Jon Cobert was born in Brooklyn, NY, studied piano and theory with Ted Harris and received a degree in music theory and composition from

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. Cobert plays the piano, organ, accordion, synthesizer, guitar, bass and drums. He is best known for his work with

Klaus Nomi Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 – August 6, 1983), known professionally as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona. In the 1970s Nomi immersed himself in the East Village ...

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

and

Tom Chapin Tom Chapin (born March 13, 1945) is an American musician, entertainer, singer-songwriter, and storyteller. Chapin is known for the song " Happy Birthday", released in 1989 in his ''Moonboat'' album. It takes its melody from "Love Unspoken", a so ...

. He has five

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nominations for his work with Chapin. Best known for his work on the keyboard, Cobert has recorded, toured and/or performed with John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne,

Laura Branigan Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single "Gloria", stayed on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a ...

, Dion,

Harry Chapin Harold Forster Chapin (; December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He achieved worldwide success in the 1970s. Chapin, a Grammy A ...

Regis Philbin Regis Francis Xavier Philbin (; August 25, 1931 – July 25, 2020)Archived aGhostarchiveand thWayback Machine was an American television presenter, talk show host, game show host, comedian, actor, and singer. Once called "the hardest working ma ...

Loudon Wainwright III Loudon Snowden Wainwright III (born September 5, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, and six compilations. Some of his best-known songs include "The Swimmin ...

, Dionne Warwick, B.J. Thomas,

Steve Tyrell ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

Terry Cashman Terry Cashman (born Dennis Minogue, July 5, 1941) is an American record producer and singer-songwriter, best known for his 1981 hit, " Talkin' Baseball". While the song is well recognized today and allowed Cashman the chance to meet the featured ...

, Henry Gross, John Denver, Judy Collins,

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resign ...

, The Chapin Sisters,

Jen Chapin Jennifer Chapin is an American singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of the singer-songwriter Harry Chapin and Sandra Chapin. She serves on the board of directors of WhyHunger, a grassroots support organization founded in 1975 by her father an ...

Chubby Checker Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American rock and roll singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including The Twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnight ...

Lyfe Jennings Chester Jermaine "Lyfe" Jennings (born June 3, 1978) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist. He plays the guitar, Double bass, bass, and piano which he integrates into his music. T ...

Darryl McDaniels Darryl Matthews McDaniels (born May 31, 1964), better known by his stage name DMC, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Run-DMC, and is considered one of the pioneers of hip hop culture. Early life McDaniels gre ...

(DMC),

Linda Eder Linda Eder (; born February 3, 1961) is an American singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in the musical '' Jekyll & Hyde'', originating the role of Lucy Harris, for which she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award. Eder has performe ...

Jim Steinman James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021) was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, mus ...

Leslie Uggams Leslie Marian Uggams (born May 25, 1943) is an American actress and singer. Beginning her career as a child in the early 1950s, Uggams is recognized for portraying Kizzy Reynolds in the television miniseries ''Roots'' (1977), earning Golden Globe ...

, Klaus Nomi, Al Green, Liel, John Forster, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen,

Red Grammer Robert Crane "Red" Grammer (born November 28, 1952) is an American singer and songwriter. Life and career The East Orange, New Jersey native started college as a pre-med student at Rutgers, but he transferred to Beloit College in Wisconsin, wh ...

Rosenshontz Rosenshontz was a children's music duo popular in the U.S. in the 1970s and 1980s. Made up of Gary Rosen and Bill Shontz, the group recorded six albums between 1980 and 1994. Some of their more popular songs included "Share It", "Hugga, Hugga" ...

, Gary Rosen, Bill Shontz, Kirsten Thien, Michael Mark, John McCutcheon, Kings Highway, Dave Pettigrew, Adrian Loveridge, Keith Herman, Tommy Walker and Black Ivory. He is also credited for being in the 1988 documentary '' Imagine: John Lennon''. Cobert has also written many jingles and sports themes, the best known being the theme to ESPN ''

Baseball Tonight ''Baseball Tonight'' (stylized as ''Baseball Tonight presented by Chevrolet'' for sponsorship reasons) is an American television program that airs on ESPN. The show, which covers the day's Major League Baseball action, has been on the air since ...

''. Cobert's current group is known as Cobert Operations. He currently resides in Westchester County, NY with his family. He has released 2 CDs of his original songs; ''Here's Your Canoe'' and ''He Had a Hat''.

References

Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni Musicians from Brooklyn American male pianists 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American male musicians {{US-pianist-stub