Pie Eyed Pete

Having grown up in Chicago, Pete Cimbalo pursued a foothold in music throughout the 1990s, though early efforts proved tentative. He performed with area groups including Fleshyhead and Lost Luggage while also playing in the 70s funk cover outfit Something For Joey. His first major opportunity came in 1993, when The Gin Blossoms recruited him to handle bass duties on a summer tour; the stint brought an encounter with his childhood idol, KISS man Gene Simmons. The following year he launched Diplomat 6. The band spent the ensuing seven years performing across the United States and issued its self-released debut album, Buda de Oriente, in 1997. With the arrival of the new millennium, Cimbalo adopted the name Pie Eyed Pete and shaped a country-rock approach. Death of a Teenage Idol arrived in 2001 as Pie Eyed Pete’s first proper release.