August 15, 2025 • 48 mins
Craig Zinger is a talented pianist, vocalist, and parody‑writer whose musical journey began at age 10. He’s performed at prestigious venues—such as a Duquesne Club event benefiting the Andrea Bocelli Foundation—and opened for Yanni at Pittsburgh’s Star Lake Amphitheatre. He also recorded with a young Christina Aguilera and performed alongside icons including Peter Noone, Lou Christie, The Drifters, The Shirelles, and Leslie Gore. Craig has five recordings, available on Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon Music, and his work has aired on NPR, WDUQ, 3‑W‑S, and WPXI‑TV. Additionally, he offers piano lessons and creates playful parodies, including one featured at the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Pierogi Races
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, here we go.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I know that this is an ovidiot.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
And your heart. This is the CODA Podcast, chronically Pittsburgh's
music scene, and welcome in. I'm your host, Johnny heart
Well along with Andy Pugar. My guest today on the
phone is Craig Zinger. Craig, are you there? Can you
read us down there? You have the technology down in Florida?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
We aren't yes, yep, just developed it. Yep.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
We are not going to be talking about the weather
at all. I don't want to hear how nice it
is down there at all. We're not gonna We're not
gonna be talking about the weather at all. We're gonna
be talking about you, Craig. All right, So, usually uh
we talk about we kind of go back and we
start with the your very first music memory. But being
(00:59):
that I worked for three WS and you have a
long long relationship with the radio station, I kind of
want to start there.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Is that?
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Oh that'd be great. Yep.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
So tell us, tell us when did you start working
with three WS and what are all the fun stuff
that you got to do with the radio station.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Well, it started I was spotted, I guess I was
playing the red bullt Inn and a couple of the DJs.
I don't know what I can mention names, but they
scouted me and they recruited me for the like a
Christmas broadcast in nineteen eighty nine, So that was the
first thing. It was December and it was the coldest
(01:38):
day of the year. It had to be minus ten degrees.
So this was in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel
and it was so lacking of people there. The DJs
were actually interviewing the janitor's follows from the rails. That's
how bad it was.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
As this jockeys.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
You have to improvise, right, absolutely, you have to you know,
use what available. So and I remember on that interview
the mayor who was the one that scratched my back
with a hat saw who was the mayor back then.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Lady.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Late uh before that was Sophie, Yes, Sophie Maslov was interviewed,
so that that's what I recall. And uh, I remember
bringing an extra necktie for the for phone y and
Gary who was the you know, the musical or the
producer at the time, and uh what else happened?
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Did you know? You have to look good for radio, right.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Heter Peter of the mind, that's right. So as that
went really well. So I kept being invited onto live
broadcasts with the The Morning Team and eventually they started
doing Christmas shows or yeah, Christmas shows and Christmas albums
in nineteen ninety one. But the second installment nineteen ninety
(03:09):
two is when I met Christina Aguilera. She was living
in Wexford and they got her to be on the album.
So I actually was the session pianist for her first
recording and it was a what child is this? So
that was the ball.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
I was not aware that Christina Aguilera actually got her
first break on three WS. Where's Where's our Where's our royalties?
Speaker 2 (03:36):
You're probably past the statute of.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
I guess, oh, you're a buzzkill.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
So I do remember being at her house with her
mom and being syrup cake and cookies after the rehearsal.
But I do remember Christina was very focused. She'd always
walk around she had a microphone in her hand anytime
she walked around the house, so you know, talk about
out someone who was laser focused. They described her. They
described her as like an automobile that self drove. So
(04:08):
that was Christina. But I was maybe back a year
Johnny Angel recommended me to Lou Christie because Rue Christie
was coming in town and he needed a band quartet.
So I had the privilege of working with him in
I think about nineteen ninety or nineteen ninety one. It
(04:32):
was unforgettable. It was in Greensburg and it was in
a motocross pit, like under ground, and I remember the
smell was so foul. We were afraid Lou's limousine was
approaching it. We thought he was going to do a
U turn and just you know, get away from Greensburg.
But we did a fantastic concert. I had the you know,
the best musicians in town working with us, and I
(04:55):
remember getting a nice big tip from him. It was
so I rated that, you know, I put together a
good band for him, and uh, gradually, Oh, here's one
of my favorite memories. I got to do a concert
with Peter Noon in I think it was Lower or
Upper Marlborough, Maryland. And the night before we were all
(05:18):
in a bar and people were asking for his Peter
Nune's autograph, and someone didn't have a pen, so I
pulled out a pen and I said innocently, and I
was a CPA back then, I said well, CPA always
carries a pen or pencil with him, so wouldn't you
know it. When we were doing the concert and he
(05:38):
was introducing the members of the band, he said in
his British accent and h on pi io my CPA.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
All right, I think you set a world record in
the first five minutes. You've already dropped Christine Aguilera, Johnny
Angel and Luke Christie and Peter Noon. You've you've met
some people then, no question.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Met Wayne Brady in Disney World, of course. You know
when we would go over there and do broadcasts, all
the notables and celebrities would would congregate. So I met
Wayne Brady from Let's Make a Deal. I met merv Griffin,
Larry King. I got to do the world premiere of
Angels in the outfield at the former three River Stadium,
(06:28):
and uh, it was it was a ball. I did
concerts with Leslie Gore the Tokens. Tokens was part of
that Upper Marlborough, Maryland concert with Peter Noon, so it
was a ball.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Well, I don't want to brag, but I know Anny Pugar,
you know.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
She is. She is wonderful. I think she wrote lyrics
for a couple of my songs, yeah, three.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Of them freedom. I was telling Johnny about that. I
think you write the most beautiful compositions. And I think
I've told you that your bridges are so gorgeous. I've
never well, the bridges that you get.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Well, there's a lot of bridges around, but nobody has
better bridges than Greg. There the City of Bridges.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Yeah, the bridges and your melodies are absolutely gorgeous. I
mean they are the melody, you know, the main melody
is too. But anyway, I.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Don't think i've ever asked during the podcast, asked you
a question you you had you took piano lessons from him.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Yeah, for a few months, Craig, you were my piano
teacher for a little while.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Oh wow, bring back in the basement of my in
my piano studio.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah, that house on the hill.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
And what kind of student was she, Craig was, Well,
she's blushing, So I'm not sure the belief.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
I had taken. I told you I started on accordion,
so my left hand was so weak on piano, know,
but yeah, that's why I could never really you know,
I couldn't put the time in at the time. But
you taught me some a few things that I remember.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
All Right, we're gonna we're gonna talk a little bit
about some more of the people that you've met. But
let's go back to, you know, kind of where we
like to start usually, and we're already eight minutes in.
What is your first music memory?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Well, it could have been like a piano recital. I
think I was like ten years old and I was
in my piano teacher's home and it was kind of
kind of cool and comfortable and cozy. And what did
I do? Chopsticks or something? Or heart and soul? But
I mean that's that's one of them. Are you talking
(08:49):
about like concerts that I attended?
Speaker 1 (08:51):
I just mean your first music memory? What was it
like in the in the Zinger household? Did you do?
What kind of music were you listening?
Speaker 2 (08:59):
When?
Speaker 1 (08:59):
When what's your first music memory? You're listening to the radio?
Did you come from a music family?
Speaker 2 (09:07):
So everything changed when my mom remarried. She moved us
to Pittsburgh in about ten when I was about ten
years old, and the fellow that she remarried, my stepdad,
had a fantastic grand piano. It was the number one
piano used by the Metropolitan Opera was called a Kanabi
(09:29):
and he said, well, would you like to take piano lessons?
And I said yeah, And so we interviewed my piano
teacher and I played Heart and Soul for her and
she said, well, I think we can do a little
bit better than that. Back then, lessons were like two
fifty a lessons. You imagine ten bucks a month.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, so changed, But I was.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Not really in the rock and roll direction. I was
more like a Peter Nero fan. Now was the Philadelphia
Pops conductor and he won two Grammys. Uh. He was sensational,
so not a lot of people remember that name, but
he was up there with like Roger Williams, that kind
of style and Dave Brubeck, the originator of the tune
(10:19):
Take five. So I was that was the kind of music.
