Music of Pennsylvania

The Music of Pennsylvania tells the story of sound and song from long before the United States was even a country, all the way up to today. Pennsylvania has given the world many famous musicians and even whole new kinds of music.

In the 1970s, a special kind of soul music called the Philly sound came from the city of Philadelphia. Big names like Gamble and Huff, The O'Jays, and Teddy Pendergrass helped make this sound famous. Philadelphia was also home to wonderful singers such as Marian Anderson and Chubby Checker. The city even created a famous TV dance show called American Bandstand.

Long before the American Revolution, Philadelphia was already a place where music grew. Famous people like Francis Hopkinson, who helped sign the Declaration of Independence, wrote songs. In the 1800s, Stephen Foster, one of America’s most popular songwriters, was born in Pittsburgh. Many community bands also started in Pennsylvania during this time.

21st century

In the 21st century, Pennsylvania has been home to many famous musicians and bands. Some of these include Amish Outlaws from Lancaster, a fun cover band, and Breaking Benjamin, a hard rock group from Wilkes-Barre. Other notable names are Halestorm, a hard rock band that won a Grammy from Red Lion, and P!nk, a popular rock singer from Doylestown who has had big hits like "Raise Your Glass". Taylor Swift, a well-known country singer, also started her career in Wyomissing.

20th century

1990s

• Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor is from Mercer, and Nine Inch Nails former drummer and programmer Chris Vrenna is from Erie.
• Live, who achieved commercial success with their second album Throwing Copper, are from York.
• Fuel, despite forming in Henderson, Tennessee, moved to Harrisburg in 1994, where they were eventually signed.
• Acoustic-pop singer Jeffrey Gaines is from Harrisburg.
• The alternative band, The Ocean Blue formed in Hershey.
• Death metal band Incantation are from Johnstown.
• The Clarks, a rock/pop band who achieved major success in the 1990s with the songs "Born too late", "Penny on the floor", "Cigarette", "Better Off", formed at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana.
• Rusted Root, a jam band who has also had a prolific music career with the songs "Send Me on My Way", "Ecstasy", "Heaven", and "Free my soul", are from Pittsburgh.
• Train lead singer Patrick Monahan from Erie co-wrote the song "Drops of Jupiter", which won two Grammy Awards in 2002.
• G. Love and Special Sauce, who has had a string of successes with songs like "Stepping Stone" and "Recipe", is from Philadelphia.
• Bloodhound Gang, Cinderella, and Britny Fox are both from suburban Philadelphia.
• Ween is from New Hope.
• Christina Aguilera, from suburban Pittsburgh, had five #1 Hot 100 hits, including "Genie in a Bottle" in 1999.

