Paul Peterson, also known as St. Paul, is a musician best known for his memberships in the bands The Family and The Time and the single "Intimacy." Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Peterson was the youngest son in a musical family. He was discovered by Prince in 1983 and groomed to replace Monte Moir as keyboardist of R&B band The Time. Peterson gained exposure when the band appeared in the breakaway hit movie Purple Rain.
When The Time broke up in 1984, Prince gathered the remnants to form The Family, with Peterson as lead singer, along with Prince's girlfriend, Susannah Melvoin (twin sister of The Revolution guitarist Wendy Melvoin). The band also took Jellybean Johnson and Jerome Benton from The Time. Eric Leeds, sax player of the Revolution, also played on The Family's debut (and only, to date) album. The group's tenure was brief, performing only once live (at First Avenue, where Purple Rain was filmed). Peterson also appeared on Sheila E.'s 'Romance 1600' album released in 1985. In her 'Love Bizarre' video Peterson was featured lip-syncing Prince's vocal contribution to the song. Peterson left to pursue a solo career, releasing his eponymous debut album in 1986. Peterson released a single & video from the album entitled 'Rich Man'. Prince wrote a song about Paul's early jump from the Family ship called 'Dream Factory'. which was later released on 1998's Crystal Ball compilation. Peterson released two solo albums in the 1990s on Atlantic Records and a live recording with the group the Minneapolis All-Stars. Peterson also toured as a member of the Steve Miller Band in the late 80's. Peterson is also a session musician and has backed up many acts in concert. He currently still tours with Kenny Loggins, and has some appearances as a band member with Oleta Adams. He also played bass for the house band on the Donny & Marie TV program. He has co-written many hit songs for various artists over the years. His latest album, Everything, was released in 2004.
The Family got back together and released their long-awaited follow up album in the summer of 2009, under the name Fdeluxe.
Peterson produced two songs and co-produced two more songs on Oleta Adams' 2009 album, Let's Stay Here. He also played on the whole album, which was released April 21, 2009.