Peter Kleinhans writes songs about what it means to be human. But his path to the microphone was anything but conventional—it wound through the racetrack, the courtroom, and the family business before arriving at the recording studio.
From the Racetrack to the Recording Studio
For thirty years, Peter lived and breathed harness racing. He called races from behind the microphone at tracks across America—The Meadows, Hoosier Park, The Meadowlands, Freehold, Oak Grove. He trained horses, drove them in amateur races, and even became part owner of three racetracks alongside Jeff Gural. Through it all, he was learning the art of storytelling, watching drama unfold in two-minute bursts around the oval.
His greatest champion was Enough Talk, a legitimate free-for-all trotter who earned nearly $2 million and took Peter to Sweden for the prestigious Elitloppet at Solvalla. Enough Talk lived out his final years in retirement on Peter's small farm in Flemington, New Jersey, passing away in 2025—a beloved reminder of dreams realized and a bond that transcended the racetrack.
Peter competing as an amateur driver at The Meadowlands
The Mind
Peter's formal education reads like a renaissance résumé: Carnegie Mellon for creative writing and philosophy, NYU for English Literature, University of Michigan for law school. He's a non-practicing lawyer who loved the law but couldn't find an area compelling enough to practice full-time. Instead, he brought his analytical mind to family real estate in Manhattan—a business built into an empire by his grandmother, whom he describes as "one of the greatest real estate entrepreneurs in the history of the City."
The Music
Peter's music is a blend of folk, pop, and rock—thoughtful lyrics delivered with warm, distinctive vocals. Critics have compared him to Dave Matthews and placed him in the protest tradition of Neil Young and Phil Ochs. His 2018 debut album, Something's Not Right, earned acclaim from LA Music Critic as "one of the best debut albums we have reviewed."
He doesn't just observe the world—he bears witness to it. Songs like "Something's Not Right" capture the unease rippling through America, the sense that despite official recoveries, average people feel less secure, less stable. Written three years before the 2016 election, the song wasn't political—it was human, documenting the anxiety he heard from friends across the heartland during his years calling races in Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.
Image from "Something's Not Right"
"What interested me was that feeling of unease, the sense of something-not-being-right, and how it emanated not just from economic forces but also from the impersonal face of what the nation was presenting its citizens."
Where others see division, Peter finds the thread that connects. His diplomatic mind has always sought common ground—in the grandstands, in the recording studio, in the conversations most people avoid. His songwriter's heart finds poetry in the mundane, and his artist's soul believes in music's power to bring people together around what they share rather than what separates them.
He performs regularly at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village and City Winery, his guitar and voice weaving narrative threads through folk, pop, and rock in the tradition of Harry Chapin—songs that capture life's complexity with wit, warmth, and wisdom.
The Track
The harness racing world knows Peter as more than a musician. He's written for Hoof Beats magazine, profiling rising stars like 22-year-old driver Marvin Luna. He competes in amateur races at The Meadowlands, still honing his craft behind the reins. And he continues to call races when the opportunity arises, that same storyteller's instinct bringing drama to life lap by lap.
"Years as a harness racing professional taught Peter about drama, competition, and the narratives that drive us all," one writer observed. It's no accident that his music carries the same rhythmic urgency, the same attention to detail, the same understanding that every story has stakes.
The Man
Among his many talents, Peter believes his greatest to be as devoted father to his three children. He raises chickens, cattle, and lamb on his small farm in Flemington. He invests in real estate, owns racetracks, and continues to solve the mathematical puzzles that first drew him to handicapping horses as a six-year-old at Belmont Park.
Few people in any sport juggle as many pursuits as Peter Kleinhans: father, songwriter, singer, guitar player, part owner of three racetracks, non-practicing lawyer, race caller, harness breeder, driver and trainer, writer, livestock farmer, and investor. A true renaissance man.
But through all of it runs a single thread: connection. His diplomatic soul seeks common ground where others see division. His music doesn't just tell stories—it creates bridges between people, finding the universal in the personal, the shared humanity in our different struggles. Whether calling a race, writing a song, or navigating complex conversations, Peter believes in our capacity to see beyond conflict toward understanding. In a world that often feels fragmented, his work reminds us that we're all part of the same story.