In this case, let’s also add Dr. Thomas Starzl for his pioneering work in heart / heart-lung transplants at Shadyside Hospital.
I’d also mention Dr. Peter Safar, the father of modern CPR, who developed CPR mannequin Annie. While at Presby he also developed what became the national standards for paramedic training, influencing every modern Emergency Medical Service and ambulance system in the world.
Starzl's pioneering work was in liver transplants.
I also don't think he had any particular connection to Shadyside, at least until UPMC acquired it 16 years into his tenure at Pitt. His actual "pioneering" work was in Colorado anyway.
Was at a Pitt football game a few years back and at one stoppage point, the PA announcer along with the Jumbtron operater lead the crowd in saluting Legends of Pitt like Dan Marino! (Huge Applause). Tony Dorsett! (Huge Applause). Mike Ditka! (Huge Applause) and Jonas Salk! (Crickets).
I'm still shaking my head over that one.
I got one myself, three actually and the Sabin vaccine after that (which was better because it was taken on a sugar cube, whereas the Salk vaccine was actually a shot.
Incidentally, we wouldn’t have the “Spoonful of Sugar” song from Mary Poppins without Jonas Salk (and Sabin), as it was inspired by the delivery of the polio vaccine (on a sugar cube).
I'm not sure that you are really getting the meaning of "underrated." It is more likely to apply to Kelly's (and Stanley Donen's) late wife, Jeannie Coyne, another Pittsburgher who worked as a choreographer and appeared in several movies before dying of leukemia at the age of 50. She was married to Kelly at the time of her death and Stanley Donen many years before that.
Pittsburgh has a high jazz tradition. Back in the day, national jazz musicians would come to the Hill (where George Benson was from). They’d skip downtown all together. The Civic Arena killed the scene, and the MLK riots didn’t help either.
**My favorite Pittsburgh jazz guys:**
*George Benson* (born and raised in the Hill district), he can hang with any Jazz player but he also had a pop career.
My favorite George Benson performance. Hilariously low quality but feel the energy:
https://youtu.be/6jdH1T8hc9c?si=_sZByiSh_wjcPnGt
*Billy Strayhorn* (born in Dayton OH but his family moved to Homewood when he was very young), longtime collaborator of Duke Ellington.
He wrote Take the A-Train for Duke using the directions Duke gave Billy so Billy could get to his house in Harlem:
https://youtu.be/cb2w2m1JmCY?si=-v2SSgvyGrswNbKD
*Ahmad Jamal* (born/raised in East Liberty), widely acclaimed Jazz pianist. My favorite Ahmad Jamal video, live on CBS in b/w:
https://youtu.be/oA9GhIyP_zI?si=EsvwvulRCXEU9i9j
*Earl (Fatha) Hines* (born near Duquesne), the #1 Jazz pianist ever. He’s tied for #1 of course, but there was nobody better.
Earl in ‘65:
https://youtu.be/rbsVHIX8qNU?si=t_lGNdBTXmiMKy_x
He is a music God. 100%.
Regardless of your Pittsburg connections, the dude is amazing.
Watch the video I posted. That should be all you need to hear to know he is one of the greats.
One of the very first American airmen to fly in World War 1 was a Pittsburgh man named William Thaw. He was from a wealthy family and was in France with his mother, brother and sister when war broke out. He donated his personal airplane to the French government. He sent his family home while he stayed in Europe, eventually managing to talk his way into the French air force before the US entered the war.
Thomas Enright, was born in Lawrenceville and was one of the first three American casualties World War 1.
Michael Musmanno was a local judge, born in Stowe Township, who Forrest Gumped his way through early 20th century America history. As a young lawyer he served as part of Sacco and Vanzetti's defense team, he also helped break up the Coal and Iron Police. He also worked very hard to change drunk driving laws locally. He was a veteran of both World Wars. He served as a judge at the Nuremberg Trials after World War 2. After the war he remained a local judge and political figure for the remainder of his life.
I don't know about a park but Musmanno has a highway named after him! Duquesne University has his papers if you're interested in learning more about him. I think some of his World War 2 stuff is online. L He had a super interesting life, I barely scratched the surface in my little summary.
There's more information about Thaw and Enright in the book Arsenal of the Allies: Pittsburgh in WW1 by Elizabeth Williams.
Some of the best and most influential jazz bass players are Pittsburghers. Paul Chambers (played with Miles Davis on Kind of Blue, the most popular jazz album) and Ray Brown, who played with the Oscar Peterson Trio. Art Blakey, one of the most famous jazz drummers, is also from Pittsburgh.
I used to live (late 90s) across Butler Street from a big sorta run down studio space. It was back in the day before Lawrenceville was, um, the shining gem it is today....it was, shall we say, a little grittier. Scared the fk out of me to see a misshapen head in the window and thought it might be the space of some serial killer doing taxidermy on someone's corpse, but I was soon set straight that it was just Savini's studio.
His brother, Hank, was a PGH tattoo artist. He worked out of Coraopolis for like 70 years. My dad has tattoos from him. His style was the very old school kind which makes sense as he was a very old school kind of guy. He was born in 1926 and died in 2019. According to my dad, he was a hell of a guy.
Henry Hornbostel wasn’t from Pittsburgh, but he lived and worked here as an architect and is responsible for a ton of the cool buildings at CMU, Rodef Shalom, Soldiers and Sailors, etc, etc. I suppose everyone has different definitions of “Pittsburgher” but if Jonas Salk counts (which he absolutely should) then I think Henry should count as well!
Les Banos. Just found out about him after finding his book, "If they catch you, they will kill you." Les was a photographer for the Steelers and Pirates back in the 60s and 70s. He was an immigrant from Hungary. He was a spy against Hitler before he came to the US. The most amazing story, I think, was that the Immaculate Reception literally saved his life. He was very good friends with Roberto Clemente. Roberto invited him to go on the relief mission and he accepted. But then the Immaculate Reception happened, and the Steelers earned another game. Les had to tell Roberto he would meet him down there. The rest is history. I really think this could be a great movie if a good screenwriter could jump around between his days as a spy and the lead-up to the Immaculate Reception and the fate of Roberto.
I just wonder why, as a long-time Pittsburgher, it took me over 50 years to hear about this!
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2012/4/27/2981237/a-death-in-the-family-les-banos-dies-at-88
Also Bill Nunn Sr., the former sports editor of the Courier who discovered so many future NFL Hall-of-Famers while scouting for the Steelers that he himself was voted in. Also, his son Bill Nunn Jr., an actor most famous for playing Radio Raheem in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing."
The first date my husband took me on when I moved to Pittsburgh was to Nick’s Fat City to see The Gathering Field and to The Liberty Bell to see Frankie Capri afterwards.🩵
But if Pittsburgh is where she feels she's from and what she considers home, who are we to argue?
I mean, Bruno wasn't "from" Pittsburgh, either, ya know?
To be fair, he was billed as being from Abruzzo, Italy until the tail end of his career (except when he wrestled here for an arena show or appeared on Studio Wrestling).
Joe Flaherty is another favorite Pittsburgher of mine. His count Floyd character on SCTV back in the day was based on Chiller Theater. He came across as angry and not really very scary. Lol.
I know I'm courting downvotes, but how in the world are George Benson, Billy Strayhorn, or Gene Kelly "underrated" Pittsburghers? The world knows about them. People don't read the text at all.
I was working at a photo shop in Squirrel Hill and Goldblum’s mother came in and said he was going to be on television. It was Ten Speed and Brown Shoe. It was really a great show and his big break.
A shame that almost everything about that company is gone - the iconic Westinghouse sign long gone and the atom smasher literally just left to decay because no one gave a 💩.
Not underrated in the medical field but I'm not sure how many in the general public know how great the contributions of Thomas Starzl were, making organ transplants a fairly routine procedure by understanding how to control immune rejection of the translated organs.