1980s

• Hall & Oates are from Philadelphia and attended Temple University. They had six #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including "Maneater" in 1982. Todd Rundgren hails from the Philadelphia suburb of Upper Darby Township, which is also home of the world-famous Tower Theater.
• Probably best known for his 1984 hit "I Can Dream About You", Harrisburg native Dan Hartman began his career in the 60's and became a well known performer, songwriter, and producer. Including writing the song "Living in America" for James Brown from the movie Rocky IV.
• The Vogues from the Turtle Creek, near Pittsburgh, scored with the hit "Five O'Clock World" and several other hits. The Jaggerz, named after a Pittsburgh English term for goofing off, had a hit in 1970 with "The Rapper"
• Pittsburgh's Iron City Houserockers, kicked off the decade with immense critical acclaim for their first three albums (Love's So Tough, Have a Good Time But Get Out Alive and Blood On The Bricks). Associated with the heartland rock subgenre and with artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, John Mellencamp, and Tom Petty, the Houserockers were regarded by many as both grittier and more kinetic. Although commercial success eluded the group, leader Joe Grushecky and the later incarnation of the band remain popular regional artists. In the Houserockers' wake came a number of other Pittsburgh area bands, including Norman Nardini and the Tigers, whose minor hit "If You Don't Love Me (Someone Will)" put the band briefly on the pop map. More recent entries in the heartland rock scene (sometimes counted as Grushecky protégés) include Bill Toms and Hard Rain and Tom Breiding who have strong local followings.
• Donnie Iris, a former member of The Jaggerz from Ellwood City, had national success in 1980 with "Ah! Leah!", "Love Is Like a Rock", and a string of subsequent minor hits from 1980 to 1984.
• The Stabilizers from Erie were a duo with sessions players for touring. They released a full album with many memorable songs. The song "One Simple Thing" went to number 21. The song "Tyranny" with hard hitting lyrics on how governments control their people had a lot of radio play but failed to chart. The song had two different versions that both got airplay. "Sounds Of The Underground" was never released as a single but was played by many local fans.
• The Cynics were a garage rock band formed in Pittsburgh in 1983. They started their own label, Get Hip Records.
• The Hooters, from Philadelphia, broke into nationwide attention when they became the opening band at Live Aid, where they performed "All You Zombies," which soon after became their first hit single. The album Nervous Night followed with several more major hits like "And We Danced" and "Day By Day" in 1985 and 1986.
• Hair metal band Poison are from Mechanicsburg. They had a #1 Hot 100 hit with "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" in 1988.
• Tammi Terrell ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough") was from Philadelphia and attended the University of Pennsylvania.
• Philly Soul became a staple of 1970s R&B with such Pennsylvania artists as Gamble and Huff, The O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and The Delfonics. The female-singing group, Labelle, led by Philadelphia's Patti LaBelle, had a #1 Hot 100 hit with "Lady Marmalade" in 1974. This song was covered in 2001 by Christina Aguilera and Pink (singer), both Pennsylvania natives, and by Lil' Kim, which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1972, Billy Paul from Philadelphia had a No. 1 hit with "Me and Mrs. Jones".
• Violinist Papa John Creach, who played with Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, was born in Beaver Falls.
• In 1979, The Sharks were formed in Lancaster. In 1985, they won an MTV Basement Tapes competition.
• Formed in 1964, Harrisburg-based The Magnificent Men, became the only white act to ever headline New York City's legendary Apollo Theatre and the other major stops on the rhythm and blues Chitlin' Circuit. In 1967, they backed up James Brown as he filled in for an absent headliner. Despite the last minute nature of the arrangement, Brown was floored by the band's dexterity. The following year, in 1968, they became the only outside group to play on a stage with the Motortown Revue at a show in Cleveland.
• Artist Andy Warhol, born in Pittsburgh, produced many record covers, including album art for The Velvet Underground and The Rolling Stones.

1950s

• Jimmy Preston, from Chester, released "Rock the Joint" in 1949.
• Lee Andrews & the Hearts were a doo-wop quintet formed in Philadelphia in 1953.
• Bill Haley & His Comets from Chester had a #1 hit with "Rock Around the Clock" in 1955. This was a number-one single in the U.S. and was the first successful rock and roll song.
• The Skyliners were a doo-wop group formed in Pittsburgh in 1958.

Punk rock

Philadelphia has a lively music scene with many different kinds of bands. Some of these include The Vels, Regressive Aid, and Electric Love Muffin. Later, bands like The Dead Milkmen from Philadelphia became well-known around the country. In Pittsburgh, the band Aus-Rotten is well-known, and Flag of Democracy from Ambler has released many albums and traveled the world. The pop-punk band The Wonder Years comes from Landsdale.

Other bands include Anti-Flag from Pittsburgh and August Burns Red and Texas in July from the Lancaster area. The punk rock band The Menzingers is from Scranton. Erik Petersen, a singer from Philadelphia, wrote a song called "Pennsyltucky" about the region.

Hip hop, R&B, and neo soul

Hip hop music, R&B music, and neo soul music are very popular in Pennsylvania.

Will Smith and his hip-hop partner Jazzy Jeff, known as DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, are from West Philadelphia. Smith had three songs that were the most popular, including "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" and "Wild Wild West".