I was listening to. Jazz, Andre Crevin, people like that,
Oscar Peterson, Earl Garner especially, and he's a Pittsburgh guy,
so he was. He was a sensational, big, big influence
in my my piano music.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
So who introduced you to those those jazz classics.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
My uncle, this was the brother of my stepdad, was
a DJ for one of the stations one of the
famous jazz stations, and he had a collection of all
kinds of albums and I was listening to. I guess
that's how I got introduced to all these jazz people.
What was it. I think it was whammo, I'm allowed
(11:09):
to say that.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Sure, you know, no, this is you know, we party history. Yeah,
party is absolutely.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Part of history. His name was Jan Andre and that
was his stage name, and uh so that was that
was a big influence. And of course, you know when
I heard Dave brubecuh you know, forget about Broms, Beethoven
and Bach and Chopin, that went just way down the
drain and I started trying to improvise and you know,
(11:37):
improvising in jazz. So I would listen to as much
as I could. When I was thirteen, my cousin sent
me an album. It was like the number one jazz
album ever. It was the Take five album by Dave Brubeck.
And that's that's why I was one of my big
(11:58):
influences back.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Thing, So when did you develop your style? I mean
you went from chopsticks and obviously you have progressions then right.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Oh no, well I got to do a little side
track here I do this bit when I do like
an hour show for seniors, I'll tell them, well, here's
the twenty five dollar piece, and it'll be Ali Kat.
And here's the fifty dollar piece and it'll be you
will get to the bar. But the toughest piece ever
(12:31):
was the thousand dollar piece, which took me two years
to learn. And my audience is anticipating on the keyboard
and then I'll start playing chopsticks.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Because you know it's getting back. It takes two years
to really master that. Those the two finger technique.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Right it does. Yeah, that was probably one of the
harder pieces. But I think taking lessons and I'm going
to name drop again and Vince Lashi when I was
out of when I graduated from pitt with a biology
degree of all things, because my mom wanted me to
be a dentist, right, Uh, she wanted me to drill
(13:10):
the ivories, but I wanted to pickle this. So when
I graduated from pitt I started taking lessons with Vince Winslshi,
who was the famous pirate organist, and the steep and
the Steelers, which brings a great trivia question. The question
is who played for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the
(13:33):
Pittsburgh Pirates in the same year.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Yep and question and right.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
So took lessons from him and another fellow named Bobby
Cardillou company from from Melton May. When Melton May would
come in fantastic, uh, fantastic dentists. So I developed my
style there and uh. I played at local nightclubs that
there was a great jazz scene back it was the
(14:01):
Encore and Shady Side, the Encore on Liberty Avenue, and
then the Balcony and Shady Side. Oh my good goodness,
I have a jazz trio there. What fantastic days those were.
I mean they had jazz there seven seven days a
week at the Balcony and got a nice following there
(14:21):
and eventually started recording my own albums. I did an
album in nineteen eighty nine on cassette that was the
technology back then. The name of the album was have
You Been Zinged Lately?
Speaker 3 (14:35):
I think the songs that you and I worked on
might have been on that Oh really album? I can't remember.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Do you remember your first paid gig?
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Oh my goodness, yes, I played for the Mount Lebanon
Women's Club. I think my piano teacher hired me because
I just mastered for aleas of them and I got it,
and I should have kept the check. I got a
check for five dollars, big money back then. That was
(15:09):
my first professional engagement, and of course there were other
less notable engagements. I remember playing one for a kind
of an ethnic gathering and the keys on the upright
piano stuck and I'd have to unstick them after every song.
It was terrible.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Not every not everybody has your your stepfather's piano to
play off.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
That's true.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah, all right, So so take me from your your
first paid gig and then lead me. What's what's going
on between your first paid gig and your first recording session?
What are you doing? Are you are you going out
to different clubs, nightclubs? What are you doing? Hmm?
Speaker 2 (15:56):
First paid gig, well, that was probably age twelve or thirteen.
So I'm in high school, probably eighth grade or so,
and I was the accompanist for the chorus and men's
Greek clips. That's what I was doing in UH in
high school, playing for UH for assemblies, playing jazz, playing
rubek and then uh ah. Then when I went to PITT,
(16:22):
I auditioned for the PITT jazz band, and that was
directed by a famous gye not not with us anymore,
doctor Nathan Davis.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Oh yes, yes, he did the jazz the annual Jazz Festivals.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Annual jazz seminars. Yeah. Uh. I got to play with
James Moody who was an international saxophone star recording artists
and uh so so memorable, playing you know, nice quintete
with him, and played a lot of things with the
Pitt Jazz Band actually uh fascinating, and actually took us
(16:59):
into a jail and we played for I think it
was West ten Penitentiary, So we went inside to jail
and that was kind of fascinating, played gigs a lot
of those things. And then when I graduated, Pitt played
for the Arts festival around Pittsburgh and that you know,
(17:19):
eventually led to the recording sessions.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Okay, so you you were pretty accomplished as a young man.
What do you owe that to? Was it determination? Was
it practice?
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Was it?
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Or were you just it is something that you were
naturally drawn to?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Well, I have to thank genetics because I really think
that's you know what it's attributed to. It's kind of
passed along gift from my dad's side, but my stepdad
encouraged me. My mom wanted me to be a CPA,
not a dentisty CPA, well anything but a piano play. Yeah,
(18:02):
she wanted me to be at doctor anything but a
piano player, which was very supportive because she'd always be
at my you know, club functions, the concerts I played for,
the Shady Side Jazz Festival, she'd be there, so she
was kind of a begrudging supporter. She was very happy
(18:24):
when I earned my CPA. But that season about eighty
seven and I started doing what I really loved to do,
and that's when things, you know, really took off from me.
So there were a lot of places, a lot of
opportunities in Pittsburgh, and you know, with the exposure on
three WS, my name got out there and I attracted
a lot of piano students and got to do a
(18:47):
lot of a lot of cool things, played for the
Podford Film Festivals, annual kinds of things, and I got
to meet Michael Douglass. Oh my goodness, that was in
ninety I think ninety four. My mom my wife got
accordians left. My wife got a big kick out of
meeting Michael Douglass and We actually gave him a copy
(19:09):
of my second album, Seduction. That's the one where Annie wrote, yeah, right,
the second one. Yeah. So that's that's pretty much it.
And what else can I fill in for you?
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Mm hmm, let's see TikTok.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Okay so eighty nine. Yeah, so have you have you
been seeing lately? And I got a lot of publicity
from I knew a fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Press,
and boy, he got me so much publicity. Uh. And
with the Holiday albums, of course, three ws had a
mountain of publicity and h my picture. They always used
(20:01):
my picture to the to the chagrin of other artists
who were also on the album. I guess I had
a good photographer.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
So well, I do have some questions about those particular
holiday records that because they were they were massive.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Yeah, they had a lot of distribution.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Yeah. Uh.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Other than other than Christina Aguilera, who else did you
play with on those records?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Well, the first volume one it was Rue Christie and
he did Oh Holy Nights. And I often joke when
he hit the very high climactic note of that song
that just you know, changed my life. I mean, anytime
you hear that note. It would change any anyone's life. Man,
that you know, oneful high falsetto voice. But that led
(20:47):
to concerts with him.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Christy had a pretty powerful voice. Is that what you're saying. Huh,
there's a shot.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Yeah, he was. He was wonderful and uh, let's see,
I'm trying to think of the name of the the
fellow who did Jimmy Beaumont of the Skyliners right, recorded
a song with him on that album and it was
have yourself a Merry Little Christmas. And I did a
(21:21):
couple of solo cuts myself well with the gazz Trio,
and I should mention a very nice lady. I did
a recording with their Claudia Recco, who's a wonderful local
Pittsburgh vocalist, and in the later albums pretty much kind
(21:46):
of solo things I worked. I did a wonderful rendition.
We sounded like Mannheim Steamroller. It was good. King Wentz slows.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Yeah, that's why I had And he just gave me
a copy of Home for the Holidays. There's volume two
the year the first one you've got track one. Congratulations, Christine,
what child is this? So you're on that one as well?
Right right, Yeah, and I think so.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
I played drums for a few of those two.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Peter Noon is on this one too. Are you on
that one as well?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Peter Noon, I believe, I don't think so.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Another it has the artists on each song through each
of the So.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Yeah, tell me about Peter Noon. What was he like?
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Peter Noon was was the ball? He was a real
hoots that. There was one one thing that happened. We
did a TV show, I think after we recorded Volume
two for wpg H and Christine. Of course, all these
things were recorded, so it was like a karaoke thing
(22:58):
when people would sing, but the backing tracks were there
for them. But the funny thing was Peter Noon did
do you hear what I hear? And if you know
the song, the choruses go do you hear what I hear?
