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These performers, who have earned real celebrity status, draw crowds and make Pittsburghers proud

Sunday, June 02, 2002

Fred Rogers
Author and host emeritus, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood"

Though he's no longer in the studio making television shows, Mister Rogers remains one busy neighbor. Who else do you know who's had three books published in the past year? He's also been to the White House, accepted countless awards, received several honorary college degrees and delivered dozens of speeches. All that, and he remains Pittsburgh's most gracious, effortless celebrity and willing role model.

The Clarks
Rock band: Scott Blasey, Rob James, Greg Joseph and Dave Minarik

Pittsburgh's favorite rockers spent much of the past year in Nashville recording their second release on Razor & Tie, "Another Happy Ending." But The Clarks were still a presence here, with "Born Too Late" all over local radio and as last year's largest draw at the I.C. Light Amphitheatre. This year, they've got two nights at Station Square to celebrate "Happy Ending."

Mariss Jansons
Music director, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Jansons is a rare bird of a star -- the less he shows up in Pittsburgh, the more his fame grows. He's gone from "Mariss who?" to a box-office guarantee whose very presence raises the artistic level of the PSO. His EMI disc of Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 with the PSO, released last fall, was the first the PSO had recorded since 1996. And his profile in the U.S. pales in comparison to that in his native Europe, where many critics and music lovers consider him one of the most inspiring living conductors.

Rusted Root
Rock band: Michael Glabicki, John Buynak, Jenn Wertz, Patrick Norman, Liz Berlin, Jim Donovan.

Pittsburgh's biggest-selling rock band just completed a national tour that started with colleges on the East Coast and moved on to prestige venues like the Fillmore in San Francisco and the House of Blues in Los Angeles. The band, which regrouped in the summer of 2000 after a hiatus, recently released its fourth major-label record, "Welcome to My Party," on Island/Def Jam. In August, Root will go back out on the road with Santana.