Jeff Pehrson

Jeff Pehrson
Jeff Pehrson, 11/12/2011 @ Boardwalk Hall (Atlantic City, NJ) with Furthur
Background information
Born	(1967-02-21) February 21, 1967 (age 50) San Francisco, California
Genres	Rock, Psychedelic rock, R & B, Folk rock, Americana
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instruments	Vocals, acoustic guitar
Years active	1991–present
Associated acts	Furthur (2009-present) Box Set (1991-2006) Box Set Duo (1991-present) The Fall Risk (2009-present)
Website	TheFallRisk.com Furthur.net

Jeff Pehrson (born Jeffery Vernon Pehrson on February 21, 1967 in San Francisco, California) is an American singer-songwriter who performed backing vocals for Furthur, a band that included two former members of the Grateful Dead. Pehrson also currently performs with the folk rock band The Fall Risk, which he founded, and previously performed with Box Set, a folk rock band which he cofounded.

Jeff was born in 1967 in the Haight-Asbury district of San Francisco. His mother was of Native American heritage and his father, who was a concert pianist, was of Northern European descent. Jeff was adopted at three months of age by John Pehrson, who was an electrician and flight instructor, and Janice Quintana (née Petrie), who was an administrative assistant. Jeff's father remarried Christina Grant, a nurse, in 1980, and has a half-sister, Heather, from that marriage. Jeff was raised in the East Bay area in San Leandro, California and attended Pacific High School from 1981 until 1983, when the school closed, and subsequently attended San Leandro High School until his graduation in 1985. Jeff credits his earliest musical exposure to his father, a stereo fanatic who regularly played jazz music at home, and to his mother, a native of Kansas, who loved listening to country music. In the fourth grade, Jeff started playing saxophone in his school band and continued until the ninth grade, when he began focusing his attention on playing football for the school team and participating in the school's theater, performing regularly in plays and musicals, where his singing skills became increasingly apparent.

In 1985, Jeff matriculated at San Francisco State University, where he majored variously in broadcasting, political science, theater arts, and ultimately, creative writing. In college, Jeff was first exposed to guitar playing via friends in his dormitory, eventually trading his old saxophone for a guitar of his own. He took to the instrument extremely well with an apparent natural ability, and quickly proceeded to mastering rhythm guitar technique, which he used as a foundation for his subsequent songwriting.