Association. It was with the release of his highly acclaimed double CD, Scotland Remembers The Alamo and the follow up release of the companion book Now's The Day And Now's Hour that Carl has taken an interest in writing. The double CD and the book chronicle the strong influence of the Scots and Scotch-Irish at The Alamo and in early Texas history.Carl has recently cut his performing schedule to about two festivals a month from April until November to concentrate on his 2nd book, tentatively titled Ewan Colin Coupar and a Touch of the Fae. Although he hasn't put a deadline on the book's release (it looks like it might turn into more than one book) he will possibly step up his live performances in the future. Meanwhile Carl's recording continue selling worldwide as he works on new releases at his studio in Pennsylvania.