Peterson was born to immigrants from the West Indies; his father worked as a porter for Canadian Pacific Railway.^[4]Peterson grew up in the neighbourhood of Little Burgundy in Montreal, Quebec. It was in this predominantly blackneighbourhood that he found himself surrounded by the jazz culture that flourished in the early 20th century.^[5] At the age of five, Peterson began honing his skills with the trumpet and piano. However, a bout of tuberculosis when he was seven prevented him from playing the trumpet again, and so he directed all his attention to the piano. His father, Daniel Peterson, an amateur trumpeter and pianist, was one of his first music teachers, and his sister Daisy taught young Oscar classical piano. Young Oscar was persistent at practicing scales and classical études daily, and thanks to such arduous practice he developed his virtuosity.