Pilgrims Way profile picture

Pilgrims Way

About Me

Let's start very far back... as far back as I can remember… my musical story started in my mother's womb... dancing to her music and her heartbeat! As a toddler I can remember dancing and singing along to my mom and dad's music; Irish jigs, reals & folk songs & anything by any Italian artist e.g. Mario Lanza & Dean Martin. At the age of 9 years old I took up the clarinet in 5th grade for orchestra. Just after Christmas break that year, I sat in awe of a performance that I saw on the Ed Sullivan show; the Beatles played that Sunday night in February and my world was never the same. Though I continued to learn clarinet, I now had a form of music that I could call mine (British Rock was not my parent’s music)! Five years later I began to study the bassoon, as our high school had the instrument and need of a player. This meant having to learn the bass clef of notes (C:) as well as the G clef (&:), preparing me for later playing the bass guitar, but I digress.At about the age of 16, girls became much more interesting to me… and I began to realize that playing clarinet or bassoon wasn’t going to win me too many hearts, so I took up guitar, teaching myself the notes and chords from various books. I was able to hook up with some kid from my neighborhood and start a band called ‘eman on’ or ‘no name’ spelled backwards as we were unable to come up with a cool sounding name for our band in which I played rhythm guitar and did vocals. We played rock & roll covers and got a few paying gigs… Later I got together with a friend from Vo-tech who played drums and knew a few guitar players, so I picked up my older brother’s bass guitar and joined in, doing more acoustic rock covers like the Greatful Dead! By this time I had a ’65 Fender Twin Reverb Amp, and a Hagstrom hollow bodied electric guitar & a Fender Precision Bass. At the age of 19, I enlisted in the US Air Force, sold the amp & bass and left my guitar with my girlfriend (later to be my wife). After boot camp while in electronics training, I acquired several acoustic guitars… an Ovation 6-string as well as a 12-string. Jamming with a new found friend, Ben Freeman, on the staircase (great acoustics!) and in the commons we began to become a well known item on the base. I backed up an autoharp playing young lady with an angelic voice several times (she went on to sing professionally with the Air Force Band), and later came to put together a group of guys who would win the Keesler AFB Base Talent Contest performing several Eagles covers. After getting married at age 21, I sold the Ovation, traded the 12-string for a Smith & Wesson Model 28 Highway Patrolman .357 magnum… in other words I hung up my guitar and took up a steady family life, including raising children. My love of music hadn’t died, but had been put on the back burner, becoming more of a music connoisseur than a performer, but secretly wishing for the thrill of performing and entertaining!Fast forward about 20 years… I’m now divorced and working in a fairly well paying job. A general contractor friend (Greg) who I was working for at the time had been playing with a Jazz – Big Band Ensemble here in Holland, MI. and was getting more into doing acoustic blues music… akin to the Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charlie Patton, Lightning Hopkins, Lonnie Johnson, Robert Johnson, & Tampa Red styles popularized in the Mississippi Delta region of the country around the 1920’s - 30’s. So Greg (Hulsebos) asked me to give a listen to what he was into and trying to emulate. I liked what I heard and with his encouragement to “pick up my ax”, I did just that & soon found myself joining him, with my baby Andrew sometimes in tow (he's a great roadie!). With my rhythm chops accentuating his finger-style and slide guitar work, we worked up an act to do at a local coffee shop called the “Leaf & Bean 2” on Friday nights. During breaks I would plunk out a couple of solo songs that I’d worked on that didn’t quite fit into the “acoustic blues” genre; things like SRV’s “Pride & Joy”, the Beatles’ cover of “’Till There Was You” from the musical the “Music Man”, and other ballad-like tunes. I really enjoy the older Beatles, British Rock, Simon & Garfunkle, Bob Dylan, Jim Croce & the Eagles kind of sounds, as well as the Texas Rock & Blues of SRV, R&B, Motown, Philly Sound, Classic Rock and contemporary Christian genres!This is solo material right now... with awesome vocals and somewhat eclectic & erratic guitar work to accompany! If you enjoy rock & blues, folk, R&B and ballad covers... you've come to the right place!

