Pete Fornatale, 1945-2012

“He did one of the first American interviews with Elton John, and got a rousing ovation when he brought a rented surfboard to Carnegie Hall for a Beach Boys show. He introduced Curtis Mayfield to Bob Dylan at a Muhammad Ali fight. In 1982 he started ‘Mixed Bag,’ a program that emphasized singer-songwriters, on Sunday mornings. His regular guests included Suzanne Vega, who introduced herself to him by sending a fan letter.”
 — If you grew up in this area and listened to rock radio, Pete Fornatale’s voice was one of the voices of your childhood. Fornatale died yesterday at the age of 66.