Lou Pampino

Lou Pampino was born Louis Pampena to Philomena Bevalaqua and Louis Pampena Sr. on May 20, 1940 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a traditional Italian home and was the youngest of three. While many of the men in his family had dedicated their lives to careers in law enforcement, Lou found himself attracted to the more rebellious lifestyle of an established local gang, "The Junior Rogues." Much to the relief of his family and friends, his participation in the group was short-lived, as he enlisted in the Air Force at the age of 16. In the mid-1960's, having completed several years of military service in Japan and other parts of the world, Pampino got the bug, and decided to make the long journey west, to Hollywood. It was there that he met, and later married, the love of his life - Jean Gargalione. While working in night clubs in the Los Angeles area, he chose to take advantage of the G.I. Bill, and immersed himself in both acting and music classes. Lou received his prestigious Sag card after landing the part of a disgruntled factory worker in Roger Corman's 1972 cult classic, "Unholy Rollers," edited by an up-and-coming young filmmaker, Martin Scorsese. At the peak of the 1970's disco craze, Pampino played primarily bass and lead guitar, in addition to several other instruments, in both live performances and recorded sessions, as a distinguished member of his cousin's iconic band, "Gino Dentie and the Family," In his later years, Lou focused mainly on his off-camera work, as a singer, voice-over artist and founding member of the loop-group, "The Talk Shop." He died in 1990 at his home in Studio City, California.