Just multiple multiple times and he unfortunately he lost track
(23:19):
of how many times he did that, and he came
in wrong and you know, he played it off, you
know with fuint expressions on the TV recording and unfortunately
we could not use it because he messed up. So
I love when you know, international people, you know, do
human things like that.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
So who is the most famous person you've worked with.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
A well I've already mentioned them. I mean i've met people. Well,
I should say Wayne Gray, it's probably the most famous person.
It was kind of spun taneous and it was at
Disney World and I think that was in the that
might have been about nineteen ninety nine or so, and
(24:08):
he was on whose line is this? Whose line is it? Anyway?
Something like that. He was very famous, very good at improvising.
So we presented him with a challenge. We had We
had me on piano, and we had Kenny Woods on
on keyboard as well, and gone named Mark on drums.
(24:29):
And so there's Wayne Brady and the Morning DJ Jim said,
Wayne improvised the Pittsburgh Blues. But we want you to
mention potholes, comanches and all the Pittsburgh attributes in the
you know, saving parking spaces with chairs, things like that. Yes,
(24:51):
sure enough, he came up with the Pittsburgh Blues.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
How quickly did did he come up with that spontaneously?
Speaker 2 (24:58):
Like, I don't know how people do that. It's just
a gift to have a mind like that, to create
spontaneous things like that. But yeah, he mentioned Stogi's and
Paroghi's and pop holes and uh sandwiches and clothes need wars.
(25:19):
He just scrammed it into one big blues in the ki.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
Of f I gotta find that. That is amazing. What
about Andrea Bocelli? Did you work with with him?
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Andrea Bicelli? That was last year. I performed for his
uh Andrea Bocelli Foundation and got to take a fabulous
picture with him. But before I met Andrea Bacelli that night,
I met his wife. And I was on a break
and I said, I believe her name was because of
(25:56):
the V I. I hope I'm getting it right. Her
name is Victoria, I think. And I said, Hi, are
you Andrea Bucelli's wife? And she said, well, at least tonight,
I am god. Had quite a sense of humor, quite auch.
I think she records with him, so if you see
some of the TV shows, I think she's part of
(26:17):
the act. But very very nice people. And believe me
that that picture with Andrea Bucelli has garnered me several
gigs here in Florida. But uh, yeah, I did not
perform with Andrea per se but for his foundation andres gotcha.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Okay, okay, So you now live in Florida. But I'm
curious on how Pittsburgh kind of you know, Pittsburgh has
a huge jazz tradition. You know, you know a lot
of times that when somebody mentions jazz, it's usually New
Orleans or Chicago and New York. But Pittsburgh has a
(27:00):
bitch jazz tradition. Is do you see it that way?
Or and how did that? How did that influence you?
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Well, I think there's a legend that all the good
pianists come from Pittsburgh. In fact, I took over for
Johnny Costa. Now Johnny Costa is an international jazz pianist,
and when he retired from the Children's Hospital telethons on
(27:34):
Katie K t V, I took over for him in
the in the eighties, probably the late eighties. So yeah,
definitely an influenced by Pittsburgh artists like Earl Gardner, Joe Nagriy.
I recorded in my first actually this was my second album.
(27:57):
It was a Christmas album called Uh Christmas, Christmas Zing
with You. I think it's something like that. But I
had I had all the Pittsburgh local artists, and I
had Joe negri On, I had Jimmy Sapienza. He sang,
He's sang his famous Santa Claus is uh his Santa
(28:21):
Claus team, Santa Claus. Santa's not the Blues. That's what
it was called. So you know, rich Pittsburgh tradition and
uh shee we had. We had, of course, the you
have a balcony and Shady Side, a lot of a
lot of places to play. I play at the Grand Concourse.
(28:43):
They had piano bars, you know, from four p m.
Until like midnight back in the good old days. They
don't they don't have that anymore, unfortunately. But we had
Kenny Blake. I play a few things with him. Uh.
I think everyone performed with everyone.
Speaker 3 (29:02):
He was really a golden age, wasn't it for a while? Yeah,
music everywhere everywhere?
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Yeah, music in Shady Side in particular. It was usually
east of the city. And oh my goodness, I should
mention Tony Mowatt, who was a big promoter of society
and what a great Sunday tradition that was in the
(29:32):
in the nineties. He would have a I think it
was at the Oakland Holiday.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
In Webster Hall for a while too.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
You remember where we was. Yeah, Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Adam there too for a while. I remember going there.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
No question, all the great great people, GisMo, Charles would
perform there. Maureene Budway, I got to do several concerts
with her at the Road of Shalom series. Who else
I'm trying to trying to think, didn't we had? I
(30:10):
think there were concerts in in Bridgeville. There was a
now it's a gas station. Unfortunately, I think it became
a the rhythm. Yes, yeah, I have told perform there.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
So did you know Craig before he work with Sonny?
Or did Craig? Did you know Sonny before? Annie?
Speaker 3 (30:32):
I think you did? Well, maybe about the leap? So yeah,
I think yeah, I mean I knew Sonny, but not
as my husband, you know, but I think you played
with him before I really got to know him.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Well, yeah, that could agree. I'd have to think about
mm hmm. I think we were on a few tracks
on the first Home for the Holidays.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
Yeah, the second, well, the second one, I think write
the volume.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
I got a question, have another question for you when
it comes to do you still play every day?
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Do I play every day? Oh my goodness, Uh yes,
Well it's like eating or breathing. You never want to
stop one of those. So I do a lot of
kind of the senior circuit. I'll play at assisted living places, uh,
independent living spots, and uh there are so many, uh
so many venues here in Florida. It's the you know,
(31:32):
retirement capital of you know, of the world basically. So
I do play every day pretty much. And even when
I'm teaching virtually by you know, by a FaceTime rezoom,
I'll be playing as well. So uh, yeah, I do.
I do play every day, and I do have to
vary my show. So uh it's you know, very mandatory
(31:55):
for me to practice my my scales and my hand
and stuff and two people in so I can do
uh you know, flight to the Bumblebee one do you have?
Speaker 1 (32:05):
You do you still love it? You still still love playing.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
No question. It's a real gift. It's a bonus to
to get paid for what you love to do. You know,
if I had to do the drudgery of uh, you know,
accounting work or something that I didn't like, you know,
life would be tough.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
But you know, Craig Pittsburgh needs dentists. It's not too late.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
That's so funny. Some of some of our best friends
are dentists of course, so I tend to relate to
them in fact. But you know, back in pitt when
we're in the cafeteria and I was, you know, attending there,
I'd sit with a bunch of uh you know, pre
dental students. So there there you go. I mean, I
(32:51):
just have a long history of rubbing elbows with dentists.
But uh, I never could figure out, you know, what
attracted them to the that profession. It's just, uh, it's
just a hard, hard job, you know, being working in
a confined space for you know, many hours, and you know,
trying to get the job done and you know in
an hour appointment and all that stuff. So glad that
(33:14):
I uh, you know, listened to my my inner self
and uh did what I love to do. Very smart thing.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Let me ask you about writing music. Do you remember
the first song that you wrote?
Speaker 2 (33:28):
Hm? Uh yes, Now I love to write parodies.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
Okay, that does not surprise me at.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
All, uh because I was influenced a lot by Alan Sherman,
who was who preceded weird Al Yankovic, and uh so
I had this just uh inkling or this thing to
to write just changed words a lot, and the first
(34:03):
thing I wrote was and this this is how it started.
My mom heard a group on Banksmoo Root in Pittsburgh
and it was a song by Santana you better Change
your Evil Ways Baby. But for the group was kind
of funny and they changed they changed the words to
you better change your underwear baby. So my mom said, oh,
(34:27):
they did the funniest song, you better change your you know, underwear.
So why don't you write a song like that? Craig,
So I wrote a song called you better change your
BBDs before making love to me. So that was the
first thing that I remember ever writing, and it went like,
you better change your bvds for making love to me?
