The Altoona area music scene was saddened recently with the passing of Priscilla Gati, who passed away on June 29 at age 74 after battling Alzheimer’s disease. Priscilla in recent years came to be known as “The Tambourine Lady,” and I was inspired to put my ballpoint pens to paper and create this portrait of Priscilla doing her thing as “The Tambourine Lady.”
Priscilla had been a fan and follower of the area music scene for a long time, going back to the late 1980s/early 1990s. She was a big fan of The Front back then, and she could frequently be seen on the dance floor during that group’s shows at the 4D’s Lounge and other local venues. I’m not sure exactly when she started to bring her tambourine along, but Priscilla and her husband Robert (who passed in 2018) began to attend weekly local open mic and jam night events at Pellegrine’s and D’Ottavio’s Gran Sasso, and she and her tambourine could soon be seen at various live music shows, festivals, benefits and more. She wound up playing tambourine alongside quite a few area bands over the years, and even tapped that tambourine alongside a few punk and metal bands. She started to take drum lessons in more recent years, and got to sit behind a drum kit during some of the jam nights.
Priscilla was a pleasant soul, and my Backyard Rockers bandmates and I always enjoyed having her on the stage with us. Priscilla would often “fist-bump” me at the ends of songs, and we had good times.
Priscilla became a beloved personality, and even inspired others. I recently spoke with an area musician who several years ago saw Priscilla doing her thing with the tambourine, and he said it inspired him to pick up his guitar and start coming out to open mics and jam nights to perform.
Through it all, Priscilla became a part of this town’s music scene and culture, and her tambourine and outgoing personality endeared her to musicians and fans alike. She made her mark in our music community, and her memory will live on.