Peter Nero, a Grammy-winning pianist, dies at the age of 89

Peter Nero, a Grammy-winning pianist who interpreted pop songs through classical and jazz forms and was the conductor of the Philly Pops for more than three decades, has passed away. Nero turned 89.

Nero died Thursday at the Home Care Assisted Living Facility in Eustis, Fla., according to his daughter, Beverly Nero, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Services will be private.

Nero colored his renditions of pop songs – from Cole Porter and George Gershwin to the Beatles and Bob Dylan – with classic, swing, Broadway, blues and jazz tunes. He often called his sound “indefinable” and was not offended when others called it “middle of the road.” (He once told a paper, “Middle of the road and doing great business.”)

Recruited by Philadelphia concert promoter Moe Septee, Nero founded the Philly Pops Orchestra in 1979, the year Arthur Fiedler died. Fiedler is credited with virtually inventing the modern day version of the pop orchestra in Boston, and Nero hoped to emulate it in popularity.

“I would like to knock their pants off,” Nero said at the time.

Nero’s orchestra was not as prominent as Boston’s, but it did routinely sell out in Philadelphia, aided no doubt by Nero’s lively playing style and warm stage presence.

In his work as both performer and conductor, Nero frequently returned to Broadway tunes, Hollywood themes, and Gershwin, the subject of the Philly Pops’ first concert. But he also delved into the Motown catalog and further afield to bands like Procol Harum and an album dedicated to ’70s disco and love songs.

In 1975, he complained to The Washington Post, “I find it impossible to use much of the new material that comes out. There’s some rock stuff in my repertoire … but a lot of rock groups sell a sound, not music. You take the tune out each other and there is nothing to work with.’

He led the Philly Pops until 2013 and left his leading role when the orchestra said it could no longer afford him.

By his own account, Nero wrestled early in his career – under the name Bernie Nerow – during stints in New York and Las Vegas. But he found his stride in his late twenties playing the New York club circuit.

He was signed to RCA by Stan Greeson, who saw a potential star and had him change his name to Peter Nero. A steady stream of early 1960s club shows led to regular radio and TV appearances and twenty RCA albums over a decade span.

Nero earned Grammy Awards in 1961 for Best New Artist and in 1962 for Best Performance by an Orchestra or Instrumentalist for his record “The Colorful Peter Nero.”

A 1963 album, “Hail the Conquering Nero”, peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard pop album chart. It included versions of “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” and “Mack the Knife.”

He also charted with a version of “Theme from ‘The Summer of ’42′”, a song written by Michel Legrand for the 1971 film. Nero’s version reached No. 21 on the Billboard pop singles chart.

Nero also wrote the score for the 1963 Jane Fonda film “Sunday in New York” and appeared in the film.

Born Bernard Nierow in 1934, Nero grew up in Brooklyn. He started piano lessons at age 7 and by age 11 he could play Haydn’s piano concerto in D major by heart. He later won a scholarship to take classes at Juilliard, won several talent contests, and graduated from Brooklyn College.

As a headliner, Nero disliked a set list and chose songs on the spot. The idea of ​​mixing styles and genres was passed on to the Philly Pops.

“My programs for the Philly Pops might start with ‘Die Meistersinger,’ then ‘Chariots of Fire,’ then Enesco’s Romanian Rhapsodies, then a television theme,” Nero told The New York Times in 1982. “I keep going back and forth, and the audience bought it from the start.”