(34:51):
Why put our love affair into a Vamperor, dump your
awfleskiv's in the bathroom hamper. So that was the first
thing I ever wrote.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
Wow, that is that is amazing.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Okay, so what do you think of you know? You
mentioned you know, uh you know we are now and
somebody who's uh, you know, a parody artist. Sometimes they
don't get recognized as an actual artist, but there's an
that's an art form in itself.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
Well, I've nicknamed named myself the parody meister. Here in Florida, because, uh,
it's very unusual. Everyone uses backing tracks when they go
out and perform. Here. Everything is like, you know, they're
karaoke singers. But I'm very much a novelty here. I
actually played down a live and sing and the parodies
(35:46):
are the big attraction. So uh, I write a lot
of uh you know, original stuff.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Okay, all right, well you came came out of the
shoot with a banger. What else? What do you play now?
What are some of your parodies that you play now?
And you perform?
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Well, I try to get the audience involved, so I'll
say when I point to you, I want to I
want you to say, we ain't got locks, you know,
like nova scotial locks. So I'll sing We've got herring
Sweden sour, We've got pickles old and young. We've got
corn defense olami and a lot of tasty time. We've
(36:25):
got Philadelphia cream cheese in a little wooden box. What
ain't we got? We ain't got lots, So I'll do that.
I'll do a parody on ha on Neguilla which goes
over tremendously called Harvey and Shila, and I actually sang
(36:47):
that on the air.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Harvey, har.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
Harvey and Sheila and Sheila.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
They they met I don't think and not think of
you when I play Havin the Gala.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
Well, I actually told this my most embarrassing moment of
my life on the air on three WS to the
Morning team. And after I told them this this funny incident,
they had me sing Harvey and Sheila. But I got
to tell you this most embarrassing moment. I've been married
a year and I was in Maryland and my wife's
(37:29):
cousin was getting bob mitsfood and I had because I
wasn't driving, I had one drink too many, actually two
or three, and I'm slashing out of the cocktail hour
ready to be served a formal dinner in the dining room,
and I spotted on a table a photo album of
the guest of honor. Her name was Eve. She's thirteen,
(37:51):
and a beautiful color pictures at the life and times
of Eve. And I went to open the photo album
in my three so about my maximum, and my wife's screamed, Craig,
don't do that. I was trying to open the photo album.
It was not the photo album, it was a cake.
I put my hand through the cake, so and I
(38:17):
tell this to all my audiences before I sing Harvey
and Chillum.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
I've got a bar Mitzvah story. I was DJing, I
was hired to do a bar Mitzvah. I was hosting,
but a friend of mine who was actually doing the music,
and we had not worked together. This was the first
time we've worked together. And we were pulling into this
little nightclub and gravel driveway and I said, you got
(38:44):
the list of songs that I gave you. He said, yeah,
I got them all except for that Hove song. I've
never heard of the Hava song. I'm like, you didn't get.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
That's funny.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
So this was in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. So we screamed to
the Westmoreland Mall and we went to National Record Mark
and I was like in a panic, but I was like,
we need a copy of having the Gala, and we
need it in like fifteen minutes. We have fifteen minutes,
and so the everybody who worked there was searching everywhere,
and fifteen minutes was up, and I was dejected. I
(39:17):
was ready to leave, and suddenly, all the way in
the back of the store, I hear I found one,
and then they got closer, and they go, but you're
not going to like it, and I said why it
was having a gala on bagpipes. So I'm so so.
Speaker 4 (39:41):
So it was the only version we had, So we
had on cassette like.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
What are you doing?
Speaker 5 (39:53):
I'm like, oh my god, So so go ahead, Oh
I should.
Speaker 2 (40:06):
Uh that reminds me of when we were we were
doing a live broadcast at Disney World and uh, Christina
Aguilera had just come out with Genie in a Bottle okay,
and so I think one of the producers said, you know,
Christina Aguilera is in the park. You know, we're probably
gonna have to interview her. So I had to learn
(40:27):
Genie in a Bottle in like one minute before she
came on the air to try to uh coax her,
you know, to sing a few a few bars of it.
So they they found it, you know, they found tracks
of it, and uh we wound up, you know, learning
it very quickly, so that that worked out.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
You actually learned about it.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
Okay, all right, Well you know that's that's radio. You
gotta be spontaneous. You got to work with what you got. Well,
so how often, how often uh do you when you
want to. I know you write parodies and you probably
that probably varies almost every time you play them. But
(41:08):
how often did you play like, uh like jazz? Did
you write any jazz songs, songs that were more instrumental?
Speaker 4 (41:18):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (41:18):
I did, and UH for my first uh, my first
album in eighty nine was a jazz album, have You
Been Singing Lately? And I did? I think the song
was called my Puppy was a Yuppie. I think it
(41:39):
went like, Uh, it was so many years ago, I don't,
I don't think I played it since then. And uh,
(42:01):
I did write some other original stuff on the album.
I coordinated with a fellow named Larry Namey and we
did UH kind of a one four or five. It
was called Harmony of Love. And it'll come back to
me eventually, probably after after the podcast, but but that
(42:22):
was on the album as well and got a lot
of uh. It opened the door for a lot of airplay.
It was played on you know, w j A S
and some of the other jazz stations. But you know,
when you come up with with a product, it it
gives you more avenues and uh places to uh to
(42:43):
promote the album. So and it was carried Wow national
record mark thing of the past. Uh, that's where it was.
This is way before, of course, uh, you know, the
streaming services before Spotify and everything like that. And uh,
but I do have a current album. I've released it
in twenty twenty one and that's called Christmas Zing with
(43:06):
You and so that's available and like appams a blatant
plug Amazon and Spotify and all the extreaming services. So
that's kind of jazz oriented as well. I have some
it's a solo Piana thing with a lot of improvisations,
kind of funny.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
What is your proudest moment musically?
Speaker 2 (43:31):
Proudest moment I think I did. It was a possibly
a Fourth of July thing where I played piano over
I think the Stars and Stripes Forever and again that
(43:52):
was three WS production, and I remember they rented out
a white Tucks and Tales for me, and uh, when
Johnny Angel saw it, he said, hey, you look like
the top of a wedding cake. Funny night.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
It sounds like Jack.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
He would say that. So that was, you know, probably
a fun moment where I was featured, you know, as
the climax to the evening. I think there's a lot
of uh, you know a lot of musical groups. And uh,
so I was kind of the feature like the Pittsburgh's
version of Yanni at at the time. And uh, speaking
(44:35):
of Yannie, I did open for him one time at
Starlight Amphitheater. So, uh, that's one of my claims to thing.
That's all good.
Speaker 1 (44:43):
One, that's a good one. So You've worked with Peter
Noon and lou Christie and Christine and Aguilera and Johnny
Angel and you worked with you know, Children's Hospital and
on Katie K and on television. Uh, you've done a
lot of and you've certainly you know, it sounds like
you still keep busy, keeping people entertained and laughing and
(45:05):
and but what is your legacy? What is what do
you want your legacy to be?
Speaker 2 (45:12):
I have never thought of that kind of fun music.
I think the thing I want to do is, and
I've never done this, and I've been talking about it
for years, is recording a parody album. I think that'll be,
you know, kind of more lasting than the music, because
you know, when you're singing more fun emotions. So I
(45:35):
do want to record my famous parody about socks and
a lot of the other things I've written a song
about my wife and a lot of other things I
did to my audiences that my wife has a martial
arts degree, fifth degree black belt in shopping. So I
(45:59):
wrote a a song about her, and I tell the
audience my credit card was stolen the other day, but
I didn't record it because the guy who stole it
spends less than my wife. So I gotta do a
little bit of it for you. So here we go. Okay,
(46:20):
my wife, she won't quit buying. She shots every day
of her life. She's out there spending from bestill on
my back, says, I'm overdrawn. Where there's a sale, there's
my wife. Those reps he's eyeing, those dresses are calling
her name. If there's a big sale on panty hose,
(46:41):
whoops to the store. She goes every store. Loves my wife.
So there's a little bit of it, and.
Speaker 1 (46:49):
You should do that. You should record something live because
if you have an audience, you know they would have
a call and response. And so yeah, but you're getting
back to my question. You kind of avoid. Okay, your legacy.
What do you want us? What do you want us
to remember of Craig Singer m the parody.
Speaker 2 (47:09):
Mister probably Yeah, the parodies kind of stuff. But there's
a fellow like what's his name, Chris Burgh, kind of
a jazzy, excellent piano player who you know, made us happy,
you know when he performed. Kind of a fun, fun guy,
(47:32):
and he was a hoot when he performed, and he
could do not only could he do Rhapsody in Blue
and boogie Willgates to the bar and play some Liberaci arrangements,
but he could also make us laugh, So that would
probably do it. Kind of changed our emotional countenance to
(47:55):
two very positive and very happy things and we left happy,
So that would probably do it.
