George Baldi
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George William Baldi III (born August 29, 1970) is an American singer best known as the
bass singer A bass is a type of classical male singing voice and has the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', a bass is typically classified as having a vocal range extending from around the second E b ...
of the
a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
singing group Rockapella from 2002 to 2014, and then returned to the group since 2022.


Early life

Baldi grew up in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. He discovered his musical and performing talents at a young age by singing and dancing in the jam sessions his family would have at his aunt's house after having
Sunday dinner A Sunday roast or roast dinner is a traditional meal of British and Irish origin. Although it can be consumed throughout the week, it is traditionally consumed on Sunday. It consists of roasted meat, roasted potatoes and accompaniments su ...
at his grandmother's. Baldi attended the
Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, commonly known as CAPA, is a magnet school in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the edge of the Christian Street Historic District. It is a part of the School Distri ...
, where he majored in vocal music. While a student at CAPA, Baldi was a founding member of Unique Attraction, a group that later evolved into
Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...
. Baldi left Unique Attraction upon graduating in 1988, at which time he continued his musical education at Morris Brown College as a vocal performance major, receiving a BA in Music in 1993.


Musical career

Baldi auditioned for a job at
Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...
after graduating from college, and in 1994 began performing in The Voices of Liberty and then American Vybe, a cappella groups in The American Adventure pavilion at
Epcot Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...
. Then, in 2001, Baldi auditioned with a group of guys for a job at
Universal Studios Japan is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Parks & Resorts, Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operated by a whol ...
located in
Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
. He was trying to help them get the job, but was the only person chosen out of the group and was offered a position in the Beetlejuice Rock and Roll show as
Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...
. The job started on March 31, 2001, the park's opening date, and Baldi moved to Japan for it, continuing to work and live there for a year, eventually obtaining the position of park vocal coach in addition to his performing duties.


Rockapella

When bassist
Barry Carl Barry Strauss Carl (born April 20, 1950) is an American voice-over actor and musician best known as the bass of the a cappella vocal band Rockapella while the group was house band on the PBS children's geography game show '' Where in the World ...
decided to retire from the group to pursue other opportunities in 2002, Rockapella was left without a bass singer and needed to find a new one. The group was informed by a mutual friend that a "true bass" could be found in Baldi, but he was in Japan at the time. They sent him an email asking if he would come back to the US and audition for the group. He was hired for the job in May 2002 and began to learn the group's song setlist. Baldi recorded his parts for ''
Smilin' ''Smilin is the thirteenth overall and eighth North American album by the a cappella group Rockapella. It is legendary bass Barry Carl's last album as a member of the group and the first appearance of Carl's successor, George Baldi III. It was r ...
'', the group's 2002 summer album that served as a transition between Carl and Baldi singing bass, and his first concert as a member of Rockapella was on August 1, 2002 in Hartford, Connecticut at the East Hartford Town Green. Baldi's soft, smooth, resonant bass is a great contrast to Carl's, which seemed to rumble up from the depths of the earth, and his addition to the band started the evolution of Rockapella to their current R&B-based sound, or "the new sound of Rockapella" as the group refers to it as. He has sung many bass solos for Rockapella, taking over some of Carl's previous solos and singing his own unique solos in new original and cover music the group has included in their setlist over the years. Baldi's vocal range is vast, transitioning from low bass rumbling to high pitched belting with ease. In 2014, Baldi stepped aside from performing full-time with Rockapella and was replaced by Ryan Chappelle. Baldi remains as a supporting member to this day.See page's reply to Stefan
/ref> In 2022, after bass Bryant Vance left Rockapella, Baldi returned to the group.


Personal life

When not touring the world with Rockapella, Baldi recreationally rides bicycles; he performs at the Walt Disney World Resort in the Festival of the Lion King playing the role of Kiume, a role he originated when the show first opened. Baldi currently lives in Florida, where he is close to his daughter DeAhna Zhane Baldi (b. 1994).


Discography


Domestic releases


Unaffiliated releases


Various releases


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldi, George 1970 births Living people Musicians from Philadelphia People from Orange County, Florida American basses American male pop singers Rockapella members 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers