another of our influential giants has passed
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d...@donberns.com
Apr 27, 2012, 9:27:38 AM4/27/12
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Pete Fornatale, 66, Has Passed Away
by Lew Goodman
Renowned radio disc jockey Peter "Pete" Fornatale passed away today,
April 26, 2012, at the Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan of New
York City. He had suffered a brain hemorrhage on April 15th and was in
intensive care since April 19th.
Pete was born to the late Mildred and Joseph Fornatale in the Bronx of
New York City on August 23, 1945 and was raised at 512 East 188th Street
in the Belmont section of the Bronx, commonly known as Little Italy. He
resided in Port Washington, Nassau County, New York for most of his
adult life and spent his final eight years in Rockaway Park, Queens, New
York in an apartment building that was at the boardwalk that bordered
the beach at the Atlantic Ocean.
Pete was the first person to host a rock music show on New York City's
FM band, commencing November 21, 1964 on WFUV, Fordham University's
Voice, 90.7 megacycles (now megahertz). This show, which was entitled
"Campus Caravan," was heard on Saturdays from noon to 2 PM until
November 1970. Pete chose his own music and spoke to his audience in an
unhurried manner, which was not the norm in 1964. He had a vast
knowledge of doo-wop music, much of which originated on the street
corners of his Belmont neighborhood, but "Campus Caravan" emphasized the
music of the mid to late 1960's, including the Beatles, Buffalo
Springfield, the Beach Boys, which were his favorite group, and Simon
and Garfunkel, whom he first interviewed at their Fordham University
concert of December 3, 1966. He featured Frank Sinatra weekly on
"Sinatra's Corner" and played excerpts of comedy albums, from the likes
of Woody Allen and Bill Cosby, on "Comedy Capers." He also had live
guests, such as Rosko, a disc jockey at New York City's first FM rock
music station, WOR-FM (98.7), who first appeared on "Campus Caravan" on
April 29, 1967. After Rosko resigned on the air, in October 1967, he
returned to "Campus Caravan" in order to explain his actions.
Pete graduated from Fordham Preparatory School in 1963 and Fordham
College of Arts and Sciences, on the Rose Hill campus of Fordham
University in the Bronx, in 1967, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in
communication arts. From September 1967 until June 1969 he was an
English teacher at Maria Regina High School in Uniondale, Nassau County,
New York.
With Rosko, who was then with New York's WNEW-FM (102.7), as his mentor,
Pete first hosted a weekend show on WNEW-FM in July 1969. He soon became
a fulltime, daily disc jockey there, mostly having the 10 AM till 2 PM
timeslot, again being able to choose his own music, which consisted
mostly of progressive rock, folk-rock, and folk. After WNEW-FM initiated
a "playlist," Pete became the weekend host of "Mixed Bag," which began
in 1982, again enabling him to choose his own music. He brought "Mixed
Bag" to New York's WXRK (92.3) in 1989 and returned to WFUV in 2001,
where he hosted "Mixed Bag" until his death. "Mixed Bag" had a weekly
theme on WFUV and his final show, on April 14, 2012, was dedicated to
the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. He had great
respect for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and had an annual
tribute to him on "Mixed Bag." The show mostly featured the music of the
late 1960's and 1970's, though the 1950's and early 1960's had its share
of Pete's selections. Pete was an historian and often celebrated major
milestones in rock music and rock music radio history, such as Neil
Young's 60th birthday, the 40th anniversary of the advent of WOR-FM as a
rock music station, and his 40th anniversary on radio. He also
occasionally had mock recreations of old radio shows of his (since few
recordings remained of the actual shows). He was scholarly in his
treatment of rock music and radio and was a strong adherent of Marshall
McLuhan and his theories of broadcasting.
The Internet affected Pete, too, as "Mixed Bag" on WFUV was also
streamed on wfuv.org and his "Mixed Bag" section of the WFUV bulletin
boards had more than 60,000 posts, since its 2001 inception, by far the
most of any show there. The second highest number of posts for any show
on the WFUV bulletin boards was more than 9,000. Pete often participated
in posting to the bulletin boards, where he demonstrated extreme wit and
intelligence, though he wasn't afraid to strongly reprimand anyone who
was abusive to others. On November 4, 2008, he posted there, referring
to the presidential election in which Senator Barack Obama was elected
president, "it felt SO GOOD to vote today! better than at anytime in my
life. and it felt good to feel good about it."
This intelligence was also evident when he hosted rock music related
programs and fundraisers on WNET, channel 13, New York's PBS television
station. Fornatale co-hosted the 1991 HBO telecast of "Paul Simon Live
in Central Park" and regularly served as an expert guest commentator on
PBS specials that featured performers such as Bob Dylan, John Fogerty,
the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Roy Orbison, Peter, Paul and Mary, and
James Taylor. He interviewed scores of musicians for another show he
hosted during the 21st century, "Mixed Bag Radio," including Tony
Bennett, Ringo Starr, and Sting. He had a reputation of being an
excellent interviewer, paying careful attention to what the interviewee
was saying. He was a close friend of the legendary Brian Wilson of the
Beach Boys, Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, and Richie Furay of Buffalo
Springfield and Poco.
