If you’re lucky, you’ll get to hear two versions of a song: the original version and the Pat Guadagno version. 

For almost 50 years, the celebrated singer and musician has been entertaining audiences with his lively and unique stylings of beloved music, continuing to elevate songs with his innate musicality and one-of-a-kind perspective. 

Born and raised in New Jersey, Guadagno is well-known for his outstanding command of the guitar. However, his introduction to music really began on the piano. 

“Ever since I started taking piano lessons and I could reach the record player on top of the TV, I just loved music,” Guadagno reminisces.  

Even now, the piano holds a special place for Guadagno, as his childhood lessons remain ever-present in his creative process. “It’s the basis for all music,” says Guadagno. “And even to this day, when I have to transpose something in my head, I have to see a piano keyboard to know where it is, even though I’ve been playing guitar for so long.”

In his early years, Guadagno also idolized legendary artists like The Beatles, aspiring to one day make his own debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. He went on to take inspiration from an array of singer-songwriters, witnessing the possibilities for re-imagining the music of other artists. 

“When I got a little older, the singer-songwriters were so appealing to me,” says Guadagno. “I loved songwriting when I was younger, but realized that these guys were so good at it. I started listening to people like Richie Havens and José Feliciano, and I was taken by what they were doing with other people’s music.” 

But what Guadagno saw as artistry and appreciation for music as a whole, the industry viewed as standard cover music. 

“I fought the battle of being labeled a cover artist for so long, because there were only two kinds of artists. There were singer-songwriters who wrote their own music, like when The Beatles started, then James Taylor, Paul Simon, and Jackson Browne. All those people came around, and they wrote their own music,” Guadagno remembers. “That became the norm, and that became the only acceptable form of music. And people that didn’t write their own music played Jimmy Buffett songs in bars.” 

Ultimately, Guadagno took it upon himself to create a third type of artist—redefining the bounds of musical interpretation, and what it means to call a song your own.

Throughout his career, Guadagno has performed alongside famed artists like Ronnie Spector, Zac Brown, and Bruce Springsteen. His music has also featured in multiple television and film projects, with his performance of “I Need Your Love” winning Best Homegrown Pop Song at the 2022 Garden State Film Festival. 

And in 2023, Guadagno released his seventh studio album titled 1964. While he initially went into the project without a theme, Guadagno quickly realized that the majority of his chosen songs happened to be released in the same year. With that, he delved deeper into the album with newfound intention. 

“About halfway through the record, I started remembering how we used to listen to music at that age, in 1964,” explains Guadagno. “I wasn’t in the industry, I wasn’t a professional musician, I just listened to music and let it bathe over me. I never analyzed anything […] And I wanted to record this with the same ears that I listened to them with when I was in 1964. I think we managed to do that; I think it came out that way.” 

In addition to his albums and performances, Guadagno continues to reinvent the musical wheel by organizing celebrations of renowned singer-songwriters, bringing top-notch musicians and dedicated audiences together for concerts like A Marvelous Night: Van Morrison, Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, and perhaps the most widely anticipated event, Bobfest, an annual celebration honoring the work of Bob Dylan. 

Bobfest has become a staple for Dylan fans everywhere, as Guadagno recalls one year that he is particularly proud of, when he took a chance on an exclusive lineup of rare and unreleased Dylan songs. 

“I was so pleased when the audience left there, totally fulfilled and totally entertained, with music they’d never heard of before,” says Guadagno. “They were all Bob Dylan fans, and so they recognized two or three of the songs, but they discovered Bob Dylan songs that they hadn’t known before, and that was really cool.”

Reflecting on more standout moments from his long-standing career, Guadagno is perhaps most proud of his extensive work with Holiday Express, a program based in the Tri-state area dedicated to bringing joy and music to the underserved during the holiday season. 

“Every year, there was a moment there that I said, ‘That was a defining moment,’” expresses Guadagno. “We watched music touch people when otherwise, music wasn’t part of their lives. And we saw it do things to people; bring smiles to people, bring verbiage to people […] things like that. They make it seem like what you’re doing is worthwhile.”

Later this month, the proclaimed troubadour will join fellow guitarists Johnny Kasun and Luke Brindley for the next RiverJAM Music Listening Room: Songs & Stories event.

“I love seeing people go out of their way to support live music,” gushes Guadagno. “They’re (Meredith and Dan Kasun of RiverJAM Music) just amazing people. I’ve met them a couple of times, and what they do is just inspiring. I just want to be a part of it in any capacity.” 

Guadagno continues, “[I am] looking forward to meeting some people, hopefully making some new friends, and hopefully somebody hearing my music for the first time. That would be great. And hopefully inspiring some people, to either stay in school and get a real job, or go out and chase a silly dream, where you’re never going to make any money.” 

Following his RiverJAM appearance, fans can catch Guadagno this April, performing at his next artist celebration, which will honor the music of country-rock artist Gram Parsons. Guadagno will also be joined by singer-songwriter Lisa Bouchelle, as well as Songs & Stories alum James Maddock.   

Now, having built a lifetime of music, with more celebrations to come, Guadagno mentions just one other musical milestone that he hopes to still someday achieve: 

“Well, I still want to be on The Ed Sullivan Show,” says Guadagno.    

Images taken from patguadagno.com | Interviewed February 5, 2026