[2] His father was a colliery worker and a prominent member of the Plymouth Brethren who disapproved of the variety theatre, and never heard or saw his son work.

Peers travelled around the country working as a house painter and, for a time in January to March 1927,[3] went to sea as a mess steward on ships.

In September 1927, he decided to enter show business and he made his debut in a concert party called "Tons of Fun" at the New Theatre in Lowestoft.

[10] In May 1926 he met Gertrude Mary Thomson[3] in Richmond, North Riding of Yorkshire,[11] and they eventually married on 7 June 1930 [12] in Harrogate.

It resulted in a string of hit records in the late 1940s with recordings such "I Can't Begin To Tell You", "Bow Bells", "Far Away Places", "On The 5.45" (a vocal version of "Twelfth Street Rag", with lyrics by Andy Razaf), "Powder Your Face With Sunshine" (one of his biggest successes), "Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)", "A Strawberry Moon (In A Blueberry Sky)", "Everywhere You Go", "Clancy Lowered the Boom", "It Happened in Adano", "A Rose in a Garden of Weeds", "I'll String Along with You" and "Down in the Glen".

[3] Henry Hall booked him with Billy Russell and Norman Wisdom for a new show called Buttons & Bows which opened for a summer season at the Grand in Blackpool on 20 June 1949.

Peers continued recording with songs such as, "The Last Mile Home", "Dear Hearts and Gentle People", "Out of a Clear Blue Sky", "Music!

", "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake", "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)", "Dearie", "I Remember the Cornfields", "Beloved, Be Faithful", "Me and My Imagination", "Mistakes", "In a Golden Coach" (a celebratory number for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II), "Is It Any Wonder" and "Changing Partners".

(Put Another Nickel In)", "I Told Them All About You", "(If I Knew You Were Comin') I'd've Baked a Cake", "Harry Lime Theme", "Twenty Four Hours of Sunshine", "Dearie", "Tennessee Waltz", "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)", "Oh, You Sweet One", "Rolling 'Round the World", "My Golden Baby", and "Daddy's Little Girl".

[27] During his absence in Australia, his fans had forgotten him and the pop music scene had changed dramatically with the arrival of rock 'n' roll.

He made a comeback to the record charts with "Please Don't Go" (a ballad set to the tune of Offenbach's "Barcarolle" from The Tales of Hoffmann), which reached No.

[37] The review in Kinematograph Weekly stated "The picture presents Donald Peers with a simple yet effective vehicle for his screen debut, and he returns the compliment by easily adapting his flawless stage, radio and TV technique to the even more exacting demands of the "flicks."

His friendly approach offsets his years, close-ups hold no terror for him, and, like the experienced trouper he is, he sees that all the ditties have rousing choruses.

His memorial tablet in the Garden of Remembrance, now weather-beaten, reads, 'Donald Peers, August 1973, Loved by Kates, "In a Shady Nook by a Babbling Brook"'.

[42] In 1954, Peers was sued by his former pianist Ernest John Ponticelli for arrears of salary of £490 and ultimately was required to pay him just £200.