Pete was the author of several music-related books, including "Back to
the Garden: The Story of Woodstock," "Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends,"
"The Story of Rock 'n' Roll" and the co-author of "All You Need Is Love:
And 99 Other Life Lessons from Classic Rock Songs," "Radio in the
Television Age," and "Classic Rock."
His work was recognized with numerous awards, including the Armstrong
Award for Excellence in Musical Programming in 1983, a Pride of the
Bronx award in 2003 by the Riverdale Mental Health Association, and a
Media and Entertainment Excellence Award from the American Federation of
Television and Radio Artists Foundation in 2012. He was a board member
of WhyHunger and an honorary board member of the Long Island Music Hall
of Fame.
He was divorced from his former wife, Susan Fornatale, nee Flynn, and is
survived by their three grown sons, Peter Thomas Fornatale, Mark
Fornatale, and Steven Fornatale. Fornatale means "Christmas oven" in
Italian and the name was "given" to his ancestors at Ellis Island.
Pete never lost his love for Frank Sinatra or the Beach Boys, but some
of his favorite artists towards the end of his life were Dion, who also
grew up in the Belmont section of the Bronx, Bruce Springsteen, and
Poco. The first record he ever bought was "Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel" by
Elvis Presley, but he once said that the song that defined him was
"Rockin' My Life Away" by Jerry Lee Lewis.
by Lew Goodman
Renowned radio disc jockey Peter "Pete" Fornatale passed away today,
April 26, 2012, at the Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan of New
York City. He had suffered a brain hemorrhage on April 15th and was in
intensive care since April 19th.
Pete was born to the late Mildred and Joseph Fornatale in the Bronx of
New York City on August 23, 1945 and was raised at 512 East 188th Street
in the Belmont section of the Bronx, commonly known as Little Italy. He
resided in Port Washington, Nassau County, New York for most of his
adult life and spent his final eight years in Rockaway Park, Queens, New
York in an apartment building that was at the boardwalk that bordered
the beach at the Atlantic Ocean.
Pete was the first person to host a rock music show on New York City's
FM band, commencing November 21, 1964 on WFUV, Fordham University's
Voice, 90.7 megacycles (now megahertz). This show, which was entitled
"Campus Caravan," was heard on Saturdays from noon to 2 PM until
November 1970. Pete chose his own music and spoke to his audience in an
unhurried manner, which was not the norm in 1964. He had a vast
knowledge of doo-wop music, much of which originated on the street
corners of his Belmont neighborhood, but "Campus Caravan" emphasized the
music of the mid to late 1960's, including the Beatles, Buffalo
Springfield, the Beach Boys, which were his favorite group, and Simon
and Garfunkel, whom he first interviewed at their Fordham University
concert of December 3, 1966. He featured Frank Sinatra weekly on
"Sinatra's Corner" and played excerpts of comedy albums, from the likes
of Woody Allen and Bill Cosby, on "Comedy Capers." He also had live
guests, such as Rosko, a disc jockey at New York City's first FM rock
music station, WOR-FM (98.7), who first appeared on "Campus Caravan" on
April 29, 1967. After Rosko resigned on the air, in October 1967, he
returned to "Campus Caravan" in order to explain his actions.
Pete graduated from Fordham Preparatory School in 1963 and Fordham
College of Arts and Sciences, on the Rose Hill campus of Fordham
University in the Bronx, in 1967, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in
communication arts. From September 1967 until June 1969 he was an
English teacher at Maria Regina High School in Uniondale, Nassau County,
New York.
With Rosko, who was then with New York's WNEW-FM (102.7), as his mentor,
Pete first hosted a weekend show on WNEW-FM in July 1969. He soon became
a fulltime, daily disc jockey there, mostly having the 10 AM till 2 PM
timeslot, again being able to choose his own music, which consisted
mostly of progressive rock, folk-rock, and folk. After WNEW-FM initiated
a "playlist," Pete became the weekend host of "Mixed Bag," which began
in 1982, again enabling him to choose his own music. He brought "Mixed
Bag" to New York's WXRK (92.3) in 1989 and returned to WFUV in 2001,
where he hosted "Mixed Bag" until his death. "Mixed Bag" had a weekly
theme on WFUV and his final show, on April 14, 2012, was dedicated to
the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. He had great
respect for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and had an annual
tribute to him on "Mixed Bag." The show mostly featured the music of the
late 1960's and 1970's, though the 1950's and early 1960's had its share
of Pete's selections. Pete was an historian and often celebrated major
milestones in rock music and rock music radio history, such as Neil
Young's 60th birthday, the 40th anniversary of the advent of WOR-FM as a
rock music station, and his 40th anniversary on radio. He also
occasionally had mock recreations of old radio shows of his (since few
recordings remained of the actual shows). He was scholarly in his
treatment of rock music and radio and was a strong adherent of Marshall
McLuhan and his theories of broadcasting.