All right, here we go.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I know that this is an ovidiot.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
And your heart. This is the CODA Podcast, chronically Pittsburgh's
music scene, and welcome in. I'm your host, Johnny heart
Well along with Andy Pugar. My guest today on the
phone is Craig Zinger. Craig, are you there? Can you
read us down there? You have the technology down in Florida?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
We aren't yes, yep, just developed it. Yep.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
We are not going to be talking about the weather
at all. I don't want to hear how nice it
is down there at all. We're not gonna We're not
gonna be talking about the weather at all. We're gonna
be talking about you, Craig. All right, So, usually uh
we talk about we kind of go back and we
start with the your very first music memory. But being
(00:59):
that I worked for three WS and you have a
long long relationship with the radio station, I kind of
want to start there.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Is that?
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Oh that'd be great. Yep.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
So tell us, tell us when did you start working
with three WS and what are all the fun stuff
that you got to do with the radio station.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Well, it started I was spotted, I guess I was
playing the red bullt Inn and a couple of the DJs.
I don't know what I can mention names, but they
scouted me and they recruited me for the like a
Christmas broadcast in nineteen eighty nine, So that was the
first thing. It was December and it was the coldest
(01:38):
day of the year. It had to be minus ten degrees.
So this was in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel
and it was so lacking of people there. The DJs
were actually interviewing the janitor's follows from the rails. That's
how bad it was.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
As this jockeys.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
You have to improvise, right, absolutely, you have to you know,
use what available. So and I remember on that interview
the mayor who was the one that scratched my back
with a hat saw who was the mayor back then.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Lady.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Late uh before that was Sophie, Yes, Sophie Maslov was interviewed,
so that that's what I recall. And uh, I remember
bringing an extra necktie for the for phone y and
Gary who was the you know, the musical or the
producer at the time, and uh what else happened?
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Did you know? You have to look good for radio, right.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Heter Peter of the mind, that's right. So as that
went really well. So I kept being invited onto live
broadcasts with the The Morning Team and eventually they started
doing Christmas shows or yeah, Christmas shows and Christmas albums
in nineteen ninety one. But the second installment nineteen ninety
(03:09):
two is when I met Christina Aguilera. She was living
in Wexford and they got her to be on the album.
So I actually was the session pianist for her first
recording and it was a what child is this? So
that was the ball.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
I was not aware that Christina Aguilera actually got her
first break on three WS. Where's Where's our Where's our royalties?
Speaker 2 (03:36):
You're probably past the statute of.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
I guess, oh, you're a buzzkill.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
So I do remember being at her house with her
mom and being syrup cake and cookies after the rehearsal.
But I do remember Christina was very focused. She'd always
walk around she had a microphone in her hand anytime
she walked around the house, so you know, talk about
out someone who was laser focused. They described her. They
described her as like an automobile that self drove. So
(04:08):
that was Christina. But I was maybe back a year
Johnny Angel recommended me to Lou Christie because Rue Christie
was coming in town and he needed a band quartet.
So I had the privilege of working with him in
I think about nineteen ninety or nineteen ninety one. It
(04:32):
was unforgettable. It was in Greensburg and it was in
a motocross pit, like under ground, and I remember the
smell was so foul. We were afraid Lou's limousine was
approaching it. We thought he was going to do a
U turn and just you know, get away from Greensburg.
But we did a fantastic concert. I had the you know,
the best musicians in town working with us, and I
(04:55):
remember getting a nice big tip from him. It was
so I rated that, you know, I put together a
good band for him, and uh, gradually, Oh, here's one
of my favorite memories. I got to do a concert
with Peter Noon in I think it was Lower or
Upper Marlborough, Maryland. And the night before we were all
(05:18):
in a bar and people were asking for his Peter
Nune's autograph, and someone didn't have a pen, so I
pulled out a pen and I said innocently, and I
was a CPA back then, I said well, CPA always
carries a pen or pencil with him, so wouldn't you
know it. When we were doing the concert and he
(05:38):
was introducing the members of the band, he said in
his British accent and h on pi io my CPA.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
All right, I think you set a world record in
the first five minutes. You've already dropped Christine Aguilera, Johnny
Angel and Luke Christie and Peter Noon. You've you've met
some people then, no question.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Met Wayne Brady in Disney World, of course. You know
when we would go over there and do broadcasts, all
the notables and celebrities would would congregate. So I met
Wayne Brady from Let's Make a Deal. I met merv Griffin,
Larry King. I got to do the world premiere of
Angels in the outfield at the former three River Stadium,
(06:28):
and uh, it was it was a ball. I did
concerts with Leslie Gore the Tokens. Tokens was part of
that Upper Marlborough, Maryland concert with Peter Noon, so it
was a ball.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Well, I don't want to brag, but I know Anny Pugar,
you know.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
She is. She is wonderful. I think she wrote lyrics
for a couple of my songs, yeah, three.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Of them freedom. I was telling Johnny about that. I
think you write the most beautiful compositions. And I think
I've told you that your bridges are so gorgeous. I've
never well, the bridges that you get.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Well, there's a lot of bridges around, but nobody has
better bridges than Greg. There the City of Bridges.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Yeah, the bridges and your melodies are absolutely gorgeous. I
mean they are the melody, you know, the main melody
is too. But anyway, I.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Don't think i've ever asked during the podcast, asked you
a question you you had you took piano lessons from him.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Yeah, for a few months, Craig, you were my piano
teacher for a little while.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Oh wow, bring back in the basement of my in
my piano studio.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah, that house on the hill.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
And what kind of student was she, Craig was, Well,
she's blushing, So I'm not sure the belief.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
I had taken. I told you I started on accordion,
so my left hand was so weak on piano, know,
but yeah, that's why I could never really you know,
I couldn't put the time in at the time. But
you taught me some a few things that I remember.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
All Right, we're gonna we're gonna talk a little bit
about some more of the people that you've met. But
let's go back to, you know, kind of where we
like to start usually, and we're already eight minutes in.
What is your first music memory?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Well, it could have been like a piano recital. I
think I was like ten years old and I was
in my piano teacher's home and it was kind of
kind of cool and comfortable and cozy. And what did
I do? Chopsticks or something? Or heart and soul? But
I mean that's that's one of them. Are you talking
(08:49):
about like concerts that I attended?
Speaker 1 (08:51):
I just mean your first music memory? What was it
like in the in the Zinger household? Did you do?
What kind of music were you listening?
Speaker 2 (08:59):
When?
Speaker 1 (08:59):
When what's your first music memory? You're listening to the radio?
Did you come from a music family?
Speaker 2 (09:07):
So everything changed when my mom remarried. She moved us
to Pittsburgh in about ten when I was about ten
years old, and the fellow that she remarried, my stepdad,
had a fantastic grand piano. It was the number one
piano used by the Metropolitan Opera was called a Kanabi
(09:29):
and he said, well, would you like to take piano lessons?
And I said yeah, And so we interviewed my piano
teacher and I played Heart and Soul for her and
she said, well, I think we can do a little
bit better than that. Back then, lessons were like two
fifty a lessons. You imagine ten bucks a month.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, so changed, But I was.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Not really in the rock and roll direction. I was
more like a Peter Nero fan. Now was the Philadelphia
Pops conductor and he won two Grammys. Uh. He was sensational,
so not a lot of people remember that name, but
he was up there with like Roger Williams, that kind
of style and Dave Brubeck, the originator of the tune
(10:19):
Take five. So I was that was the kind of music.
I was listening to. Jazz, Andre Crevin, people like that,
Oscar Peterson, Earl Garner especially, and he's a Pittsburgh guy,
so he was. He was a sensational, big, big influence
in my my piano music.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
So who introduced you to those those jazz classics.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
My uncle, this was the brother of my stepdad, was
a DJ for one of the stations one of the
famous jazz stations, and he had a collection of all
kinds of albums and I was listening to. I guess
that's how I got introduced to all these jazz people.
