Documentary charts Peven Everett’s life after cancer treatment
Peven Everett, the Chicago musician best known for the house anthem “Gabriel”, is the subject of a new documentary tracing his life from child trumpet prodigy to prolific performer and independent artist. He has completed treatment for stage four lung cancer, diagnosed two years ago, and is preparing to perform with Gorillaz in Chicago, an emotionally demanding return to the stage.
Everett, now 51, has made more than 500 tracks across house, neo-soul, hip-hop and other styles. He studied at Berklee before touring with Betty Carter and the Marsalis brothers, then returned to Chicago and worked with producer Roy Davis Jr; “Gabriel” reached No 22 in the UK charts after its 1997 re-release. The documentary also explores his influence on dance music and his varied, often improvised performances.
In short
- Peven Everett has completed treatment for stage four lung cancer.
- His new documentary follows a career spanning more than 500 tracks.
- “Gabriel” reached No 22 in the UK charts in 1997.
Explained simply
Peven Everett is a Chicago musician whose work spans house, soul and hip-hop. He began as a child trumpet player, studied at Berklee College of Music and toured with jazz musicians before building an independent career.
His 1997 recording of “Gabriel”, made with producer Roy Davis Jr, became a well-known house track and reached the UK charts. Everett has since made hundreds of recordings, often moving between musical styles.
House music is a form of electronic dance music that developed in Chicago in the 1980s and later spread internationally. Everett’s career connects that scene with jazz and soul, while his experience after lung cancer treatment adds a personal dimension to the documentary’s account of his life and work.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “‘I knead the audience, like a baker!’ House music legend Peven Everett on life after cancer and vanquishing the ‘Disco Sucks’ movement”.