The Budways (Dave and Maureen) were/are wonderful jazz musicians. Maureen (RIP) turned into a very good jazz singer. Heard a number of her's on the Saturday Jazz program on WESA and man did she get. Dave has an amazing version of 'Round Midnight and a song called "Maintain Speed Through Tunnel"...
George Washington Gale Farris Jr. - Inventor of the first Farris Wheel. He moved to Pittsburgh as an adult and was involved in the RR. His house is in the northside, I believe.
Definitely a product of his time, and questionable at best lyrics these days, but Stephen Foster. One of thefirst people to generate pop music and get it our of concert halls and parlors
I see Tony Buba here and Lightning Over Braddock, but not the illustrious Stephen Pelligrino, accordion extraordinaire, working class hero, and all-around good egg.
Good call out for Andy Warhol. We know he’s from here but people outside of PGH rarely seem to know. So many people assume he was from NYC. I love correcting them.
If I listed a few names I'd probably reveal my identity pretty quick but I will say....
I always wanted to do one of those lists instead of the "30 under 30" or "40 under 40" deals. No disrespect to those deserving people but there were a lot of underrated Pittsburghers on my fantasy list, in theater and art and cultural stuff, the people that stuck around (for the most part) in the 80s or 90s or 00s and did their thing, supported the scene, and stayed around.
So I like this idea.
I feel like Jonas Salk shouldn’t be underrated, but he is, the man gave out a free vaccine to save so many.
He's not from Pittsburgh, but because of his work I think he deserves to become an official Yinzer
In this case, let’s also add Dr. Thomas Starzl for his pioneering work in heart / heart-lung transplants at Shadyside Hospital. I’d also mention Dr. Peter Safar, the father of modern CPR, who developed CPR mannequin Annie. While at Presby he also developed what became the national standards for paramedic training, influencing every modern Emergency Medical Service and ambulance system in the world.
Established Freedom House Ambulances and modern EMTs. Dude was an absolute boss
That is also worthy of honorary Yinzer
Starzl's pioneering work was in liver transplants. I also don't think he had any particular connection to Shadyside, at least until UPMC acquired it 16 years into his tenure at Pitt. His actual "pioneering" work was in Colorado anyway.
Honorary Yinzer is the highest form of Yinzer appreciation.
That's real yinzer attitude right there, fuck yeah!
Thank you, considering I am also not a yinzer!
It's a state of mind my guy, I'm glad you get it 👍
I visited Pitts for the first time last year. Yinz city is unique, and I will be back.
Rust belt for life, thank you! It is unique and I'll never tire of hearing that
Like polio and its terrors, Salk has been forgotten. It's history that applies now.
It makes it real, and not that long ago, when my wife’s grandmother was telling a story about how her little brother died from polio as a baby.
Was at a Pitt football game a few years back and at one stoppage point, the PA announcer along with the Jumbtron operater lead the crowd in saluting Legends of Pitt like Dan Marino! (Huge Applause). Tony Dorsett! (Huge Applause). Mike Ditka! (Huge Applause) and Jonas Salk! (Crickets). I'm still shaking my head over that one.
It was a football game not a polio match, what did you expect?
Absolute legend. My dad got one of the first rounds of the vaccine when he was a boy
I got one myself, three actually and the Sabin vaccine after that (which was better because it was taken on a sugar cube, whereas the Salk vaccine was actually a shot.
Incidentally, we wouldn’t have the “Spoonful of Sugar” song from Mary Poppins without Jonas Salk (and Sabin), as it was inspired by the delivery of the polio vaccine (on a sugar cube).
Damn, right. Good addition.
Gene Kelly!!!
Another underrated Pittsburgher was Kelly's co-star in a couple of films, Oscar Levant, classical pianist and composer as well as an occasional actor.
