Peter Urquidi
Encyclopedia
Peter Urquidi is an American keyboardist.
to musician Peter Mora Urquidi and Angela Corral Urquidi. Urquidi played piano early on as a teen in big band
s with his father, later to go onto a career as a single playing keyboards in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, California
and Vegas. Later he formed "The Peter and Hank Duo" with friend and drummer, Hank Castro. After marrying Jacquelyn Darling Bache, May 5, 1952, they lived in Santa Barbara until August 1959 when they moved to Las Vegas, Nevada
. It was in Vegas under the management of Matt Gregory & Art Engler that the Peter & Hank Duo played the lounges and opened for headliners in the major hotels. They shared the stage with some of Vegas' greats like Sam Butera and The Witnesses
, The Mary Kaye Trio
, Louis Prima
, Lionel Hampton
and many others. Along the way, Urquidi gained the name "Man of Many Sounds" because of his unique state of the art
keyboard versatility.
Once the duo split up in the late 60's, Urquidi landed at the "Top of The Mint
" for more than a decade until the mid 80's. He went on to play a solo and sometimes a combo act with select musicians in Las Vegas into the 90's. Once his wife died in September 1993, he took a break from performing. After a few years, Urquidi joined up with several of his musician friends and began to play publicly once again in a variety of venues.
Biography
Peter C. Urquidi was born November 7, 1921 in Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
to musician Peter Mora Urquidi and Angela Corral Urquidi. Urquidi played piano early on as a teen in big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
s with his father, later to go onto a career as a single playing keyboards in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, California
Oxnard, California
Oxnard is the 113th largest city in the United States, 19th largest city in California and largest city in Ventura County, California, by way of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is an important agricultural center, with its distinction as the...
and Vegas. Later he formed "The Peter and Hank Duo" with friend and drummer, Hank Castro. After marrying Jacquelyn Darling Bache, May 5, 1952, they lived in Santa Barbara until August 1959 when they moved to Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. It was in Vegas under the management of Matt Gregory & Art Engler that the Peter & Hank Duo played the lounges and opened for headliners in the major hotels. They shared the stage with some of Vegas' greats like Sam Butera and The Witnesses
Sam Butera
Sam Butera was a tenor saxophone player best noted for his collaborations with Louis Prima and Keely Smith. Butera is frequently regarded as a crossover artist who performed with equal ease in both R & B and the post-big band pop style of jazz that permeated the early Vegas nightclub...
, The Mary Kaye Trio
Mary Kaye
Mary Kaye , sometimes called the "First Lady of Rock and Roll", was a guitarist and performer who was active in the 1950s and 1960s. Mary Kaye descended from Hawaiian royalty in the line of Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last reigning monarch, and was born into a show business family...
, Louis Prima
Louis Prima
Louis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the...
, Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
and many others. Along the way, Urquidi gained the name "Man of Many Sounds" because of his unique state of the art
State of the art
The state of the art is the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time. It also refers to the level of development reached at any particular time as a result of the latest methodologies employed.- Origin :The earliest use of the term...
keyboard versatility.
Once the duo split up in the late 60's, Urquidi landed at the "Top of The Mint
The Mint Las Vegas
The Mint Las Vegas was a hotel and casino in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. Opened in 1957, a 26-story hotel tower was added in 1965. In 1988, The Mint was sold and became part of Binion's Horseshoe....
" for more than a decade until the mid 80's. He went on to play a solo and sometimes a combo act with select musicians in Las Vegas into the 90's. Once his wife died in September 1993, he took a break from performing. After a few years, Urquidi joined up with several of his musician friends and began to play publicly once again in a variety of venues.
External links
- http://peterurquidi.com/