Peter Washington was born August 28, 1964, in Los Angeles, California, and attended the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in English Literature while playing in the UC Symphony and the San Francisco Youth Symphony. In 1986, while performing in San Francisco with alto saxophonist John Handy, he was asked by Art Blakey, whose own career is covered in full in his JazzProfiles.com profile, to move to New York and join the Jazz Messengers, remaining with the group from 1986 to 1989 and establishing himself as a ubiquitous, first-call freelance bassist.

In the early 1990s, Washington joined the Tommy Flanagan Trio, widely regarded as one of the greatest trios in jazz, remaining until Flanagan's death in 2002, and has spent the past decade-plus as a member of the highly acclaimed Bill Charlap Trio. Perhaps the most recorded bassist of his generation, Washington has appeared on nearly 500 sessions, with a complete discography listing more than 350 recordings that continues to expand weekly. He has also worked extensively with vocalists including Andy Bey, Freddie Cole, Karrin Allyson, Chris Connor, Mark Murphy, Georgie Fame, Ernie Andrews, Paula West, Eric Comstock, Ann Hampton Callaway, Marlena Shaw, and Ernestine Anderson. In 2008 he played with the Blue Note 7, an all-star septet formed for Blue Note Records' 70th anniversary.

Washington's status as the most recorded bassist of his generation, anchoring both the Tommy Flanagan Trio and the Bill Charlap Trio across decades, made him one of the most trusted and versatile bassists in modern mainstream jazz, equally comfortable supporting singers and instrumental trios alike.