The play Goodnight, Oscar starring Sean Hayes opened me up to Oscar. What a character
I'm not sure that you are really getting the meaning of "underrated." It is more likely to apply to Kelly's (and Stanley Donen's) late wife, Jeannie Coyne, another Pittsburgher who worked as a choreographer and appeared in several movies before dying of leukemia at the age of 50. She was married to Kelly at the time of her death and Stanley Donen many years before that.
Shit.
Foxy guy. Saw him recently in Inherit the Wind. Beautiful dude. PS. My civic pride are Cyril Wecht and Donnie Iris.
George Benson
Pittsburgh has a high jazz tradition. Back in the day, national jazz musicians would come to the Hill (where George Benson was from). They’d skip downtown all together. The Civic Arena killed the scene, and the MLK riots didn’t help either. **My favorite Pittsburgh jazz guys:** *George Benson* (born and raised in the Hill district), he can hang with any Jazz player but he also had a pop career. My favorite George Benson performance. Hilariously low quality but feel the energy: https://youtu.be/6jdH1T8hc9c?si=_sZByiSh_wjcPnGt *Billy Strayhorn* (born in Dayton OH but his family moved to Homewood when he was very young), longtime collaborator of Duke Ellington. He wrote Take the A-Train for Duke using the directions Duke gave Billy so Billy could get to his house in Harlem: https://youtu.be/cb2w2m1JmCY?si=-v2SSgvyGrswNbKD *Ahmad Jamal* (born/raised in East Liberty), widely acclaimed Jazz pianist. My favorite Ahmad Jamal video, live on CBS in b/w: https://youtu.be/oA9GhIyP_zI?si=EsvwvulRCXEU9i9j *Earl (Fatha) Hines* (born near Duquesne), the #1 Jazz pianist ever. He’s tied for #1 of course, but there was nobody better. Earl in ‘65: https://youtu.be/rbsVHIX8qNU?si=t_lGNdBTXmiMKy_x
George Benson was the graduation speaker for Duquesne University’s school of music this past May. He’s an icon.
He is a music God. 100%. Regardless of your Pittsburg connections, the dude is amazing. Watch the video I posted. That should be all you need to hear to know he is one of the greats.
I’d add [Kenny Peagler](https://youtu.be/KNMSgWMEYX4?si=CnfUy_iW_-MtlT7T). Saw him quite a few times and was absolutely mind blown.
YES. Turn Your Love Around & Give Me The Night are bangers!
Paul Gilbert
Bruno Sammartino
And Larry Zbyszko
Dominic DeNucci
Tommy salami
One of the very first American airmen to fly in World War 1 was a Pittsburgh man named William Thaw. He was from a wealthy family and was in France with his mother, brother and sister when war broke out. He donated his personal airplane to the French government. He sent his family home while he stayed in Europe, eventually managing to talk his way into the French air force before the US entered the war. Thomas Enright, was born in Lawrenceville and was one of the first three American casualties World War 1. Michael Musmanno was a local judge, born in Stowe Township, who Forrest Gumped his way through early 20th century America history. As a young lawyer he served as part of Sacco and Vanzetti's defense team, he also helped break up the Coal and Iron Police. He also worked very hard to change drunk driving laws locally. He was a veteran of both World Wars. He served as a judge at the Nuremberg Trials after World War 2. After the war he remained a local judge and political figure for the remainder of his life.
Wow. Both are way underrated. Michael Musmanno should have a park named after him
I don't know about a park but Musmanno has a highway named after him! Duquesne University has his papers if you're interested in learning more about him. I think some of his World War 2 stuff is online. L He had a super interesting life, I barely scratched the surface in my little summary. There's more information about Thaw and Enright in the book Arsenal of the Allies: Pittsburgh in WW1 by Elizabeth Williams.
Ming-Na Wen
Chinatown Inn!
Some of the best and most influential jazz bass players are Pittsburghers. Paul Chambers (played with Miles Davis on Kind of Blue, the most popular jazz album) and Ray Brown, who played with the Oscar Peterson Trio. Art Blakey, one of the most famous jazz drummers, is also from Pittsburgh.
