Late Evans City musician Donald Pritts remembered with musical tribute
HARMONY — Family and friends convened at The Harmony Inn on Thursday, Oct. 22, to remember Donald “Donnie” Clark Pritts, a musician from Evans City who passed away one year ago.
Pritts, who had been passionate about music all his life, was well known for performing at venues like The Riverboat and Paradise Park in the 1980s.
Bedonna Erdlen, Pritts’ daughter who was among the organizers of the musical memorial, isn’t old enough to have lived during the Riverboat days, but said she has heard many stories about her father through longtime friends and fellow musicians.
Erdlen said the goal of Thursday’s gathering was to bring together those friends from the past for a night, not just to sit in the crowd, but to perform at the restaurant’s patio area.
“We want to celebrate his life,” Erdlen said.
One of Pritts’ peers and friends, Tony Barge from Ellwood City, said he used to sneak in to the venue where Pritts to hear and learn from him. Barge was 17 at the time.
“From there, we got to be good friends, and through the years, worked a lot of shows together,” Barge said. “(Pritts) was a great guy, and he was well loved by everybody.”
Pritts also used his love for music to support good causes, such as by performing for benefit shows, Erdlen said.
The tribute honored Pritts’ work in helping those in need, especially children. His final performance raised funds for The Andrew Effect, a Zelienople-based nonprofit that helps underprivileged children.
Pritts’ family also made a donation to the nonprofit to honor his memory.
