A veteran of several rock bands and the local bar scene as a teenager, Case dropped out of high school when he was fifteen (he would later earn a GED), and after several years of traveling arrived in 1973 in San Francisco, where he performed as a street musician.

[3] In 1989, Case released a second solo album, The Man With the Blue Post-Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar, this time with the help of artists like David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, Ry Cooder, and Benmont Tench.

While not a major commercial success, the album was a favorite of critics and other musicians: Bruce Springsteen told Rolling Stone magazine that he was listening to Peter Case more than anyone else that year.

His next Vanguard record, Torn Again, was issued in 1995, and features Case with a band including the rhythm section of Don Heffington and Jerry Scheff, with Greg Leisz on guitar.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Case continued to release albums as a solo performer, moving in an increasingly acoustic-oriented direction, and playing clubs and small venues.

Torn Again was followed by Full Service No Waiting (1998), Flying Saucer Blues (2000), and Beeline (2002) all on Vanguard, in addition to Thank You St. Jude (2001), a self-released CD that featured David Perales on fiddle and background vocals.

In a review of Flying Saucer Blues, critic Bill Wasserzieher declared, "I am convinced that nobody of Case's generation writes better songs or does better work in the tradition of Woody Guthrie.

"[5] In 2004 Vanguard released Who's Gonna Go Your Crooked Mile, a compilation of tracks from his albums for the label, which also included two previously unrecorded songs, "Wake Up Call" and "My Generation's Golden Handcuff Blues".

Case's solo performances have featured his own compositions as well as covers of songs by Memphis Minnie, Sleepy John Estes, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and others.

The memoir covers Case's very early days from the time he left his native upstate New York and wound up singing and playing on the streets of San Francisco.

In December 2014, Case went into the Carriage House studio in Los Angeles, and recorded HWY 62, an LP of new original songs, with a band including Ben Harper on lead guitar, D.J.

In December 2019, Case went to The Old Whaling Church in Martha's Vineyard and recorded with producer Ron Franklin,The Midnight Broadcast, a concept album of traditional and contemporary material featuring Cindy Wasserman (vocals), Bert Deivert (mandolin, drums), Lee Fortier (harmonica, vocals) Franklin (moog, maracas) and Ross Johnson (as the DJ).

In 2012, longtime musical partners Case and Paul Collins announced a reunion tour paying tribute to their groups The Nerves, The Breakaways, The Beat and The Plimsouls.