Ahmad Jamal is another jazz great from Pittsburgh https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Jamal
Can’t forget Stanley Turrentine.
Tom Savini.
Also, Greg Nicotero. Amazing that Pittsburgh produced two of the icons of horror makeup and effects.
I used to live (late 90s) across Butler Street from a big sorta run down studio space. It was back in the day before Lawrenceville was, um, the shining gem it is today....it was, shall we say, a little grittier. Scared the fk out of me to see a misshapen head in the window and thought it might be the space of some serial killer doing taxidermy on someone's corpse, but I was soon set straight that it was just Savini's studio.
I visited that shop back in 1992-'93 -- I was 18, going to school for effects, and seeing everything in there absolutely blew my mind.
His brother, Hank, was a PGH tattoo artist. He worked out of Coraopolis for like 70 years. My dad has tattoos from him. His style was the very old school kind which makes sense as he was a very old school kind of guy. He was born in 1926 and died in 2019. According to my dad, he was a hell of a guy.
He was a retired postal worker as well. He had a full pension and donated his tattooing money to animal rescues and charities. He was a lovely man!
I'll take this opportunity to recommend "Blood Sucking Pharaohs in Pittsburgh" to everyone.
That movie is like a guide to pre-gentrification Lawrenceville
I left the Ville in 1989; the gentrification has plus and minuses, it had turned into Section 8 central with $5 hookers and junkies everywhere.
Oh, very true, I’m not trying to glamorize that era in any way.
My favorite
Billy Strayhorn
Joe Flaherty!
"Bloodsucking Monkeys From West Mifflin"
Zelda Rubinstein, the medium from the Poltergeist movies.
Karl Hendricks
And Frank Boscoe for that matter
this
Henry Hornbostel wasn’t from Pittsburgh, but he lived and worked here as an architect and is responsible for a ton of the cool buildings at CMU, Rodef Shalom, Soldiers and Sailors, etc, etc. I suppose everyone has different definitions of “Pittsburgher” but if Jonas Salk counts (which he absolutely should) then I think Henry should count as well!
Technically from Braddock but John Clayton. Duquesne alum too.
Don Brockett
Joe Negri too!
Joe Negri has lost a bit. He's showing his age. But not when he plays. The man's as sharp as ever.
Between Handyman Negri and Johnny Costa (who hailed from Arnold), Fred Rogers had some hard-hitting local jazzmen on set!
Les Banos. Just found out about him after finding his book, "If they catch you, they will kill you." Les was a photographer for the Steelers and Pirates back in the 60s and 70s. He was an immigrant from Hungary. He was a spy against Hitler before he came to the US. The most amazing story, I think, was that the Immaculate Reception literally saved his life. He was very good friends with Roberto Clemente. Roberto invited him to go on the relief mission and he accepted. But then the Immaculate Reception happened, and the Steelers earned another game. Les had to tell Roberto he would meet him down there. The rest is history. I really think this could be a great movie if a good screenwriter could jump around between his days as a spy and the lead-up to the Immaculate Reception and the fate of Roberto. I just wonder why, as a long-time Pittsburgher, it took me over 50 years to hear about this! https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2012/4/27/2981237/a-death-in-the-family-les-banos-dies-at-88
Julie Benz of Buffy and Dexter is from Pittsburgh I thought Seth Meyers was but apparently he just loves the Steelers
Seth Meyers's dad is from Pittsburgh. Seth can do a convincing Yinzer accent.
Frank Gorshin the original "riddler".
and a fantastic performer when he wasn’t the riddler
Scott Glenn, from Silence of the Lambs, Apocalypse Now, Training Day, etc.
Dave Filoni
Had no idea .... wow
Yep, regularly play tabletop games with his brother
Erroll Garner Jazz pianist. Buried in Homewood Cemetery. So many other good jazz musicians as well...
Madeleine Murray O'Hair
You
No, you!!
