Peter Kater was born of German parents in the Bavarian City of Munich. At the age of seven, not long after moving to New Jersey, his mother insisted that he take classical piano lessons.

At the age of 18 Peter left New Jersey with his backpack and his music books and hitch-hiked all around the continental US for over a year. He slept in parks and on beaches and roadsides across the country while stopping to play piano at restaurants and lounges for tips and meals. After logging in over 30,000 miles on the road Peter landed in Boulder, Colorado, finding comfort and inspiration in the Rocky Mountains which reminded him of his childhood upbringing in the Bavarian Alps. Shortly thereafter he started listening to the music of pianist Keith Jarrett; the avant jazz group, Oregon; and the Paul Winter Consort. This opened a whole new musical world and he began improvising 3-4 hours a night at clubs and lounges throughout the Boulder/Denver area sometimes 5 to 6 nights a week. After several years he tired of playing clubs and lounges and quit all his engagements and began renting out small churches and self-promoting small concerts throughout Colorado.