"Pittsburgh is one of the most important cities in the world for music and musicians. There are very few cities that have produced music like Pittsburgh. Very few. Billy Strayhorn is from Pittsburgh. He wrote "Lush Life" when he was 16 years old, that is the kind of talent we had coming out of Pittsburgh. Everyone from Pittsburgh has been influential to the music world. From Art Blakey to Kenny Clarke to Roy Eldridge, to Mary Lou Williams, myself, Errol Garner, he also started playing at 3. Dodo Mamarosa, whom the world has forgotten. George Benson, Stanley Turrentine. All of those are from Pittsburgh. On the other end of the spectrum you have Oscar Levant, Earl Wild. When Andre Previn had the choice to conduct the London or the Pittsburgh symphony, he chose Pittsburgh. We have a very powerful statement musically from that town. Very powerful. It still remains so."

The Hill District was the cross roads of the world where many of the definitive players, singers, and arrangers in Jazz history learned their craft including Earl Hines, Roy Eldridge, Kenny Clark, Ray Brown, Art Blakey, Stanely Turrintine, Maxine Sullivan, Lena Horne, Dakota Staton, Dodo Marmaroso, Billy Eckstine, Eddie Jefferson, Billy Strayhorn, Mary Lou Williams, Joe Pass, George Benson, Errol Garner, Ahmad Jamal, Billy May, and Sammy Nestico.

Jazz Innovators

Pittsburgh jazz musicians were founders of the Be Bop, Hard Bob, and Vocalese styles of jazz. Earl Hines is credited as the originator of modern jazz piano. Roy Eldridge is heralded as one of the all time great trumpeters in the history of jazz. Kenny Clarke invented modern jazz drumming. Ray Brown is the master bassist of Jazz. Maxine Sullivan created an innovative style of Jazz singing.

Several Pittsburgher musicians are among the top selling  recording artists of all time.  Between 1943 and 1974, Perry Como had 150 hit songs and won five Emmy awards.  Over a 50-year career, Perry’s total record sales topped 100 million.  

Also selling over 100 million records were Steubenville’s singer Dean Martin along with Tommy James and the Shondels with Pittsburgh members Mike Vale and Ronnie Roman.  Canonsburg’s Bobby Vinton sold 75 million.  *Nsync founded by Clarion’s Chris Kirkpatrick had sales of 56 million and Christina Aguilera has sold over 50 million records. Bret Michaels as a member of Poison has sold over 30 million records.  Wiz Khalifa has over 5 million records.

Pittsburgh was a key city in the development and promotion of Doo Wop and 1960s vocal group music. Scoring many hit records were the the Marcels, The Skyliners, the Del Vikings, Lou Christie, Bobby Vinton, the Vogues, the Lettermen aling with other artists. D.Js Porky Chedwick, Mary Dee, and Jay Michael were among the 1st in the country to air Doo Wop, R&B, and Rock. The Robee, Fee Bee, Co & Co, Calico, and World Artist record labels produced and promoted definitive recordings of the era. DJ dance promoters Bob Mack and Terry Lee drew thousands of teens to their weekly dance hops.

Outstanding Pittsburgh instrumentalists have been members of the bands of John Lennon, David Bowie, Sting, David Bryne, Jefferson Airplane, Frank Zappa, Match Box 20, Billy Joel, Prince, the Fountains of Wayne, the Brian Setzer Orchestra, the Dave Letterman Show Band, Carly Simon, Hot Tuna, John Mayhall and others.

The concert halls and clubs where generations of Pittsburghers enjoyed great performances. Read the stories of the Stanley Theater, Syria Mosque, the Decade, Grafitti, Morry's Speakeasy, Moondog's, the Electric Banana, Mancini's, the Leona Theater, Danceland, the Staircase, Fat City, the Crawford Grill, the Hurricane and MCG Jazz.

Commerical broarcast radio was born in Pittsburgh with the launch of KDKA radio in 1922,  The story of the birth of commercial radio and live music broadcasts at KDKA, KQV and WCAE. The stories of Pittsburgh's influential pioneering rock and Doo Wop DJs like Porky Chedwick, Mary Dee, Jay Michael, Clark Race, Bob Mack, Terry Lee, Mad Mike, Sterling Yates, Bill Powell, Bob Livorio, Jimmy and Steve, and Herschel.

