JOHN COATES, Jr., 79, died on Nov. 22 in Scranton, PA. Phil Woods said “People don’t know how good a pianist John Coates is.” Coates attended the Mannes College of Music in New York City, toured with Charlie Ventura, performed on the Steve Allen TV Show, and recorded for Savoy Records.
In the 1960s and 70s, he was an arranger and composer for Fred Waring who had settled in the Poconos where he set up a music publishing company. Coates also played regularly at the Deer Head Inn in Delaware Water Gap from the 1960s to 2010.