What was it. I think it was whammo, I'm allowed
(11:09):
to say that.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Sure, you know, no, this is you know, we party history. Yeah,
party is absolutely.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Part of history. His name was Jan Andre and that
was his stage name, and uh so that was that
was a big influence. And of course, you know when
I heard Dave brubecuh you know, forget about Broms, Beethoven
and Bach and Chopin, that went just way down the
drain and I started trying to improvise and you know,
(11:37):
improvising in jazz. So I would listen to as much
as I could. When I was thirteen, my cousin sent
me an album. It was like the number one jazz
album ever. It was the Take five album by Dave Brubeck.
And that's that's why I was one of my big
(11:58):
influences back.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Thing, So when did you develop your style? I mean
you went from chopsticks and obviously you have progressions then right.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Oh no, well I got to do a little side
track here I do this bit when I do like
an hour show for seniors, I'll tell them, well, here's
the twenty five dollar piece, and it'll be Ali Kat.
And here's the fifty dollar piece and it'll be you
will get to the bar. But the toughest piece ever
(12:31):
was the thousand dollar piece, which took me two years
to learn. And my audience is anticipating on the keyboard
and then I'll start playing chopsticks.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Because you know it's getting back. It takes two years
to really master that. Those the two finger technique.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Right it does. Yeah, that was probably one of the
harder pieces. But I think taking lessons and I'm going
to name drop again and Vince Lashi when I was
out of when I graduated from pitt with a biology
degree of all things, because my mom wanted me to
be a dentist, right, Uh, she wanted me to drill
(13:10):
the ivories, but I wanted to pickle this. So when
I graduated from pitt I started taking lessons with Vince Winslshi,
who was the famous pirate organist, and the steep and
the Steelers, which brings a great trivia question. The question
is who played for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the
(13:33):
Pittsburgh Pirates in the same year.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Yep and question and right.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
So took lessons from him and another fellow named Bobby
Cardillou company from from Melton May. When Melton May would
come in fantastic, uh, fantastic dentists. So I developed my
style there and uh. I played at local nightclubs that
there was a great jazz scene back it was the
(14:01):
Encore and Shady Side, the Encore on Liberty Avenue, and
then the Balcony and Shady Side. Oh my good goodness,
I have a jazz trio there. What fantastic days those were.
I mean they had jazz there seven seven days a
week at the Balcony and got a nice following there
(14:21):
and eventually started recording my own albums. I did an
album in nineteen eighty nine on cassette that was the
technology back then. The name of the album was have
You Been Zinged Lately?
Speaker 3 (14:35):
I think the songs that you and I worked on
might have been on that Oh really album? I can't remember.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Do you remember your first paid gig?
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Oh my goodness, yes, I played for the Mount Lebanon
Women's Club. I think my piano teacher hired me because
I just mastered for aleas of them and I got it,
and I should have kept the check. I got a
check for five dollars, big money back then. That was
(15:09):
my first professional engagement, and of course there were other
less notable engagements. I remember playing one for a kind
of an ethnic gathering and the keys on the upright
piano stuck and I'd have to unstick them after every song.
It was terrible.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Not every not everybody has your your stepfather's piano to
play off.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
That's true.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah, all right, So so take me from your your
first paid gig and then lead me. What's what's going
on between your first paid gig and your first recording session?
What are you doing? Are you are you going out
to different clubs, nightclubs? What are you doing? Hmm?
Speaker 2 (15:56):
First paid gig, well, that was probably age twelve or thirteen.
So I'm in high school, probably eighth grade or so,
and I was the accompanist for the chorus and men's
Greek clips. That's what I was doing in UH in
high school, playing for UH for assemblies, playing jazz, playing
rubek and then uh ah. Then when I went to PITT,
(16:22):
I auditioned for the PITT jazz band, and that was
directed by a famous gye not not with us anymore,
doctor Nathan Davis.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Oh yes, yes, he did the jazz the annual Jazz Festivals.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Annual jazz seminars. Yeah. Uh. I got to play with
James Moody who was an international saxophone star recording artists
and uh so so memorable, playing you know, nice quintete
with him, and played a lot of things with the
Pitt Jazz Band actually uh fascinating, and actually took us
(16:59):
into a jail and we played for I think it
was West ten Penitentiary, So we went inside to jail
and that was kind of fascinating, played gigs a lot
of those things. And then when I graduated, Pitt played
for the Arts festival around Pittsburgh and that you know,
(17:19):
eventually led to the recording sessions.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Okay, so you you were pretty accomplished as a young man.
What do you owe that to? Was it determination? Was
it practice?
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Was it?
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Or were you just it is something that you were
naturally drawn to?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Well, I have to thank genetics because I really think
that's you know what it's attributed to. It's kind of
passed along gift from my dad's side, but my stepdad
encouraged me. My mom wanted me to be a CPA,
not a dentisty CPA, well anything but a piano play. Yeah,
(18:02):
she wanted me to be at doctor anything but a
piano player, which was very supportive because she'd always be
at my you know, club functions, the concerts I played for,
the Shady Side Jazz Festival, she'd be there, so she
was kind of a begrudging supporter. She was very happy
(18:24):
when I earned my CPA. But that season about eighty
seven and I started doing what I really loved to do,
and that's when things, you know, really took off from me.
So there were a lot of places, a lot of
opportunities in Pittsburgh, and you know, with the exposure on
three WS, my name got out there and I attracted
a lot of piano students and got to do a
(18:47):
lot of a lot of cool things, played for the
Podford Film Festivals, annual kinds of things, and I got
to meet Michael Douglass. Oh my goodness, that was in
ninety I think ninety four. My mom my wife got
accordians left. My wife got a big kick out of
meeting Michael Douglass and We actually gave him a copy
(19:09):
of my second album, Seduction. That's the one where Annie wrote, yeah, right,
the second one. Yeah. So that's that's pretty much it.
And what else can I fill in for you?
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Mm hmm, let's see TikTok.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Okay so eighty nine. Yeah, so have you have you
been seeing lately? And I got a lot of publicity
from I knew a fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Press,
and boy, he got me so much publicity. Uh. And
with the Holiday albums, of course, three ws had a
mountain of publicity and h my picture. They always used
(20:01):
my picture to the to the chagrin of other artists
who were also on the album. I guess I had
a good photographer.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
So well, I do have some questions about those particular
holiday records that because they were they were massive.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Yeah, they had a lot of distribution.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Yeah. Uh.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Other than other than Christina Aguilera, who else did you
play with on those records?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Well, the first volume one it was Rue Christie and
he did Oh Holy Nights. And I often joke when
he hit the very high climactic note of that song
that just you know, changed my life. I mean, anytime
you hear that note. It would change any anyone's life. Man,
that you know, oneful high falsetto voice. But that led
(20:47):
to concerts with him.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Christy had a pretty powerful voice. Is that what you're saying. Huh,
there's a shot.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Yeah, he was. He was wonderful and uh, let's see,
I'm trying to think of the name of the the
fellow who did Jimmy Beaumont of the Skyliners right, recorded
a song with him on that album and it was
have yourself a Merry Little Christmas. And I did a
(21:21):
couple of solo cuts myself well with the gazz Trio,
and I should mention a very nice lady. I did
a recording with their Claudia Recco, who's a wonderful local
Pittsburgh vocalist, and in the later albums pretty much kind
(21:46):
of solo things I worked. I did a wonderful rendition.
We sounded like Mannheim Steamroller. It was good. King Wentz slows.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Yeah, that's why I had And he just gave me
a copy of Home for the Holidays. There's volume two
the year the first one you've got track one. Congratulations, Christine,
what child is this? So you're on that one as well?
Right right, Yeah, and I think so.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
I played drums for a few of those two.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
Peter Noon is on this one too. Are you on
that one as well?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Peter Noon, I believe, I don't think so.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Another it has the artists on each song through each
of the So.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Yeah, tell me about Peter Noon. What was he like?
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Peter Noon was was the ball? He was a real
hoots that. There was one one thing that happened. We
did a TV show, I think after we recorded Volume
two for wpg H and Christine. Of course, all these
things were recorded, so it was like a karaoke thing
(22:58):
when people would sing, but the backing tracks were there
for them. But the funny thing was Peter Noon did
do you hear what I hear? And if you know
the song, the choruses go do you hear what I hear?
Just multiple multiple times and he unfortunately he lost track
(23:19):
of how many times he did that, and he came
in wrong and you know, he played it off, you
know with fuint expressions on the TV recording and unfortunately
we could not use it because he messed up. So
I love when you know, international people, you know, do
human things like that.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
So who is the most famous person you've worked with.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
A well I've already mentioned them. I mean i've met people. Well,
I should say Wayne Gray, it's probably the most famous person.