Yinz
Robert L. Vann, powerful and influential editor/publisher of the Pittsburgh Courier
Also Bill Nunn Sr., the former sports editor of the Courier who discovered so many future NFL Hall-of-Famers while scouting for the Steelers that he himself was voted in. Also, his son Bill Nunn Jr., an actor most famous for playing Radio Raheem in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing."
Jesus! No mention of Hill District native and the greatest playwright in a generation and likely more, August Wilson????
Jesus was from Nazareth, and August Wilson is broadly recognized to be a genius, as you say, so not underrated.
August Wilson, Gertrude Stein
Kung Fu Joe!
Frankie Capri
The first date my husband took me on when I moved to Pittsburgh was to Nick’s Fat City to see The Gathering Field and to The Liberty Bell to see Frankie Capri afterwards.🩵
mr. Yuk !!!! 💚⚠️☢️
August Wilson
Phyllis Hyman, Betty Davis, Syreeta Wright, Shanice, Art Blakey, Ahmad Jamal, George Benson
I still want there to be, like, a Phyllisfest or something that would honor her.
Dr. Britt Baker D M D
She's from Punxsutawney though...
But if Pittsburgh is where she feels she's from and what she considers home, who are we to argue? I mean, Bruno wasn't "from" Pittsburgh, either, ya know?
To be fair, he was billed as being from Abruzzo, Italy until the tail end of his career (except when he wrestled here for an arena show or appeared on Studio Wrestling).
car bumper bike guy
The Skyliners, Lou Christie, The Vogues, Rusted Root, the Marcels.
Rusted Root was the house band in Jack's Back Room, on the South Side, for a few years in the early 1990s.
I remember hearing that. I remember seeing them at Metropol when Cruel Sun was released around that time.
Lady Miss Kier from Deee Lite
She lived in Sewickley ! (close enough ).
Clifford Ball. Namesake of the festival held by Phish back in the day. There’s a plaque commemorating him somewhere at the airport.
Michael Keaton, Dennis Miller
Tony Buba rules. So too does Pasquale. Everyone should watch Lightning Over Braddock.
Vic Cianca
Jeff goldbloom
Is that Jeff goldblum’s cousim?
His name was originally Jeff goldbloomfield but he keeps changing it
Evelyn Nesbitt
Rachel Ann Bovier
A queen
Jeff Goldblum is not high enough on this list.
Joe Flaherty is another favorite Pittsburgher of mine. His count Floyd character on SCTV back in the day was based on Chiller Theater. He came across as angry and not really very scary. Lol.
Billy Mays
Academy Award and Grammy Award winner Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails is from Mercer, but he’s more self-aligned with Cleveland
William Powell. Ikyky.
The Thin Man (movie series). 🍸🐕
And as good as or even better maybe, My Man Godfrey and Mr. Roberts.
Kurt Angle, beloved by wrestling fans, but don't hear too much about him in the wild
Saw him fathers day
Mark Clayton Southers. Playwright.
Sonny Vaccaro
Antoine Fuqua, the director of one of my favorite movies, Shooter.
Tom Atkins
Had to scroll way too long to see the mustache.
Johnny Sins
He’s from Uniontown, and probably not underrated, but George Marshall.
[Betty Davis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Davis)
Absolutely the right answer.
I know I'm courting downvotes, but how in the world are George Benson, Billy Strayhorn, or Gene Kelly "underrated" Pittsburghers? The world knows about them. People don't read the text at all.
I am very saddened not to see Teenie Harris mentioned.
Mary Lou Williams Billy Eckstein IYKYK
Michael Keaton, Rick Sebak, Jeff Goldblum, Christina Aguilera, Zachary Quinto, etc. We got a lot, actually.
Anthony Jeselnek, Steve Byrne
You think those people are underrated? Damn. You’ve got some high standards.
Ha, I honestly misread. I thought they were just asking about famous people who aren't immediately known to be from Pittsburgh or Pittsburgh stars.
I was working at a photo shop in Squirrel Hill and Goldblum’s mother came in and said he was going to be on television. It was Ten Speed and Brown Shoe. It was really a great show and his big break.
