Pete Hewlett is a world-class singer who happens to make Pittsburgh his home. His name may not be as readily recognizable as Joe Grushecky, Donnie Iris or B.E. Taylor, but that’s because he was on the road recording and touring with Billy Joel, Carly Simon, Joe Jackson, Julian Lennon, Amy Grant, Eric Carmen.. to name a few.
Pete got his first recording contract when he was 16 years old. His band, "Peter’s Pipers", won a Battle of the Bands contest at West View Park. That sent them onto the National finals (they came in 6th), and that got them a deal with Phillips Mercury records.
Then came a new band, "Sweet Lightning", and the attention of RCA records. Next – a move to Cleveland where Pete recorded with Eric Carmen (of The Raspberries), then joined the "Euclid Beach Band".
But the real turning point came two years later when Hewlett’s former "Sweet Lightning" band mate Syd McGuinness (David Letterman’s guitarist) recommended Pete to Carly Simon, who was looking for a new back-up singer. Pete got the job, moved to New York, recorded "Come Upstairs" and headed out on tour with Simon.
While in New York, Hewlett hooked up with drummer Michael Shrieve (Santana) and formed "Novo Combo". They were signed to Polygram and put out two albums. Music reviewer George Thatcher said, "The songs which stand out for me are the ones in which Pete Hewlett sings." Novo Combo toured with The Who, Cheap Trick, Greg Lake and performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival.
And then.. Billy Joel came calling. Hewlett hit the road with Joel for the "Innocent Man" and "The Bridge" world tours. Then came the tour that made International News: Billy Joel would bring a fully-staged rock production to the Soviet Union as part of the Reagan-Gorbachev 1985 Geneva summit. Hewlett performed with Joel in Moscow and Leningrad – and made history as part of the first live rock radio broadcast in Soviet history, which was also simulcast in the United States. The live double-album, Kohuept (translation: 'In Concert'), chronicled the trip.
Back in the States, Hewlett recorded the "Starlight Express" Broadway soundtrack, Joe Jackson’s "Big World" recording and U.S. Concert Tour, Julian Lennon’s "Secret Value of Day Dreaming" album & Amy Grant’s 1997 World Leader Summit performance. His voice has also been featured on national commercials including Burger King, Miller Beer, Lipton Tea, Slice & McDonalds.
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Scott Anderson is an Emmy Award-winning composer, music director, producer, and one of the Pittsburgh region's most sought-after keyboard players.
Scott received an Emmy award in 2006 for his work composing the score for the award-winning documentary "From Pittsburgh to Poland: Lessons from The Holocaust." In 2007 he won BOTH an Emmy and a Telly award for his work as music director and co-producer of "Live From Studio A: American Standards." Scott was also nominated for Emmy awards in 2003 and 2004 for his work as Music Director of WQED’s “Live From Studio A” television show. He was the organist for the Pittsburgh Penguins and a member of the Penguin’s house band, The Blue Line Band, for three years.
Scott’s musical diversity is what propelled him to preferred status as a keyboard player for the region’s top performers, including Joe Negri, Maureen Budway, HB Bennett, Eric DeFade, Lisa Bleil, Pete Hewlett, Chizmo Charles, Billy Price, Kenny Blake, Benny Benack and on and on. He can go from Jazz to Big Band to straight-ahead Rock & Roll without missing a beat.
His own current projects include playing keyboards, singing and writing songs for the Hewlett-Anderson band. He is also the Keyboardist and Music director for Cityscape.
And here’s and interesting bit of pop culture trivia: Scott was the Keyboardist & Musical Director of The Vogues from 1989-1995!
He’s played with a number of National artists including The Temptations, The Drifters, Bo Diddley, The Coasters, Ronnie Specter, Lou Christie, Leslie Gore, The Shirelles, Little Anthony, Sam Moore (Sam & Dave), Peter Noone, Barbara Lewis, Frankie Ford, Len Barry, Bryan Hyland, Tommy Roe, The Crystals & Jay and the Americans.
He’s also played with some top National Jazz artists including Claudio Roditi, Jerry Niewood and Marvin Stamm.
As far as regional bands – Scott has played with Modern Times, The Late Edition, The Sleaze, Up Front, Ice Cream Headache, The Balcony Big Band, Jazz for Juniors & The Benny Benack Band.
Scott is a graduate of the Duquesne University School of Music.
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