It was kind of spun taneous and it was at
Disney World and I think that was in the that
might have been about nineteen ninety nine or so, and
(24:08):
he was on whose line is this? Whose line is it? Anyway?
Something like that. He was very famous, very good at improvising.
So we presented him with a challenge. We had We
had me on piano, and we had Kenny Woods on
on keyboard as well, and gone named Mark on drums.
(24:29):
And so there's Wayne Brady and the Morning DJ Jim said,
Wayne improvised the Pittsburgh Blues. But we want you to
mention potholes, comanches and all the Pittsburgh attributes in the
you know, saving parking spaces with chairs, things like that. Yes,
(24:51):
sure enough, he came up with the Pittsburgh Blues.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
How quickly did did he come up with that spontaneously?
Speaker 2 (24:58):
Like, I don't know how people do that. It's just
a gift to have a mind like that, to create
spontaneous things like that. But yeah, he mentioned Stogi's and
Paroghi's and pop holes and uh sandwiches and clothes need wars.
(25:19):
He just scrammed it into one big blues in the ki.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
Of f I gotta find that. That is amazing. What
about Andrea Bocelli? Did you work with with him?
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Andrea Bicelli? That was last year. I performed for his
uh Andrea Bocelli Foundation and got to take a fabulous
picture with him. But before I met Andrea Bacelli that night,
I met his wife. And I was on a break
and I said, I believe her name was because of
(25:56):
the V I. I hope I'm getting it right. Her
name is Victoria, I think. And I said, Hi, are
you Andrea Bucelli's wife? And she said, well, at least tonight,
I am god. Had quite a sense of humor, quite auch.
I think she records with him, so if you see
some of the TV shows, I think she's part of
(26:17):
the act. But very very nice people. And believe me
that that picture with Andrea Bucelli has garnered me several
gigs here in Florida. But uh, yeah, I did not
perform with Andrea per se but for his foundation andres gotcha.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Okay, okay, So you now live in Florida. But I'm
curious on how Pittsburgh kind of you know, Pittsburgh has
a huge jazz tradition. You know, you know a lot
of times that when somebody mentions jazz, it's usually New
Orleans or Chicago and New York. But Pittsburgh has a
(27:00):
bitch jazz tradition. Is do you see it that way?
Or and how did that? How did that influence you?
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Well, I think there's a legend that all the good
pianists come from Pittsburgh. In fact, I took over for
Johnny Costa. Now Johnny Costa is an international jazz pianist,
and when he retired from the Children's Hospital telethons on
(27:34):
Katie K t V, I took over for him in
the in the eighties, probably the late eighties. So yeah,
definitely an influenced by Pittsburgh artists like Earl Gardner, Joe Nagriy.
I recorded in my first actually this was my second album.
(27:57):
It was a Christmas album called Uh Christmas, Christmas Zing
with You. I think it's something like that. But I
had I had all the Pittsburgh local artists, and I
had Joe negri On, I had Jimmy Sapienza. He sang,
He's sang his famous Santa Claus is uh his Santa
(28:21):
Claus team, Santa Claus. Santa's not the Blues. That's what
it was called. So you know, rich Pittsburgh tradition and
uh shee we had. We had, of course, the you
have a balcony and Shady Side, a lot of a
lot of places to play. I play at the Grand Concourse.
(28:43):
They had piano bars, you know, from four p m.
Until like midnight back in the good old days. They
don't they don't have that anymore, unfortunately. But we had
Kenny Blake. I play a few things with him. Uh.
I think everyone performed with everyone.
Speaker 3 (29:02):
He was really a golden age, wasn't it for a while? Yeah,
music everywhere everywhere?
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Yeah, music in Shady Side in particular. It was usually
east of the city. And oh my goodness, I should
mention Tony Mowatt, who was a big promoter of society
and what a great Sunday tradition that was in the
(29:32):
in the nineties. He would have a I think it
was at the Oakland Holiday.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
In Webster Hall for a while too.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
You remember where we was. Yeah, Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Adam there too for a while. I remember going there.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
No question, all the great great people, GisMo, Charles would
perform there. Maureene Budway, I got to do several concerts
with her at the Road of Shalom series. Who else
I'm trying to trying to think, didn't we had? I
(30:10):
think there were concerts in in Bridgeville. There was a
now it's a gas station. Unfortunately, I think it became
a the rhythm. Yes, yeah, I have told perform there.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
So did you know Craig before he work with Sonny?
Or did Craig? Did you know Sonny before? Annie?
Speaker 3 (30:32):
I think you did? Well, maybe about the leap? So yeah,
I think yeah, I mean I knew Sonny, but not
as my husband, you know, but I think you played
with him before I really got to know him.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Well, yeah, that could agree. I'd have to think about
mm hmm. I think we were on a few tracks
on the first Home for the Holidays.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
Yeah, the second, well, the second one, I think write
the volume.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
I got a question, have another question for you when
it comes to do you still play every day?
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Do I play every day? Oh my goodness, Uh yes,
Well it's like eating or breathing. You never want to
stop one of those. So I do a lot of
kind of the senior circuit. I'll play at assisted living places, uh,
independent living spots, and uh there are so many, uh
so many venues here in Florida. It's the you know,
(31:32):
retirement capital of you know, of the world basically. So
I do play every day pretty much. And even when
I'm teaching virtually by you know, by a FaceTime rezoom,
I'll be playing as well. So uh, yeah, I do.
I do play every day, and I do have to
vary my show. So uh it's you know, very mandatory
(31:55):
for me to practice my my scales and my hand
and stuff and two people in so I can do
uh you know, flight to the Bumblebee one do you have?
Speaker 1 (32:05):
You do you still love it? You still still love playing.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
No question. It's a real gift. It's a bonus to
to get paid for what you love to do. You know,
if I had to do the drudgery of uh, you know,
accounting work or something that I didn't like, you know,
life would be tough.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
But you know, Craig Pittsburgh needs dentists. It's not too late.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
That's so funny. Some of some of our best friends
are dentists of course, so I tend to relate to
them in fact. But you know, back in pitt when
we're in the cafeteria and I was, you know, attending there,
I'd sit with a bunch of uh you know, pre
dental students. So there there you go. I mean, I
(32:51):
just have a long history of rubbing elbows with dentists.
But uh, I never could figure out, you know, what
attracted them to the that profession. It's just, uh, it's
just a hard, hard job, you know, being working in
a confined space for you know, many hours, and you know,
trying to get the job done and you know in
an hour appointment and all that stuff. So glad that
(33:14):
I uh, you know, listened to my my inner self
and uh did what I love to do. Very smart thing.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Let me ask you about writing music. Do you remember
the first song that you wrote?
Speaker 2 (33:28):
Hm? Uh yes, Now I love to write parodies.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
Okay, that does not surprise me at.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
All, uh because I was influenced a lot by Alan Sherman,
who was who preceded weird Al Yankovic, and uh so
I had this just uh inkling or this thing to
to write just changed words a lot, and the first
(34:03):
thing I wrote was and this this is how it started.
My mom heard a group on Banksmoo Root in Pittsburgh
and it was a song by Santana you better Change
your Evil Ways Baby. But for the group was kind
of funny and they changed they changed the words to
you better change your underwear baby. So my mom said, oh,
(34:27):
they did the funniest song, you better change your you know, underwear.
So why don't you write a song like that? Craig,
So I wrote a song called you better change your
BBDs before making love to me. So that was the
first thing that I remember ever writing, and it went like,
you better change your bvds for making love to me?
(34:51):
Why put our love affair into a Vamperor, dump your
awfleskiv's in the bathroom hamper. So that was the first
thing I ever wrote.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
Wow, that is that is amazing.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Okay, so what do you think of you know? You
mentioned you know, uh you know we are now and
somebody who's uh, you know, a parody artist. Sometimes they
don't get recognized as an actual artist, but there's an
that's an art form in itself.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
Well, I've nicknamed named myself the parody meister. Here in Florida, because, uh,
it's very unusual. Everyone uses backing tracks when they go
out and perform. Here. Everything is like, you know, they're
karaoke singers. But I'm very much a novelty here. I
actually played down a live and sing and the parodies
(35:46):
are the big attraction. So uh, I write a lot
of uh you know, original stuff.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Okay, all right, well you came came out of the
shoot with a banger. What else? What do you play now?
