Producer-songwriter-artist Charlie Peacock—whose five-decade career encompasses producing acclaimed folk duo The Civil Wars, developing Christian rock band Switchfoot and co-writing Amy Grant’s pop smash, “Every Heartbeat”—has written a memoir.

Roots & Rhythm: A Life in Music, arriving in early 2025 via Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, will explore Peacock’s winding career journey. The book is described in the announcement as a heartfelt tribute to the joy and perseverance of a life in music, a narrative rooted in the ancestral and musical influences that shaped his remarkable career. In the author’s words, the tome is a “chapter-by-chapter remix of the music, places and people that made me and the music I made.”

Along the way, Roots & Rhythm recounts Peacock’s recording sessions with Chris Cornell and Holly Williams, his creation of the now-ubiquitous commercial-music program and his years directing the School of Music at Lipscomb University in Nashville, his jazz explorations with bassist John Patitucci and his contributions to gospel rock and the Americana/folk movement of the 2000s.

In 2017, Peacock began experiencing what would become a chronic headache. He went to the Mayo Clinic, where he was diagnosed with the brain and central-nervous-system disorders dysautonomia and central sensitization. Seven years later, “The headache isn't gone, but imagination, hope and optimism are alive and well,” he says.

Presently, Peacock is working on a solo album co-produced with son Sam Ashworth, himself a Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated songwriter and producer. In parallel with the memoir, Peacock’s new album is a reflection on lessons learned and inspiration gained from a half-century in the music business.

Photo by Jeremy Cowart