Zupe ... A not-so-brief history
Zupe made his first recording at age 5. Okay, so maybe he was years away from finely honing a professional vocal performance. And perhaps his choice of Partridge Family cover tunes wouldn't be so hip, by today's standards. But it was, indeed, a sign of things to come.
Zupe grew up in a small coal mining community in southwestern Pennsylvania. His earliest musical memories are of his father playing the accordian, and filling the house with polka music. (It was a big house ... but it was a loud accordian.) By the age of 8, Zupe was enrolled in the school's elementary music program, learning the basics of trumpet playing, and singing in various school concerts. Through the years, he continued playing trumpet, but also learned to play several other brass and woodwind instruments, drums, and of course, the piano - his instrument of choice, today. "Both, my music teacher and my voice teacher, were cats from the big band era," recalls Zupe. "So of course, they taught me an appreciation of their music. I was the only kid in my class opting to listen to Tommy Dorsey or Charlie Parker over Led Zeppelin!" Musical nerdiness aside, Zupe's early music education culminated with honors, being chosen to perform with the Pennsylvania State Choir in the spring of 1984.
Throughout school, Zupe also performed bugle duty, playing "Taps" for local V.F.W. and American Legion ceremonies and funerals. His close association with veterans, including his own grandfather, guided Zupe into following their footsteps and serving his country. In July of 1984, Zupe enlisted in the United States Air Force.
During his four year stint, Zupe found several outlets for his music, becoming the student director/arranger of the Sheppard Air Force Base Drum & Bugle Corps, and once stationed in Germany, winning various talent competitions, including a National Champion title in the "Self-Accompanied Vocalist" category. Zupe also performed in various piano bars (even playing for fighter pilots at the Officers' Club, but that's another story) and playing keyboards in a high-energy rock band. All the while, Zupe befriended, and became an ardent follower, of Juilliard Master pianist/composer Paul Amrod in Kaiserslautern. Through Paul's guidance, Zupe honed his compositional skills and applied them to the technologies of the time. It was here, that Zupe began experimenting, and making music with the use of computers.
In 1988, Zupe was honorably discharged, as a decorated sergeant, from the United States Air Force. He quickly made a name for himself as a modern-day one-man-band, using computers, keyboards and drum machines. Zupe performed a Top-40 show in various bars and nightclubs, and eventually the hotel circuit. "I learned a lot about showmanship in those days," he says. "Being the only guy on stage, I was forced to make it interesting. And given the unstable nature of computers at the time, I quickly learned the art of improvisation!" Yet, he managed to make it all work, and quite successfully at that.
Throughout the mid 1990's, Zupe started spending less time on the road, and more time in the studio. Together with guitarist Dave Nichols, Zupe was carving a new niche, writing and producing jingles for radio and television, as well as pitching his own material. In 1995, the American Red Cross adopted Zupe's song, "The Light," as the theme song to their "One Moment of Light" campaign - which benefitted their disaster relief services. To date, the Red Cross has raised tens of thousands of dollars, due in part, by sales of "The Light" on CD, cassette and video.
In 1998, Zupe joined Taxi, the world's leading independent A&R (artist & reportoire) company. "Taxi is the ultimate 'go-to guy,'" Zupe explains. "Record labels, producers, and film executives tell Taxi what type of music they're looking for. Then Taxi notifies its members. If my music fits the description, I send it to Taxi, who screens it. If it meets their high standards, it gets forwarded." (For more info on Taxi, go to www.taxi.com) Since joining Taxi, Zupe has found more and more success. His works have appeared on a variety of television programs, including Fox's "Malcolm In The Middle," and "The Simple Life," NBC's "Dateline," MTV's "Road Rules" and "Real World," and several shows on cable networks, such as A&E and The History Channel.
Today, things have come full circle for Zupe. He still performs as a solo artist on area stages. But more often than not, he's performing the music of Sinatra and Glenn Miller. And it seems that all those Top 40 tunes he was doing in the 80's and early 90's are now deemed "classic tunes," making Zupe a hip commodity in the bar scene again! Still, Zupe spends the most time at home, in his studio, writing music. And when that "record" light comes on, you can be sure he's not singing "I Think I Love You."