Biography
Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, Pistilli grew up surrounded by music, absorbing swing-era big-band recordings alongside country western swing discs that played regularly at home, while also developing an early admiration for Hank Williams. He soon took up songwriting, most often working with collaborators, and achieved early success when Spanky And Our Gang scored a 1967 hit with one of his compositions, “Sunday Will Never Be The Same.” His affinity for swing prompted him to team with Tim Hauser in 1969 to establish Manhattan Transfer, whose original lineup also featured Erin Dickens, Marty Nelson and Pat Rosalia. The ensemble’s technically accomplished 1971 debut album failed commercially, leading to the group’s dissolution; when Hauser later revived Manhattan Transfer and steered it toward global success, Pistilli, Dickens and Rosalia were no longer involved.
Re-emerging as a solo performer who accompanied his fluid baritone on guitar, Pistilli forged a distinctive hybrid of western swing and mid-swing-era vocal phrasing. Performing under the name “the Hoboken Saddletramp,” he cultivated a loyal though regionally concentrated audience. His 2003 debut album featured the songs “I Still Get Dressed On Sundays,” “Waltz Across Texas,” “Stayin’ Is The Only Way To Go,” “How The West Was Swung,” “Mexicali Rose” and “Too Gone Too Long,” the last of which he wrote and which Randy Travis later recorded.
Re-emerging as a solo performer who accompanied his fluid baritone on guitar, Pistilli forged a distinctive hybrid of western swing and mid-swing-era vocal phrasing. Performing under the name “the Hoboken Saddletramp,” he cultivated a loyal though regionally concentrated audience. His 2003 debut album featured the songs “I Still Get Dressed On Sundays,” “Waltz Across Texas,” “Stayin’ Is The Only Way To Go,” “How The West Was Swung,” “Mexicali Rose” and “Too Gone Too Long,” the last of which he wrote and which Randy Travis later recorded.
Albums