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 2/16/2007
Band Website: http://www.geocities.com/GreggPellegrino2
Band Members: Gregg Pellegrino... and assorted guests!
Influences: Oh, yeah... & Lincoln BrewsterLest I forget… the many influences whom I’ve also enjoyed would include… Jimi Hendrix & the Experience and Jim Morrison & the Doors (of coarse!), 2nd Chapter of Acts, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Alabama, Albert King, Alice Cooper, Allman Brothers, America, Andrea Bocelli, Arrested Development, B.B. King, BTO (Bachman Turner Overdrive), Bad Company, the Band, Barry McGuire, the Beach Boys (I know, I know… how lame), The Beatles, Bessie Smith, Big Bill Broonzy, Billie Holiday, Billy Joel, Billy Preston, Blind (Arthur) Blake, Blind Boy Fuller, Blind Faith (well, let’s be real and say anything with the incomparable Eric Clapton in it!), Blind Willie McTell, Blood Sweat & Tears, the Blues Brothers!, Blues Traveler, Bo Diddley, Bob Marley, Bob Seger, Bobby Vee, Bonnie Raitt, Booker T & the MGs, Boston, Boys II Men, Boz Scaggs, Bruce Cockburn, Bruce Springsteen (with or without the E Street Band), Bryan Adams, Buddy Guy, Buddy Holly, Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, Bela Fleck, Canned Heat, Carl Perkins, Carly Simon, Carole King, Charlie Byrd, Charlie Christian, Charlie Daniels, CTA (early Chicago), the Chieftains, Chris Tomlin, Chuck Berry, Chuck Mangione, Clannad, Collective Soul, Corey Harris, the Counting Crows, CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival), CSN (Crosby, Stills & Nash), David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust, David Bromberg, David Crosby, Dion & the Belmonts, Dire Straits, Django Reinhardt, Donny Hathaway, Donovan, the Doobie Brothers, Duane Eddy, Eddie Cochran, Lonnie Johnson & Eddie Lang, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Enrico Caruso, Enrique Inglesias, Enya, Eric Burdon & the Animals, Etta James, Everly Brothers, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner, the Four Tops, Frank Zappa, Garth Brooks, Gene Pitney, early Genesis, George Benson, George Jones, George Strait, George Thoroughgood & the Delaware Destroyers, Gil Scott-Heron, Goo Goo Dolls, Gordon Lightfoot, Government Mule, Grace Slick (the Jefferson Airplane), Grand Funk Railroad, Green Day, Greg Koch, Guns N’ Roses, Hot Tuna, Howlin’ Wolf, Humble Pie, Isley Brothers, J. Geils Band, Jackson Browne, Jaco Pastorious, James Brown, James Cotton, James Taylor, Janice Joplin, Jeff Beck, Jerry Goldsmith, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jim Croce, Jimmy Buffett, Jimmy Reed, Joe Bonamassa, Joe Cocker, Joe Satriani, Joe Walsh, Joel Mabus, John Coltrane, John Denver, John (Cougar) Mellencamp, John Hammond, John Hartford, John Hiatt, John Lee Hooker, John Lennon, John Mayal, John Mayer, John Williams, Johnny Shines, Johnny (& Edgar) Winter, Jonny Lang, Journey, Keb’ Mo’, Keith Urban, Kenny G, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, King Crimson, Larry Norman, Leadbelly, Led Zeppelin (THE Greatest Rock band of all time), Leon Redbone, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Lincoln Brewster, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, Little Steven, Little Stevie Wonder, Little Walter, Lovin’ Spoonful, Luciano Pavarotti, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Mamas & the Papas, Marc Bolan & T-Rex, Mario Lanza, Marvin Gaye, Matt Redman, Memphis Minnie, Metallica, Michael Bolton, Michael W. Smith, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Mississippi John Hurt, Muddy Waters, Nat “King” Cole, Neil Young, Nick Drake, Nickel Creek, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Otis Rush, Jimmy Page, Papa John Creach, Pat Metheny, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Peter Paul & Mary, Petra, Phil Keaggy, Pink Floyd, the Platters, the Police, Queen, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Quincy Jones, R. L. Burnside, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Ravi Shankar, Ray Charles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, REO Speedwagon, Chick Corea, Reverend Gary Davis, Rick Wakeman (Yes), Righteous Brothers, Robert Cray, Rod McKuen, Rod Stewart, the Rolling Stones, Rory Block, Rory Gallagher, Roy Bookbinder, Roy Orbison, Rush, Sam Cooke, Sam & Dave, Carlos Santana, Savage Garden, Savoy Brown, Scapper Blackwell, Sly & the Family Stone, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Son House, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Spyro Gyra, Stanley Clarke, Steely Dan, Steve Vai, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Sting, the Stray Cats, Styx, Super Tramp, Taj Mahal, Ted Nugent, the Temptations, Tesla, Third Day, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Todd Rundgren, Traffic, Train, U2, Van Halen, Van Morrison, the Who, Willie Dixon, Willie Nelson, Wilson Pickett, Yardbirds, Yes & Z.Z. Top… Whew! Did I miss anyone?
Sounds Like: No one else... he has very unique vocals that have a sort of sweet, yet at times raspy, quality (akin to a cross between Art Garfunkle & Little Richard)!!! I supposed they've been compared to Paul McCartney, Jim Croce & Sting. A very good emulator... of many vocal styles! Talented in harmony above all else...
Record Label: unsigned
Type of Label: Indie

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