What are some of your parodies that you play now?
And you perform?
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Well, I try to get the audience involved, so I'll
say when I point to you, I want to I
want you to say, we ain't got locks, you know,
like nova scotial locks. So I'll sing We've got herring
Sweden sour, We've got pickles old and young. We've got
corn defense olami and a lot of tasty time. We've
(36:25):
got Philadelphia cream cheese in a little wooden box. What
ain't we got? We ain't got lots, So I'll do that.
I'll do a parody on ha on Neguilla which goes
over tremendously called Harvey and Shila, and I actually sang
(36:47):
that on the air.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Harvey, har.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
Harvey and Sheila and Sheila.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
They they met I don't think and not think of
you when I play Havin the Gala.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
Well, I actually told this my most embarrassing moment of
my life on the air on three WS to the
Morning team. And after I told them this this funny incident,
they had me sing Harvey and Sheila. But I got
to tell you this most embarrassing moment. I've been married
a year and I was in Maryland and my wife's
(37:29):
cousin was getting bob mitsfood and I had because I
wasn't driving, I had one drink too many, actually two
or three, and I'm slashing out of the cocktail hour
ready to be served a formal dinner in the dining room,
and I spotted on a table a photo album of
the guest of honor. Her name was Eve. She's thirteen,
(37:51):
and a beautiful color pictures at the life and times
of Eve. And I went to open the photo album
in my three so about my maximum, and my wife's screamed, Craig,
don't do that. I was trying to open the photo album.
It was not the photo album, it was a cake.
I put my hand through the cake, so and I
(38:17):
tell this to all my audiences before I sing Harvey
and Chillum.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
I've got a bar Mitzvah story. I was DJing, I
was hired to do a bar Mitzvah. I was hosting,
but a friend of mine who was actually doing the music,
and we had not worked together. This was the first
time we've worked together. And we were pulling into this
little nightclub and gravel driveway and I said, you got
(38:44):
the list of songs that I gave you. He said, yeah,
I got them all except for that Hove song. I've
never heard of the Hava song. I'm like, you didn't get.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
That's funny.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
So this was in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. So we screamed to
the Westmoreland Mall and we went to National Record Mark
and I was like in a panic, but I was like,
we need a copy of having the Gala, and we
need it in like fifteen minutes. We have fifteen minutes,
and so the everybody who worked there was searching everywhere,
and fifteen minutes was up, and I was dejected. I
(39:17):
was ready to leave, and suddenly, all the way in
the back of the store, I hear I found one,
and then they got closer, and they go, but you're
not going to like it, and I said why it
was having a gala on bagpipes. So I'm so so.
Speaker 4 (39:41):
So it was the only version we had, So we
had on cassette like.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
What are you doing?
Speaker 5 (39:53):
I'm like, oh my god, So so go ahead, Oh
I should.
Speaker 2 (40:06):
Uh that reminds me of when we were we were
doing a live broadcast at Disney World and uh, Christina
Aguilera had just come out with Genie in a Bottle okay,
and so I think one of the producers said, you know,
Christina Aguilera is in the park. You know, we're probably
gonna have to interview her. So I had to learn
(40:27):
Genie in a Bottle in like one minute before she
came on the air to try to uh coax her,
you know, to sing a few a few bars of it.
So they they found it, you know, they found tracks
of it, and uh we wound up, you know, learning
it very quickly, so that that worked out.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
You actually learned about it.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
Okay, all right, Well you know that's that's radio. You
gotta be spontaneous. You got to work with what you got. Well,
so how often, how often uh do you when you
want to. I know you write parodies and you probably
that probably varies almost every time you play them. But
(41:08):
how often did you play like, uh like jazz? Did
you write any jazz songs, songs that were more instrumental?
Speaker 4 (41:18):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (41:18):
I did, and UH for my first uh, my first
album in eighty nine was a jazz album, have You
Been Singing Lately? And I did? I think the song
was called my Puppy was a Yuppie. I think it
(41:39):
went like, Uh, it was so many years ago, I don't,
I don't think I played it since then. And uh,
(42:01):
I did write some other original stuff on the album.
I coordinated with a fellow named Larry Namey and we
did UH kind of a one four or five. It
was called Harmony of Love. And it'll come back to
me eventually, probably after after the podcast, but but that
(42:22):
was on the album as well and got a lot
of uh. It opened the door for a lot of airplay.
It was played on you know, w j A S
and some of the other jazz stations. But you know,
when you come up with with a product, it it
gives you more avenues and uh places to uh to
(42:43):
promote the album. So and it was carried Wow national
record mark thing of the past. Uh, that's where it was.
This is way before, of course, uh, you know, the
streaming services before Spotify and everything like that. And uh,
but I do have a current album. I've released it
in twenty twenty one and that's called Christmas Zing with
(43:06):
You and so that's available and like appams a blatant
plug Amazon and Spotify and all the extreaming services. So
that's kind of jazz oriented as well. I have some
it's a solo Piana thing with a lot of improvisations,
kind of funny.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
What is your proudest moment musically?
Speaker 2 (43:31):
Proudest moment I think I did. It was a possibly
a Fourth of July thing where I played piano over
I think the Stars and Stripes Forever and again that
(43:52):
was three WS production, and I remember they rented out
a white Tucks and Tales for me, and uh, when
Johnny Angel saw it, he said, hey, you look like
the top of a wedding cake. Funny night.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
It sounds like Jack.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
He would say that. So that was, you know, probably
a fun moment where I was featured, you know, as
the climax to the evening. I think there's a lot
of uh, you know a lot of musical groups. And uh,
so I was kind of the feature like the Pittsburgh's
version of Yanni at at the time. And uh, speaking
(44:35):
of Yannie, I did open for him one time at
Starlight Amphitheater. So, uh, that's one of my claims to thing.
That's all good.
Speaker 1 (44:43):
One, that's a good one. So You've worked with Peter
Noon and lou Christie and Christine and Aguilera and Johnny
Angel and you worked with you know, Children's Hospital and
on Katie K and on television. Uh, you've done a
lot of and you've certainly you know, it sounds like
you still keep busy, keeping people entertained and laughing and
(45:05):
and but what is your legacy? What is what do
you want your legacy to be?
Speaker 2 (45:12):
I have never thought of that kind of fun music.
I think the thing I want to do is, and
I've never done this, and I've been talking about it
for years, is recording a parody album. I think that'll be,
you know, kind of more lasting than the music, because
you know, when you're singing more fun emotions. So I
(45:35):
do want to record my famous parody about socks and
a lot of the other things I've written a song
about my wife and a lot of other things I
did to my audiences that my wife has a martial
arts degree, fifth degree black belt in shopping. So I
(45:59):
wrote a a song about her, and I tell the
audience my credit card was stolen the other day, but
I didn't record it because the guy who stole it
spends less than my wife. So I gotta do a
little bit of it for you. So here we go. Okay,
(46:20):
my wife, she won't quit buying. She shots every day
of her life. She's out there spending from bestill on
my back, says, I'm overdrawn. Where there's a sale, there's
my wife. Those reps he's eyeing, those dresses are calling
her name. If there's a big sale on panty hose,
(46:41):
whoops to the store. She goes every store. Loves my wife.
So there's a little bit of it, and.
Speaker 1 (46:49):
You should do that. You should record something live because
if you have an audience, you know they would have
a call and response. And so yeah, but you're getting
back to my question. You kind of avoid. Okay, your legacy.
What do you want us? What do you want us
to remember of Craig Singer m the parody.
Speaker 2 (47:09):
Mister probably Yeah, the parodies kind of stuff. But there's
a fellow like what's his name, Chris Burgh, kind of
a jazzy, excellent piano player who you know, made us happy,
you know when he performed. Kind of a fun, fun guy,
(47:32):
and he was a hoot when he performed, and he
could do not only could he do Rhapsody in Blue
and boogie Willgates to the bar and play some Liberaci arrangements,
but he could also make us laugh, So that would
probably do it. Kind of changed our emotional countenance to
(47:55):
two very positive and very happy things and we left happy,
So that would probably do it.
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Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal: Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a brand new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack. And make sure to check out Seasons 1-4 of Betrayal, along with Betrayal Weekly Season 1.