Schmidt, Stephen George (1946-2018) | University of Illinois Archives

Name: Schmidt, Stephen George (1946-2018)

Historical Note: Stephen George Schmidt (1946-2018) was born in the Bronx, New York on August 24, 1946. The son of Virginia Betka Schmidt and Albert Schmidt, he graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in chemistry. While a student, Schmidt performed in the Northwestern University Marching Band and numerous rock and roll bands. From 1973 to 1976, he was the keyboardist for the band Ginger, which played in Champaign, IL. He married Trisha Crowly on June 26, 1976 in Summit, New Jersey. Between 1976 and 1979, he taught himself to repair pianos. In 1979, Schmidt opened a piano repair shop in Champaign called The Piano People. Between 1979 and his death in 2018, Schmidt rebuilt over 500 pianos. In the 1980s, he also played synthesizers with the Tons O' Fun Band. Schmidt gave reunion shows with Ginger in 2003, 2006, and 2016. He died in Urbana on May 4, 2018.

Sources:

Stephen George Schmidt Obituary (2018): https://www.renner-wikoffchapel.com/notices/Stephen-Schmidt

Classical: BTS Stephen Schmidt, Season 1, Episode 5, PBS, Illinois Public Media (May 10, 2018): https://www.pbs.org/video/classicalbts-stephen-schmidt-ze2sd4/

Note Author: Nolan Vallier