The Internet affected Pete, too, as "Mixed Bag" on WFUV was also
streamed on wfuv.org and his "Mixed Bag" section of the WFUV bulletin
boards had more than 60,000 posts, since its 2001 inception, by far the
most of any show there. The second highest number of posts for any show
on the WFUV bulletin boards was more than 9,000. Pete often participated
in posting to the bulletin boards, where he demonstrated extreme wit and
intelligence, though he wasn't afraid to strongly reprimand anyone who
was abusive to others. On November 4, 2008, he posted there, referring
to the presidential election in which Senator Barack Obama was elected
president, "it felt SO GOOD to vote today! better than at anytime in my
life. and it felt good to feel good about it."
This intelligence was also evident when he hosted rock music related
programs and fundraisers on WNET, channel 13, New York's PBS television
station. Fornatale co-hosted the 1991 HBO telecast of "Paul Simon Live
in Central Park" and regularly served as an expert guest commentator on
PBS specials that featured performers such as Bob Dylan, John Fogerty,
the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Roy Orbison, Peter, Paul and Mary, and
James Taylor. He interviewed scores of musicians for another show he
hosted during the 21st century, "Mixed Bag Radio," including Tony
Bennett, Ringo Starr, and Sting. He had a reputation of being an
excellent interviewer, paying careful attention to what the interviewee
was saying. He was a close friend of the legendary Brian Wilson of the
Beach Boys, Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, and Richie Furay of Buffalo
Springfield and Poco.
Pete was the author of several music-related books, including "Back to
the Garden: The Story of Woodstock," "Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends,"
"The Story of Rock 'n' Roll" and the co-author of "All You Need Is Love:
And 99 Other Life Lessons from Classic Rock Songs," "Radio in the
Television Age," and "Classic Rock."
His work was recognized with numerous awards, including the Armstrong
Award for Excellence in Musical Programming in 1983, a Pride of the
Bronx award in 2003 by the Riverdale Mental Health Association, and a
Media and Entertainment Excellence Award from the American Federation of
Television and Radio Artists Foundation in 2012. He was a board member
of WhyHunger and an honorary board member of the Long Island Music Hall
of Fame.
He was divorced from his former wife, Susan Fornatale, nee Flynn, and is
survived by their three grown sons, Peter Thomas Fornatale, Mark
Fornatale, and Steven Fornatale. Fornatale means "Christmas oven" in
Italian and the name was "given" to his ancestors at Ellis Island.
Pete never lost his love for Frank Sinatra or the Beach Boys, but some
of his favorite artists towards the end of his life were Dion, who also
grew up in the Belmont section of the Bronx, Bruce Springsteen, and
Poco. The first record he ever bought was "Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel" by
Elvis Presley, but he once said that the song that defined him was
"Rockin' My Life Away" by Jerry Lee Lewis.
Paul
Apr 27, 2012, 2:25:31 PM4/27/12
to wb...@googlegroups.com
I got to meet him twice over the last year. Very nice and knowledgeable guy; sad he's gone.
I can't help but feel a bit overshadowed by NY, though. At 'BRU AM, John Gabree was doing a freeform show in '61-'62 which I subsequently took over and which became the prototype for 'BRU's FM rock programming. We also established ourselves on a parallel timeline to WBCN. I doubt, however, that 'BRU or 'BCN will see the kind of recognition for our early efforts and broadcast pioneers that WNEW-FM and its immediate predecessors (WOR-FM and WABC-FM) will see for theirs. Still, I'm grateful for our experiences and for all of you; no big city call letters can replace that.
RIP, Pete.
Paul Payton
(Dr. Strangevoice)
Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone (which will, I hope, excuse any typos, grammatical errors or spelling fumbles)
I can't help but feel a bit overshadowed by NY, though. At 'BRU AM, John Gabree was doing a freeform show in '61-'62 which I subsequently took over and which became the prototype for 'BRU's FM rock programming. We also established ourselves on a parallel timeline to WBCN. I doubt, however, that 'BRU or 'BCN will see the kind of recognition for our early efforts and broadcast pioneers that WNEW-FM and its immediate predecessors (WOR-FM and WABC-FM) will see for theirs. Still, I'm grateful for our experiences and for all of you; no big city call letters can replace that.
RIP, Pete.
Paul Payton
(Dr. Strangevoice)
Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone (which will, I hope, excuse any typos, grammatical errors or spelling fumbles)
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