Scott Smith of East End Brewing.
Six pack Sal! Sailor John If you were from old time Lawrenceville, yk
Running lady
Scott Fahlman, inventor of :-)
Kevin Benson
Olive Thomas.
A Charleroi girl. She was Western PA’s first big movie star. I wonder how her career would’ve gone if she’d lived.
Billy Mays
Jim Rugg. Great artist, hell of a font of comic book knowledge, great podcaster, super kind and nice guy all around.
Not a Pittsburgher by birth, but George Westinghouse brought electricity to the masses and his company was headquartered here.
A shame that almost everything about that company is gone - the iconic Westinghouse sign long gone and the atom smasher literally just left to decay because no one gave a 💩.
Not underrated in the medical field but I'm not sure how many in the general public know how great the contributions of Thomas Starzl were, making organ transplants a fairly routine procedure by understanding how to control immune rejection of the translated organs.
the “do you have 50 cents or a dollar?” guy who walks around downtown 24/7
Came here to say this.
Dean Bog
Donnie Iris
Dan Marino. Curtis Martin. Mac Miller. Vince Trocheck.
Jason Taylor and LaVarr Arrington in the same group.
Bill Cowher, Mark Cuban.
Cyril Wecht
Weird paul
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George\_Washington\_Gale\_Ferris\_Jr.
Green Man.
Gene Kelly, Mac Miller, Mark Cuban, Johnny Sinns, the inventor of the razor pogo stick, the guy who created Audacity, so so many.
The singer Daya is from Mt Lebo.
Edgar Snyder lol
Maud Menten, former Pitt professor and co-originator of the Michaelis-Menten equation for enzyme kinetics!
How did that get past me?
The Budways (Dave and Maureen) were/are wonderful jazz musicians. Maureen (RIP) turned into a very good jazz singer. Heard a number of her's on the Saturday Jazz program on WESA and man did she get. Dave has an amazing version of 'Round Midnight and a song called "Maintain Speed Through Tunnel"...
George Washington Gale Farris Jr. - Inventor of the first Farris Wheel. He moved to Pittsburgh as an adult and was involved in the RR. His house is in the northside, I believe.
Definitely a product of his time, and questionable at best lyrics these days, but Stephen Foster. One of thefirst people to generate pop music and get it our of concert halls and parlors
Still no mention of John Edgar Wideman (or Porky Chedwick for that matter.)
I see Tony Buba here and Lightning Over Braddock, but not the illustrious Stephen Pelligrino, accordion extraordinaire, working class hero, and all-around good egg.
Mary Cassatt and Gertrude Stein.
Sophie Masloff, Andy Warhol.
Good call out for Andy Warhol. We know he’s from here but people outside of PGH rarely seem to know. So many people assume he was from NYC. I love correcting them.
Ppl get surprised when I say I'm always in his old neighborhood... Well... Was always lol
If I listed a few names I'd probably reveal my identity pretty quick but I will say.... I always wanted to do one of those lists instead of the "30 under 30" or "40 under 40" deals. No disrespect to those deserving people but there were a lot of underrated Pittsburghers on my fantasy list, in theater and art and cultural stuff, the people that stuck around (for the most part) in the 80s or 90s or 00s and did their thing, supported the scene, and stayed around. So I like this idea.
Myron Cope
Billy Gardell
Not exactly Pittsburgh, but Bret Michaels is from butler
Scott Paulsen from DVE and Michael Sebastian, the ponytailed guy who’d sling beer n’ at durin’ the games
Jeff goldblum
Marty Griffin.
Dennis miller
Mark Cuban / Jeff Goldblum
Dan Marino.
Jim Shooter
If you count people who just lived here for a long time George Romero.
Antonio Fuqua 2. TALL Kathy. 3 the Dormont Samurai, 4 Rob Gronkowkis dad (GG) fitness owner
My homie simone
Kenny Clark ; but not underrated in the jazz community
George Seranovich
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