PRIME LIVING
A man for all seasons Sean McCarthy
As a radio talk show host he broadcasts his opinions across the South Coast. As a private investigator he prowls for bad guys all over the country. And as the lead singer of a Bon Jovi tribute band he performs on stages around the world.
Ken Pittman is leading an interesting but challenging life, with success he attributes to his reliance on family, faith, and friends – and a good sense of humor. For Pittman, there have been days he didn’t want to face and days he didn’t want to end. But ultimately he would rather make you laugh than cry. “I’ve had a lot of turmoil and loss in my life, but I’ve always had faith that God will take care of me, and I haven’t been wrong about that yet,” he says. “I’ve never felt alone, even when my nose was barely above water.” Today the 56-year-old father of six is above water. A Dartmouth resident, he reflects upon the years of his youth on the east side of Brockton, an education in life that has had an influence on him every day, good or bad. When he was only
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S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
11 months old, his father, Paul, died of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. In August 2002, his wife Kristin died in a car accident, leaving him with three young children. But Pittman’s confidence and determination have led to careers as a talk show host, a detective, and a rock musician.
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He’s very
personable,
he can talk to
anyone about a lot of different
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Many faces “I come from a long line of entertainers,” Pittman says. “My father was the Director of the Boston College Marching Band, and my mother was a Rockette. My grandfather Joe Madden was a famous comedian. Since the age of five it was my job to make my sisters and my friends laugh – I’ve been doing impressions all my life, something that helps when I sing the music of other performers.” And he sings the music of other performers a lot. His band Living On A Bad Name plays the music of Bon Jovi throughout America, the Caribbean, and Europe, from festivals to cruise ships, doing more than 50 shows a year. It’s a gig he’s had for 12 years. And the whole time, the band’s drummer has been his son Keith Pittman, now 25. “Ken’s a fun guy to be around,” says guitarist/bandmate Ethan Brosh of