Singing superstars of Pop and R&B who hail from Pittsburgh are Christine Aguilera, Jackie Evancho, Phyliss Hyman, Dean Martin, Perry Como, and Chris Kirkpatrick of N'Sync, Bobby Vinton, Chuck Jackson, Shirely Jones, Vaughn Monore, Shanice, and Adam Wade.

Pittsburgh is an up and coming center for Hip Hop and electronic mash up music with stars like Wiz Kahlifa, Mac Miller, Girl Talk, and TV on the Radio.. 

A dozen composers, arrangers, and lyricists from Pittsburgh dominated the movie and television industry from the 1912 through the 2000s. Joseph Breil, Charles Wakefield Cadman, Leo Robin, Herb Magidson, Jay Livingston, Henry Mancini, James Fielding, Billy May, Sammy Nestico, Jay Chattaway, and Trent Reznor scored award winning music for hundreds of movies and television shows. Joe Breil is considered the “Father of Movie Music” as he wrote the first ever movie music. The themes songs of Pink Panther, Peter Gunn, Hogan’s Heroes, Naked City, McHale’s’ Navy, Bonanza, Mr. Ed, the Mod Squad, Emergency, Star Trek the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and more were written by these Pittsburghers. Henry Mancini, nominated 74 times for a Grammy, won 20. These musical masters also were arrangers and composers for the big bands and for stars such as Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

Pittsburgh has had the Blues since the 1920s when Pine Top Smith originated the Boogie Woogie and played with Ma Rainey.  Bluesman from Pittsburgh include Papa John Creach, Louisana Red, Ernie Hawkins, Tim Woods, Jimmy Thackery, Tim Woods, Billy Price, Chizmo Charles, Bub McKeg, Barbara Blue, guitar Zack and Tony JanFloner Jr.

In the realm of classical music two of the greatest pianist of the 20th century ares from Pittsburgh: Earl Wild and Byron Janis. Pittsburgh has also produced the world renown classical artists including conductors Lorin Maazel and Antonio Modarelli, pianist Oscar Levant, pianist Norman Frauenheim, opera stars Louise Homer,Florence Wickham, Herva Nelli, and Nan Merriman, and composers Adolph Martin Foester and Anna Priscilla Rischer.  The Pittsburgh Symphony is ranked one of the top symphonies in the United States.Ahmad Jamal on Pittsburgh Music - All About Jazz January, 2002

Pittsburgh musicians have been honored with  induction into national music halls of fame along with awards of Grammys, Oscars, Emmys, Tonts and Gold, Platinum, and Diamond records.  The first ever Oscar award for best song and the first ever Grammy award for album of the year were won by Pittsburgher song writers.  The first ever Gold Record and Gold Albums were awarded to Pittsburghers.  Pittsburgh musicians have scored dozens of Top Ten Billboard Hit Records.

Song Writers Hall of Fame Members

Stephen Foster, Ethelbert Nevin, Jay Livingston, Herb Magidson, Henry Mancini, Leo Robin, and Gerome Ragni. 

  Grammy Hall of Fame Honorees             

Twenty recordings that were written by or performed by or produced by Pittsburghers are included in the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Henry Mancini, Errol Garner, Pine Top Smith, Perry Como, Jay Livingston, Art Blakey, George Benson, Gerome Ragni, Dean Martin, Earl Hines, and Leo Robins are in the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Grammy Life Time Achievement and  Trustee Honorees

Art Blakey, Perry Como, Henry Mancini, Billy Strayhorn, Alan Livingston, Lena Horne, and Bob Babbitt as a member of the Funk Brothers

Kennedy Center Honorees

Perry Como. Gene Kelly, Lena Horne, Andre Previn

NEA Jazz Masters

Roy Eldridge, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Ray Brown, George Benson, Ahmad Jamal

Big Band Hall of Fame Members

Billy Strayhorn, Ray Brown, Roy Eldridge, Kenny Clarke, J.J. Johnson, Earl Hines, Art Blakey, and Mary Lou Williams. 

Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame Members

Billy Strayhorn, Earl Hines, Billy Eckstine, Roy Eldridge, Sammy Nestico, Maxine Sullivan, Joe Pass, Erroll Garner, Kenny Clarke, Mary Lou Williams, and Perry Como.  

Vocal Group Hall of Fame Members

 The Skyliners, the Marcels, the Del Vikings, the Vogues, the Swan Silvertones and the Lettermen.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Member and B;ues Hall of Fame

Art Rupe

Tony Awards

Billy Porter