Song: “Dancin’ Man”

Artist: Q

Album: Dancin’ Man

Year Released: 1977

Genre: Disco

Local Connection: Band formed in Pittsburgh in 1976

Did you know? Q was short lived and members went on to form Pure Gold and No Bad JuJu

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Genie in a Bottle”

Artist: Christina Aguilera

Album: Christina Aguilera

Year Released: 1999

Genre: Dance-Pop

Local Connection: Moved to Pittsburgh in 1986 at age 6

Did you know? Christina Aguilera’s debut, self-titled album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and she won Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Hassles”

Artist: Fresh Blueberry Pancake

Album: Heavy

Year Released: 1970

Genre: Proto-Metal

Local Connection: Formed in Pittsburgh in 1968

Did you know? Fresh Blueberry Pancake were a trio of teens who recorded their sole album as a demo mostly in one take, with no multi-tracking, overdubbing (except for a harmonica in one song), and no post-production

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Andrew”

Artist: Geri Allen

Album: The Printmakers

Year Released: 1984

Genre: Jazz

Local Connection: Completed a master’s degree in enthnomusicology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1982 and eventually became an associate professor of music and director of the Jazz Studies program there in 2013

Did you know? Geri Allen was awarded many accolades including the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2008, Soul Train’s Lady of Soul Award (first recipient) in 1995, and the Danish Jazzpar Prize (first woman recipient) in 1996

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Fall to Pieces”

Artist: Dinosoul

Album: Single Release

Year Released: 2021

Genre: Indie Rock

Local Connection: Formed in Pittsburgh in 2016

Did you know? Dinosoul duo/partners Donny Donovan and Carolyn Hilliard champion many causes that they truly connect with including the sober/sober curious movement, veganism for animal rights, and LGBTQIA+ rights

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love”

Artist: Melvin and Mervin Steals (The Spinners)

Album: Spinners

Year Released: 1972

Genre: Philadelphia Soul

Local Connection: Songwriters Melvin and Mervin Steals are twins who were born in Pittsburgh in 1946

Did you know? The Steals brothers went by their professional names, Mystro & Lyric

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Trapper Keeper”

Artist: Dopapod

Album: Redivider

Year Released: 2012

Genre: Jam Band

Local Connection: Last song played before a paying audience at the The Rex Theater before it prematurely shutdown due to the pandemic on March 7, 2020

Did you know? Dopapod was formed at Boston’s Berklee College of Music in 2008, as a duo with Eli Winderman and drummer Michelangelo Carubba

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Par Dieu! Une poupée aux yeux d’émail”

Artist: Mildred Miller (Jacques Offenbach)

Album: Les Contes d’Hoffmann

Year Released: 1955

Genre: Opera

Local Connection: Moved to Pittsburgh in 1967

Did you know? Mildred Miller established the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh (now called Pittsburgh Festival Opera) in 1978 along with Helen Knox and for many years she served as Artistic Director and a vocal coach for the company

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Arara Yemonya”

Artist: Madeleine Yayodele Nelson (Women of the Calabash

Album: The Kwanzaa Album

Year Released: 1998

Genre: Afro-Beat

Local Connection: Born in Pittsburgh in 1948

Did you know? Madeleine Yayodele Nelson was an American percussionist and composer who specialized in playing the West African shekere and also played the djembe drum, the mbira thumb piano and the calabash

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “It Grows, Grows, Grows”

Artist: Marrin Lewis

Album: No More Comic Relief

Year Released: 2020

Genre: Experimental

Local Connection: Born and raised in Pittsburgh

Did you know? Marrin Lewis produces everything heard on his music himself, in one room… the very definition of ‘bedroom pop’

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Can U Feel It?”

Artist: Vaig

Album: True to My Word

Year Released: 2012

Genre: Hi-Hop

Local Connection: Resides in Pittsburgh

Did you know? Vaig’s music hit #1 in heavy rotation on San Jose’s 90.5 and has been featured on AllHipHop.com, DJ Booth, RepPittsburghHipHop.com, The UK’s Niji Magazine, HipHop Café

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Venus in Furs”

Artist: Andy Warhol (The Velvet Underground)

Album: The Velvet Underground & Nico

Year Released: 1967

Genre: Drone Rock

Local Connection: Born in Pittsburgh in 1928

Did you know? Andy Warhol was credited as a co-producer on the album (with Tom Wilson) but besides designing the groundbreaking cover art, bringing together the Velvets and Nico, and paying for the recording sessions, his contribution to the music was minimal at best. According to John Cale, Warhol came to the studio a couple times and either said nothing or “Oooh, that’s fantastic!”

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “The Late, Late Show”

Artist: Dakota Staton

Album: The Late, Late Show

Year Released: 1957

Genre: Jazz

Local Connection: Born in Pittsburgh in 1930

Did you know? Dakota Staton’s debut album The Late, Late Show was a #4 chart hit, unusual at the time for a Jazz record which usually had more moderate chart positions

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Lone Hunter”

Artist: Lady Beast

Album: Vicious Breed

Year Released: 2017

Genre: Heavy Metal

Local Connection: Band formed in Pittsburgh in 2009

Did you know? Lady Beast are the organizers of the Metal Immortal Music Festival which will return for a second year this June

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Different”

Artist: Mae Scott

Album: Single Release

Year Released: 2021

Genre: Hip-Hop

Local Connection: Born and resides in Pittsburgh

Did you know? Mae Scott (aka Mae Majesty) is a songwriter, MC, and producer of pop, hip-hop and R&B who has created her own eponymous record label

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “I Second That Emotion”

Artist: Al Cleveland (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles)

Album: 45 RPM Single Release

Year Released: 1967

Genre: Soul

Local Connection: Born in Pittsburgh in 1930

Did you know? Al Cleveland co-wrote many Motown classic songs including “Dinah” for The Temptations and “What’s Going On” with Marvin Gaye

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “The Continental”

Artist: Herb Magidson (Fred Astaire

Album: The Gay Divorcee

Year Released: 1934

Genre: Swing

Local Connection: Born in Pittsburgh in 1906

Did you know? Herb Magidson won the first Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1934 for his lyrics to “The Continental”, used in film The Gay Divorcee

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Just Feel Right”

Artist: Sarah Marince

Album: You’re My Summertime EP

Year Released: 2008

Genre: Country

Local Connection: Born in Pittsburgh in 1990

Did you know? Sarah Marince relocated to Orlando, FL and began doing radio, television and voiceover work. She has done commercial work for Disney, Wal-Mart, Nestle, Gaylord Palms Resort, Florida Hospital and modeling work for the NFL and MLB

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Ball Out”

Artist: S!MONE

Album: Divine Mistakes

Year Released: 2021

Genre: R&B

Local Connection: Graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2021

Did you know? S!MONE (Simone Joy Jones) is currently playing Lisa in Bel-Air, a dramatic retelling of the story of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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Song: “Beautiful Love”

Artist: J.C. Moses (Kenny Dorham Quintet)

Album: Matador

Year Released: 1962

Genre: Jazz

Local Connection: Born in Pittsburgh in 1936

Did you know? Percussionist J.C. Moses moved to Copenhagen around 1969, where he was house drummer at the Montmartre Club, playing with Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon among others

PittSongs is a non-chronological history of Pittsburgh music

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