Virtual tribute will celebrate Mister Rogers' 93rd birthday
One of Latrobe’s favorite sons, Fred Rogers, would have turned 93 on March 20, and a virtual celebration on his birthday will feature singers and songwriters from across the country.
The celebration of Mister Rogers will be livestreamed beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday at ThankYouMisterRogers.com. It also will appear on YouTube and Facebook.
Performances and birthday wishes are planned from, among others, Kellie Pickler, Vanessa Williams, Lee Greenwood, The Cowsills, Jaci Velasquez, Jim Brickman, Jon Secada, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., Micky Dolenz, Sandi Patty and host Tom Bergeron, of America’s Funniest Videos and Dancing With the Stars.
The virtual celebration also is dedicated to the late Joanne Rogers, Fred’s wife, who died earlier this year.
It’s the brainchild of two-time Grammy and Emmy winning producer Dennis Scott, who has produced two albums of Rogers’ music, “Songs From The Neighborhood — The Music of Mister Rogers” (2005) and “Thank You, Mister Rogers — Music & Memories” (2019).
The latter album won a 2019 Family Choice Award and is nominated for a 2020 Libera Award, which honors the year’s top tier of independently-released music.
“Each song is arranged differently, and each singer has made it their own. Fred would be delighted to know that his music lives on to new generations,” said David Newell, better known as Mister McFeely from Rogers’ television show. Newell will be among those honoring Rogers during the celebration.
Scott also interviewed numerous fans and supporters of Mister Rogers and was surprised by how many people received personal letters from him over the years.
Scott also is spearheading a grassroots campaign to get Rogers nominated to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. A petition in support can be viewed at ThankYouMisterRogers.com.
“Fred loved writing songs,” Scott said. “And becoming a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, alongside other great American composers, is the best birthday present we could give him.
“Happy Birthday, Mister Rogers!”
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.