Like so many others, I grew up watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. As the youngest child in a blended household that was at times less than tranquil, my daily dose of Mr. Rogers was a much-needed oasis of gentle quiet and reassurance, important enough that it sometimes led to conflict with my older sisters, who preferred to watch Star Trek (already in syndication) at the same time.
I don’t think I realized it at the time, but the music was a huge part of my fascination. For a budding young pianist who eventually went on to major in music, the program’s piano-centric background score (not to mention Mr. Rogers’ own, often self-accompanied musical interludes) was a huge part of the appeal. To watch Mr. Rogers as a child was to be subsumed into a world of imagination, one that, unlike so much of children’s programming today, was thoughtful and slow-moving, yet still held multi-sensory appeal.
One of the recurring characters in the neighborhood, “Handyman” Joe Negri, died on May 30, less than two weeks short of his 100th birthday, June 10. In addition to playing the part of Handyman Negri, who regularly showed up at Mr. Rogers’ place and in the Land of Make Believe to help fix things, Negri also appeared throughout the series as the owner of Negri’s Music Shop, which was a regular destination for the neighborhood visits on which Mr. Rogers would take his viewers.
In the episode titled “Guitars,” Mr. Rogers visits the music shop to watch Joe Negri teach guitar lessons to three young boys. The instruction carries over into the Land of Make Believe, where Negri gives a guitar lesson to Prince Tuesday. (Just last week, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood channel launched on YouTube, where full episodes are being added.)
But, while Negri the musician was known to laugh about being depicted as a handyman, famously protesting that he didn’t even know how to hammer a nail (to which Fred Rogers reportedly responded that was not a problem since it was only make-believe), there is nothing pretend about his playing and teaching. Negri was a real-life professional guitarist and educator whose impact continues to echo not only in repeats of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood but in numerous recordings, compositions, concert halls, and institutions of higher learning — not to mention countless people’s memories.
According to Vintage Guitar magazine, which interviewed Negri for a 2010 article, Joe Negri was born in Pittsburgh as the son of an Italian immigrant named Mike Negri and his wife, Rose. Mike was a talented musician in his own right who, while he was not formally educated in music, made sure his children received musical training. Part of that training included learning solfege, which assigns syllables (“do-re-mi”) to the musical scale to increase the ability to hear and sing musical intervals — an incredibly valuable tool that goes far beyond being able to sing the song from The Sound of Music.
Negri began guitar lessons before he was 10 years old and started playing professionally in his teens. He studied guitar and music education at Carnegie Mellon University. In 1944, his thriving music career was seemingly put on hold when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, but after a time in Germany, he was reassigned to a stateside Army band. He was discharged in 1945. In 1954, he married Joan (“Joni”) Serafini who, along with the Negris’ three daughters and their families, survives him.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, based in the city Negri called home his entire life, describes him on its website as “quite possibly one of the finest jazz guitarists in the country,” a “musical prodigy,” and a composer of “critical and artistic acclaim.” JazzTimes magazine highlights his teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, “the first school of higher education where jazz guitar became part of a college-level curriculum”; at Duquesne University (which awarded Negri an honorary doctorate in 2002); and at Carnegie Mellon. Negri continued teaching well into his ’90s, influencing generations of musicians.
Speaking to KDKA/CBS News Pittsburgh, David Newell, who played mailman Mr. McFeely on the show, said Negri and Rogers were similar not only in their love of music but in their kindness. The Joe Negri he knew, said Newell, was the same one “you saw on television.”
What can one learn from a life like Joe Negri’s? Listen to your parents. Pursue what you love. When your country calls, answer. Get married and have children. Share what you know with the next generation. Don’t stop until you absolutely have to. Be kind.
Here is Joe Negri playing a medley of songs from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Rest in peace.
