Background
He grew up with his seven siblings in the family house in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
He grew up with his seven siblings in the family house in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
In 1976, as a staff writer signed to American Broadcasting Company Music in Los Angeles, he wrote "Right Time of the Night" which would become a Top Ten hit in the spring of 1977 for Jennifer Warnes. Three months later, McCann reached #5 on the Top 100 as an artist with his self-penned hit "Do You Wanna Make Love" which was produced by Hal Yoergler. The song was an international hit, reaching high chart positions in Canada (#15), Australia (#11), New Zealand and South Africa.
Its year-end rankings were #85 in Australia and #133 in Canada.
lieutenant became a gold record in the United States. His song "Take Good Care of My Heart", appeared on Whitney Houston’s first album as a duet with Jermaine Jackson.
Houston’s first release was, at the time, the biggest selling female debut album of all time. After moving to Nashville in 1985, his country chart hits included "Nobody Falls Like a Fool" sung by Earl Thomas Conley, "She"s Single Again" by Janie Fricke and "Treat Maine Like a Stranger", recorded by Baillie and the Boys. Other artists who have recorded his songs include Kenny Rogers, Michael McDonald, Anne Murray, Kathy Mattea, Isaac Hayes, Buck Owens, John Travolta, Crystal Gayle, Ricky Nelson, Shaun Cassidy, Paul Anka, Reba McEntire, Julio Iglesias, Ricky Skaggs, Knight of the Order of the Thistle Oslin, Karen Carpenter, The Oak Ridge Boys, Nicolette Larson and many more.
Over a 40-year career, McCann was signed as a recording artist to Motown, Columbia Records, Radio Corporation of America Records and 20th Century Fox Records.
In the early 1970s Peter was a member of the Bridgeport-based folk-rock band Repairs, which released two albums on various Motown subsidiaries.