MISTER ROGER'S MUSIC MAN

Johnny Costa was the Mozart of jazz piano. Jazz legend Art Tatum, called Costa "the white Tatum." Costa, one of the world's greatest pianists, is best known for his work as the musical director of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," a PBS television program now in its 35th year. But Costa was much more than a pianist for children. A musician's musician, his work was applauded by jazz masters Benny Carter, Dave Brubeck, Tommy Dorsey, Dizzy Gillespie, Marion McPartland, Peter Nero, Andre Previn, Buddy Rich, Mel Torme and Art Tatum, Costa's most significant influence.

Costa's first recording was "The Amazing Johnny Costa," a Savoy LP released in 1955. It was reissued on CD in 1989 as "Neighborhood." In the 1950s, Costa cut short a career that would have brought him international recognition as a pianist and recording artist. Long road trips and concerts from home, although lucrative, did not compensate for the loss of companionship of his friends and family, the latter which included his wife, daughter and son (Helen, Debbie and John Junior). Costa stopped traveling, ended a promising recording career, gave up the job as the first musical director of the "Mike Douglas Show" and returned to Pittsburgh, never again venturing far from its city limits.

Graduating with two degrees in music from Carnegie-Mellon University, Costa began work as a musician on a Pittsburgh television station on the day he graduated. He provided piano and organ music for many programs, eventually teaming with Fred Rogers to create the most successful children's program on television. Even after his death in 1996, Costa's piano still resounds throughout Neighborhood programs.