Bucky Pizzarelli

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John Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli (born January 9, 1926) is an American jazz guitarist.

He is the father of jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli and Martin Pizzarelli, as well as double bassist Martin Pizzarelli.

He worked with NBC as a stenographer for Dick Cavett (1971) and ABC (1952), and ABC with Bobby Rosengarden (1952).

Benny Goodman, Les Paul, Stéphane Grappelli, and Antônio Carlos Jobim are among the musicians with whom he has collaborated.

Django Reinhardt, Freddie Green, and George Van Eps are among Pizzarelli's influences.

Early life

Pizzarelli was born in Paterson, New Jersey, United States, on January 9, 1926. At a young age, he learned to play guitar and banjo. Pete and Bobby Domenick, uncles, were professional musicians, and more often the extended family would gather at one of their homes with their guitars for jam sessions. Joe Mooney, a blind accordion player, was cited as a source by Pizzarelli. Mooney starred in a quartet that featured Pizzarelli's uncle, Bobby Domenick. Pizzarelli, a high school guitarist, appeared in a tiny band that played classical music.

Personal life and death

Ruth (née Litchult) was married in 1954 by Pizzarelli. John is a jazz guitarist and singer, and his son Martin is a professional bassist who has performed with his father and brother. Mary is a classical guitarist who appeared on her father's third album as a leader, Green Guitar Blues, as well as other recordings. Jessica Molaskey, Pizzarelli's wife, appeared on three albums of his daughter-in-law (John's wife). He died on April 1, 2020, owing to COVID-19's complications.

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Career

Pizzarelli began his professional career in 1994 when he joined the Vaughn Monroe dance band.

He made his first appearance outside of Joe Mooney's Monroe orchestra in 1951.

Pizzarelli played with Skitch Henderson in 1952 and became a staff singer for NBC. He appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1964. During his time on the Tonight Show, he accompanied guest bands and musicians performing in a variety of musical styles, including playing with Tiny Tim (after tuning the singer's ukulele) on the day Tiny Tim married Miss Vicki on Carson's show.

Pizzarelli performed with the Three Suns pop music trio from 1956 to 1957. "Johnny Buck" was used on the stage from 1956 to 1957. During the following year, he and guitarist George Barnes formed a duo and released two albums, including a live performance at The Town Hall in New York City in August 1971. He began recording in the 1970s as a leader, in the process of releasing a number of tributes to 1930s musicians. He toured with Benny Goodman before his death in 1986. He appeared with Benny Goodman at the White House in Washington, D.C., and he performed for president Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and First Lady Pat Nixon.

The name of a 1985 concert at the Rutgers University Nicholas Music Center in New Brunswick, New Jersey, was "Jersey Jazz Guitars." The ticket included Pizzarelli, Les Paul, Tal Farlow, and Pizzarelli's son, John. As part of the three-part New Jersey Summerfare Series, the concert was broadcast on New Jersey's public radio station. Les Paul and Pizzarelli had performed together before, as neighbors and acquaintances. In August 1985, the show aired for one hour, with son John adding his vocals to two picks.

Pizzarelli continued to perform into his 90s after a stroke in 2016, and officially retired after a brief meeting with Michael Feinstein in 2018. He died of COVID-19 in Saddle River, New Jersey, on April 1, 2020. In recent years, he had been suffering from multiple health disorders.

Pizzarelli's first guitar, an expensive piece at the time, was an archtop Gibson. Since his first professional position with Vaughn Monroe, he adored 1930s and 1940s Epiphone DeLuxe models and used them throughout his career for six-string, rhythm guitar work, as shown on his 2007 album "Five For Freddie: Bucky Pizzarelli's Tribute To Freddie Green." In 1969, George Van Eps started playing the seven-string guitar, inspired by him. He owned and used a number of guitars in later years, but he was most seen playing a Benedetto Bucky Pizzarelli Signature by Robert Benedetto, who also makes guitars for Howard Alden and Frank Vignola. During performances, Pizzarelli's guitar came with a bass line. Pizzarelli also played a custom seven-string American archtop guitar made by luthier Dale Unger, who also makes custom guitars for Pizzarelli's partner, Ed Laub.

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Awards and honors

• Lifetime Achievement Award, MAC Awards, 2002
• Jazz Wall of Fame, ASCAP, 2005
• New Jersey Hall of Fame, 2011