My Musical Pittsburgh Childhood

In memory of Joe Negri

Pittsburgh skyline photo by Bobak Ha’Eri, August 2004, CC BY-SA 2.5. Inset photo of Pax playing piano in their childhood home by Ziggy, November 2009.

Note: No AI assistance was used to write this article.

My hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was home to a beloved staple of 20th-century children’s television, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Last week, the city lost a very special neighbor, Joe Negri, the celebrated local jazz guitarist and music teacher who portrayed “Handyman Negri” on the show for over 30 years.

In addition to his music making and work with Fred Rogers, Joe served as music director for local ABC affiliate WTAE for over 20 years. For part of that time, he hosted a teen talk show called “No Kidding”. Each summer, the show did a feature on a music and arts day camp I attended at Chatham College (now Chatham University). I appeared on the show several times, as did my mother, who taught music at the camp.

Remembering this time made me think about all the music and theater activities I engaged in during my middle and high school years in the 1980s. By this time, Pittsburgh had evolved from its industrial, “Steel City” roots, and had a vibrant arts…