I am deeply saddened to report that Peppi Marchello died last night from an apparent heart attack. Peppi--the founder and frontman of the Good Rats--was a brilliant songwriter and deeply devoted family man. I am shocked by this news, which I just received from Peppi's daughter in law, and can't say more at this time beyond this is a great loss to many of us. RIP my dear, dear friend.11:30 a.m. update:
The Marchello family asked me to release this statement.
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An absolute vocal force of nature to the end. RIP Peppi and thanks for the music.
I am heart-broken!!
I thought he was getting better! He just got out of the hospital! Peppi's passing is affecting me more than any other loss in the last decade. I first hear of The Good Rats as a DJ at Bergen Community College when they played there in 1979, and I've been a fan ever since. The tight harmonies, unbelievable musicianship and the deep soulfulness of Peppis lyrics made them my all time favorite band. Now I'll never see or hear them live again. I can only hope that Peppi is jamming with all the greats up in Rock n Roll Heaven and finally getting his due. RIP, Peppi.
rip peppe. great front man and great band. growing up on Long Island in the 70s would not have been the same without the good rats.
I knew Peppi for a while many years ago. While in high school, a friend and I went to buy "Rat City in Blue" the day it was released. They were our favorite local band and saw them play all the time.
The following year, as a Freshman in college, I wanted to make a name for myself on the school radio station, so I approached Peppi at one of his shows. "Would you do an interview with me on my school radio station?" I nervously asked. "Sure, we do this all the time," Peppi offered. A few weeks later, he and Joe Franco were on the radio with me! My friends were amazed. So was I!
I still remember one line Peppi said over 35 years ago, when Joe was mistakenly called "Ed" several times on the air. "Why do we keep calling you Ed?" was the question, to which Peppi quickly responded "Because he looks like Mr. Ed the horse."
And so, I would see Peppi and the band from time to time. I would hang out with them at shows. I worked in a stereo store in Roosevelt Field and they would stop by and say hello while in the mall. They also came back to the radio station with me. This one time in particular, I brought up a few pitchers of beer for the guys in the band while on the air. It turns out that there was some FCC regulation about alcohol and broadcasting. The chief engineer of the station was not happy with me, and he did not like the Good Rats (especially how they looked), so he wrote a letter to the board of trustees of the university to try to get me expelled! Hey, what can I say, but Rock and Roll!
While it has been all these years since I last saw Peppi, I will never forget how much he cared about his fans, and the kindness he showed to an pimply faced 18 year old that just wanted to play Good Rats music on the school radio station.
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