Apparently, he has succeeded in staying fresh because he continues to play almost exclusively in one state and fares well enough that he has never had to take out so much as a loan to produce a show, and he has steadfastly refused to raise ticket prices (normally about $10), even if it means butting heads with venue execs.

Robert Breinholt echoes the sentiment of many of his son's fans when he says, "Peter has a body of music that has been so enthusiastically received that you can't help wishing that he could have a broader audience geographically." Record labels have made their own inquiries, but Breinholt and his band are happy where they are.

"Somehow we've been able to find a balance between having normal lives and playing the same venues that Tracy Chapman plays when she comes through," says Breinholt. "We're doing the same thing we'd do if we were on road 200 nights a year, but we're doing them here. Our pianist is an attorney, our bassist is a mechanical engineer, our drummer is trying to get into med school, and most of them have two or three kids. We are leading pretty normal, good lives, and yet every week or so we can go play music. There may not be anything like this anywhere in the country. We are completely fortunate and grateful."

A message from your biggest fan in California! We're driving nine hours to see you! It's well worth the drive. Thanks for the great music and the inspiring lyrics. . . . Never, ever, ever stop being you!

That's probably not going to happen. Breinholt, a mild, introspective fellow who measures his words so carefully that his sentences stop and start like a car with a bad clutch, is famously generous and kind-hearted and apparently devoid of the sort of ego that would seek a bigger audience and more money. He has played at seminary students' weddings gratis, he has played at hospital beds, he performs for a steady stream of firesides.

"People feel good when they listen to his music, and it's an extension of who he is," says Hanson. "It's all genuine. When people come to listen to him, they feel like he's their friend. He hangs out afterward and talks to fans. He's interested in them. He asks them questions — 'What's your name? Where do you live?' He really cares about them."

The kids who once came to see Breinholt's concerts in high school are now young parents, and they're still coming, along with a new generation of Utah teens and college students. Year after year they come back, and so does Breinholt.

"The biggest question of all is how long will this thing last," says Breinholt. "But I've been saying that for 10 years."

Peter; I have tried to go to at least one of your concerts each year. It's kind of my birthday present to me. Anyway, thanks for putting a smile on my face.

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E-mail: drob@desnews.com