Peter Roberts strums a few chords on his guitar before stepping up to the microphone at the Saddle Bronc Grill.

He congratulates the folks lining the bar and crowded around tables on making it through another week.

“I was going to play a little country music, if that’s all right,” Roberts says, receiving a round of hoots and hollers in reply.

With that, Roberts breaks into his opener, “Heartache Tonight,” smiling between verses, holding the long notes and throwing in a hint of Southern twang when appropriate.

He’s having a good time entertaining his family, friends and fellow residents of Fountain Hills. But that’s not the only reason Roberts is smiling these days.

“Things are good,” said the 20-year-old Roberts, sitting on a wood bench outside the Saddle Bronc just one hour before his monthly gig.

“I just got a PET scan and there’s no cancer in me anywhere, so that’s great news.”

Roberts, an ASU senior majoring in business management, was diagnosed with melanoma back in 2011. He had a recurrence at the end of 2012 and underwent treatment through winter break, including 20 infusions of interferon (an immune system booster) and 22 radiation treatments.

Now he’s down to a self-injection of interferon three times a week and, thanks to the recent good news, feeling great.

Despite the rough patches, Roberts has remained upbeat, doing well in his classes and pursuing a career in country music on the side.

He said he decided to be smart and get his degree first, then go after his goal of becoming a professional entertainer.

“I started singing in front of people in church back in eighth grade,” Roberts said. He and his family attended Church of the Ascension.

“I sang at every Sunday night mass, but didn’t begin playing guitar and singing my own music until about junior year of high school.”

Roberts was mostly self-taught on the guitar and, when it comes to writing his own lyrics, he said country was the natural fit.

“It’s real, you know? I know what they’re talking about,” Roberts said.

“I don’t have a problem with other music, but when I listen to it, a lot of the time I don’t know what the hell they’re saying. They’re not being forward with their music.”

On the other hand, Roberts said he finds most country music to be genuine, full of emotion and stories to which he can relate.

Graduating from Brophy in 2010, Roberts said he has been enjoying his time in college and is eager to bump his 3.4 GPA up to an even 3.5 before donning his cap and gown next fall.

When he’s not tackling classes or working at a nearby pre-school, though, Roberts is focused on his music, playing his monthly show at Saddle Bronc and the occasional show at the Moonshine Whisky Bar in Tempe.

He also takes on the occasional benefit gig, like the recent Camp Kesem concert in Scottsdale to benefit children with parents who have been diagnosed with cancer.

“That was something I really loved to be able to perform for,” Roberts said, as the event hit very close to home.

Diagnosed between his freshman and sophomore year of college, Roberts said that the news came as something of a shock.

“I was just having a mole removed and they were like, you’re young, so we assume it’s nothing,” Roberts said.

“Then they called me three days later, after the biopsy, and they were like, so this is actually pretty serious and you should probably go get surgery.”

Roberts said the thing that hit him the hardest was the effect the news had on his family.

“Maybe it’s corny, but my stance on the whole thing was, whatever it is, I’m going to beat it,” Roberts said.

“I just kind of ran with that mentality and didn’t ever really let it bother me. Whatever happens, happens.”

Following his most recent clean scan and this latest batch of injections, Roberts said he just needs to get the occasional check-up to make sure nothing new pops up.

For the most part, he said life is back to normal. He said he had one pretty low moment through the entire process and, from then on out, he made sure he kept his head held high and his confidence up.

“I remember I was going somewhere with my parents, going to get lunch or something, and I started getting overwhelmed, thinking I don’t want to deal with any of this, why did it have to happen to me, kicking myself and all that stuff,” Roberts said.

“Then I stopped and I thought, this is the last time you feel sorry for yourself. And from that point on, I just haven’t.”

It’s that kind of attitude Roberts hopes will help propel him through his final year of college and out into “the real world.”

He hopes to play as many shows as possible, study hard and, after that, he’s hitting the road to pursue his dream full-time.

“I want to go to Nashville,” Roberts said.

“Spring break, I plan to go out there to find a place to live and a place to work. That way, when I graduate, there’s no lag time and I can just pick up and go.”

It’s going to be a lot of work, but Roberts said that’s exactly what he’s willing to commit to his dream.

“Obviously, not everyone just goes to Nashville and starts playing music for a living,” Roberts said.

“But I figure it’s worth a try. I don’t want to be that creepy old uncle at all of the family reunions who keeps saying, ‘I could have made it.’ It’s worth a shot.”

To keep up with Roberts’ progress and get the latest information on his upcoming shows, follow @PeterRobertsUSA on Twitter.com.

You can also hear some of his music by visiting soundcloud.com/peter-j-roberts.