The other guy [Piano Player]

[RobRoz]

Hi, Can anyone tell me the name of the Piano player at the Corner Cafe on Mainstreet? (The one that plays afternoons)
I know Rod Miller plays evenings, I was trying to figure out the other guys name. Thanks

[disneyhound]

Reel Coors?

[Sheila]

Hi, Can anyone tell me the name of the Piano player at the Corner Cafe on Mainstreet? (The one that plays afternoons)
I know Rod Miller plays evenings, I was trying to figure out the other guys name. Thanks

Johnny, I believe. Can't remember his last name though. Nice guy, too!

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Rod is (or at least claims to be) self-taught, from slowing down player piano rolls. He's also very fussy about tuning, and will often take out the tuning hammer and mutes if there's a note that's especially bothering him. He's got lots of "schtick," including an arrangement of "Take Me Out to the Ballpark" for piano and music rack (the latter providing a "slapstick" sound effect representing the crack of a bat), and at least one piece in which "in the know" guests provide "tap dancing" sound effects with quarters on the top lid hinge.

Johnny is a music teacher, and I understand he holds his student recitals at the Coke Corner. He's perhaps best known for his "Mickey Mouse's Piano" routine with kids, whereby he guides them in a one-finger arrangement of some Disney melody, providing left-hand accompaniment. Perhaps because he's a music teacher, he's also a bit more inclined to turn the piano over to any and all guests expressing an interest in showing off their own chops. He also has a rather heavier touch than Rod, frequently leaving the piano a bit out of tune. And if a string is worn out, it usually seems to break on his shift.

I'm surprised you know Rod by name, but not Johnny: there was a period of several years during which I never once saw Rod with his name badge on (and he's probably the only Disney CM anywhere whom I've seen onstage without a badge! Even Disney ICE CMs wear traditional Disney name badges).

[Dr. G]

I'll second the vote for his name being Johnny--that's my memory. He is INCREDIBLY nice. We were there in October 2004 for our once every two years trip and stopped for the kids to watch him play for a bit. He struck up a conversation with us and asked if the kids wanted to play the piano with him, and two of them took him up on the offer. After wiping their right index finger clean with a cloth, he proceeded to let them play the piano with him. His left hand did its amazing stuff and with his right hand he used the clean index finger of my girls to play the melody to Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah with one girl and It's a Small World with the other girl. We caught the whole thing on video and it's one of our many priceless memories from the trip. We visited with him for quite awhile after that. Wish I had a sliver of his piano skills. So, my girls can say they've played the Disneyland Piano.

Edited: just noticed the above post--glad to know what that little routine is--we loved it!

[biolabetty]

He did this routine with my 3 year old daughter in July. It was definitely the highlight of our day. I've been wondering ever since what his name was so I can put it in the photo album with the pictures of the 2 of them. Anyone know his last name?