R.I.P. Pete Fornatale
 

For those who love Lightfoot music, Pete Fornatale was a friend indeed. He was a great DJ for WNEW and when I discovered him for WFUV (Fordham University public radio) with shows such as Mixed Bag. You can still find Gord's music on archived shows at WFUV. He usually devoted an hour around Gord's birthday.

NY Times obit: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/ar...ies-at-66.html

Remembrance from WFUV: http://www.wfuv.org/blog/pete-fornatale-1945-2012

"A native of The Bronx, Pete got his start in radio in 1964 as a Fordham University undergrad, hosting a program on WFUV called Campus Caravan. At a time when rock on the radio was confined to Top 40 AM stations, Fornatale spun records by lesser-known artists, played deeper album cuts than the current hit singles, and conducted soul-searching interviews with artists such as The Beach Boys, The Mamas and The Papas, and Simon & Garfunkel, all of whom came through Fordham on tour.

After graduating from Fordham in '67, Pete taught for several years before beginning his professional career in 1969 at the legendary WNEW-FM in New York. He hosted several different shifts there before launching his Sunday morning program, Mixed Bag, in December, 1982. As the name implies, the program was designed to be a reflection of Pete's eclectic musical taste. He helped launch the careers of many singer-songwriters, including Suzanne Vega, John Gorka, and Christine Lavin.

Over the years he conducted insightful, in-depth interviews with hundreds of artists, including Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Carly Simon, and James Taylor."

Re: R.I.P. Pete Fornatale
 

So young. Thank you for sharing this news.

Re: R.I.P. Pete Fornatale
 

Hearing his show was like listening to a warm friend.

Re: R.I.P. Pete Fornatale
 

Many, many hours spent with Pete back in the day. Before the internet WNEW-FM was our main source of info about concerts, etc.

R.I.P.

Bill :(