From my earliest memories, music has always been central to our family. I recall stories of my mother and her sisters singing and telling stories around the piano, as well as at the kitchen and dining room tables with my grandmother. Several of my mother’s and father’s siblings and cousins played instruments, which influenced my siblings and me; all of us either play an instrument or sing. My brother Andy plays the piano and has a baby grand piano in his living room. In high school, he also played saxophone in the school band and lent his talent to the Woodland String Band, marching down Broad Street on New Year’s Day. Later, he played bass guitar in a band that my late brother Larry and I started.
My older brother Joe bought an old starter guitar, which inspired me to teach myself how to play. This motivated my other two older brothers, Andy and Larry, who had music lessons for piano and saxophone, respectively, to also pick up the guitar, purchase one, and learn to play.
We formed a band with our good friend Bob, and our local Catholic church allowed us to use the church hall for practice, provided that we performed at two of their events, which they used as fundraisers. My brother Larry and I provided the vocals until I decided to leave the band, inviting a friend of mine to take my place. The reason for my departure was that I was dating my girlfriend, Nancy, who later became my wife of over 49 years. To put it simply, I wasn’t attending practices and was asked to choose between Nancy and the band. I know I made the right choice then, and I still feel that way now. (SEE BELOW)
My late brother Larry, as a footnote, had two bands that almost made it (Arcade in the 70’s and 90’s, The Leapers) and has many copyrighted songs out on SoundCloud. He also, during Covid, had a daily doodle and took up painting and was a really talented artist in general.
Both our older sister, Marian, plays the piano, and our younger sister, Annemarie (also known as Nancy), has been singing in her church choir for over 55 years. While at Penn State University, she performed at the Academy of Music with Peter Nero. She is very gifted and continues to share her talents to this day. This tradition has carried over to our children and many of our nieces and nephews, showcasing talents of their own.
Over the years, we have played at gatherings, especially at the family’s yearly Christmas Party, where we would accompany my hosting brother Andy on keyboards, adding guitars and vocals until after Santa came and went for over 40 years. A tradition that is now carried on each year, alternating between my nephew’s and my niece’s houses.
That being said, we all grew up with a fondness for various genres, including Big Band, Jazz, Doo Wop, Rock N’ Roll, Metal, Indie, and Contemporary. That is all except for most of Rap and Hip Hop. Well, at least with my siblings, but not speaking for our kids or grandkids.
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