James Presley and The Magical World of Peter Pan

James Presley is a musician, composer, arranger, and author whose creative journey with Peter Pan began in 2015 with an extensive study of the original writings of J. M. Barrie.

That research ultimately inspired Presley’s 2019 stage production, Peter Pan’s Magical World of Neverland, presented at the Summerlin Performing Arts Center in Las Vegas. As the project continued to develop, the production was later renamed The Magical World of Peter Pan. Presley continued expanding the story into a fully scripted and musically scored two-act production, drawing inspiration from Barrie’s original works and the history surrounding one of the world’s most beloved characters.

From that musical came Peter and Tink, a storybook created with the help of a talented team of longtime friends and collaborators. The book features original illustrations by Darrell Calk Jr. and a foreword by Margaret Kerry, the actress, dancer, and legendary animation reference model for Tinker Bell in the 1953 animated feature Peter Pan.

For Presley, however, Peter and Tink is about much more than publishing a book. The project has a charitable mission: proceeds from book sales help fund the printing of additional copies that are donated to organizations serving children and families. Recipients have included Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, Give Kids The World Village, Toby Keith’s OK Kids Korral, Buddy Cruise, and the Awareness Foundation’s Inner City Slickers.

After more than five decades as a professional musician and entertainer, Presley considers Peter and Tink another chapter in a lifetime devoted to music, storytelling, and bringing people together through the arts.