Boyz II Men, a smooth R&B group from the 1990s, are also from Philadelphia. They had four songs that were the most popular, including "End of the Road", "I'll Make Love to You", and "On Bended Knee". Their song "Motownphilly" celebrates Philadelphia.

Other modern artists from Philadelphia include Jill Scott, The Roots, Eve, Cassidy, Chiddy Bang, Da Youngsta's, Tuff Crew, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Jedi Mind Tricks, Lil Uzi Vert, Meek Mill, Ms. Jade, Reef the Lost Cauze, Schoolly D, The High & Mighty, Young Gunz, and 2rare

Rappers Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa are from Pittsburgh. Mac Miller had an album that was the most popular in 2011 called Blue Slide Park. Khalifa had two very popular songs, "Black and Yellow", about growing up in Pittsburgh, and "See You Again".

Rapper Asher Roth is from Morrisville.

Blues

Blues singer Gladys Bentley was born in Philadelphia during a time called the Harlem Renaissance.

Samuel Charters, who was born in Pittsburgh, was a writer and music expert who told stories about blues and jazz music. He wrote a famous book called The Country Blues.

Jazz

Pennsylvania has a rich history of jazz music, especially in Philadelphia. Famous jazz musicians from there include Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, and John Coltrane. Many other talented jazz players also came from Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh has also produced famous jazz musicians, such as pianist Erroll Garner and drummer Art Blakey. The Hill District in Pittsburgh was a key place for jazz from the 1920s to the 1950s, with popular clubs like the Crawford Grill. Jazz musicians have come from many towns across Pennsylvania, making the state an important place for jazz.

Folk

Pennsylvania, where Appalachia, the Eastern Seaboard, and the Midwest meet, has a long history of folk music that shares influences with many parts of the country. Famous folk musicians from Pennsylvania include Robert Schmertz, who wrote many songs that other artists performed in the 1960s. George Britton sang for many years and loved sharing the music from his mother's Pennsylvania Dutch background. Buster Red was a singer during tough times who often wrote about places in Pennsylvania. Jim Croce, one of the most well-known folk singers of the 1970s, was born and grew up in Pennsylvania and worked at WXVU while he was in college.

Indigenous music

Main article: Indigenous music of North America § Eastern Woodlands

Pennsylvania has a long history of music that goes back to before European settlers arrived. Many Indigenous groups lived in the area and had their own special ways of making and enjoying music. These traditions helped shape the music that came later.

History

Main article: Music history of the United States during the colonial era

During the colonial era, the Province of Pennsylvania was home to the Quakers, Moravians, and Lutherans. The Protestant churches used music a lot in their worship. Famous musicians like Johann Sebastian Bach and Johann Pachelbel had their music played in places like present-day Bethlehem.

The Ephrata Cloister was founded in 1720 in what is now Lancaster County. This group, led by Conrad Beissel, used music in their worship and created their own special ways to make music. They had many hymns and even played instruments like the violin.

In the early 1800s, a group called the Harmony Society came from Germany and settled in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Music was very important to them, and they wrote their own songs and had an orchestra.

The Mennonites also settled in Pennsylvania and used music in their worship. They had special hymnbooks that they printed in Germantown, which is part of Philadelphia today.

The Moravian Church was founded long ago and later came to Pennsylvania. They loved music and used it in many of their ceremonies. They played instruments like organs and trombones, often on rooftops so everyone could hear. They also wrote many hymns and even translated some into the Delaware language. One famous Moravian musician was Johann Friedrich Peter, who brought many beautiful compositions to Pennsylvania.

Main article: Ephrata Cloister

Main article: Harmony Society

Main article: Mennonite

Main article: Moravian music

Main article: Pietism

Classical composers

Pennsylvania has been home to many talented musicians. Early composers from the state include Arthur Nevin from Edgeworth and Charles Wakefield Cadman from Johnstown. Other famous composers born in Pennsylvania are Samuel Barber from West Chester and David Ludwig from Bucks County. Experimental music composer Maryanne Amacher was also born in Kane.