Singer Nate Venturelli proud of ‘working man’ stage identity
Marquee billing as the opening artist for Travis Tritt last year at the Rialto Square Theatre on Aug. 21 was a dream birthday gift for Northwest Indiana roots singer Nate Venturelli.
“That concert with Travis Tritt just happened to be on my actual birthday, which made the whole thing pretty incredible,” said Venturelli, whose five-year performance career caught on fast, in a creative field that is notoriously competitive.
“And, it was a sold-out show. Travis has always been one of my favorites and a musical inspiration.”
Venturelli, 31, lists a roster of other country music mentors are admittedly “old school,” as he describes them, names such as Alan Jackson and late greats Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings.
When Venturelli takes the stage at 9 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Hard Rock Cafe at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana in Gary for a free concert, he plans to have already strolled the property to scan for any costumes or memorabilia on display representing his favorite music icons.
Famed names aside, the inspiration
for Venturelli’s musical mark comes from his own family.
He still has his “day job,” which he treats as a treasured connection to his late grandfather while “punching the clock” on his welding shift for Northern Indiana Public Service Company (Nipsco) near Demotte, his home of the past two years. He proudly credits his writing, recording and country music creativity launched as a result of his “hard working family union roots.”
He is a member of Local 12775 in Porter and his career reached new high heights during the pandemic when he released a hit song titled “Union Man” about his late grandfather Larry Venturelli, who was president of USW Local 1053 in Riverdale, Illinois. Also a truck driver at Acme Steel Co., his grandfather died in 1992 at 54 from a heart attack when Nate was 2 years old.
Originally from St. John, he and his two siblings were raised with the help of his grandparents and his single mom. Today, his mom lives in Crown Point and his father lives in Lockport, Illinois.
He said it was “after a hard day at work,” and while looking at a photo of his “Papa,” the name as a toddler he affectionately assigned to his grandfather, that he was inspired to pen the lyrics to “Union Man,” which includes the chorus: “Papa was a union man / He built a life with his bare hands / Saw the good in everyone / He’d even give you the shirt off his back/ Eight days a week / Backbreaking hours in the coke plant / There ain’t a thing he couldn’t fix / ’Cuz he never said the words I can’t.”
Venturelli said he never wrote the song anticipating it would be embraced as an anthem to all of the dedicated members of unions, but he beams to know his heartfelt tribute to his grandfather connects with so many others for so many reasons.
“While I had the chorus in my head pretty much from the start, it still took me a couple months before I had the song complete,” said Venturelli, describing the timeline prior to the release of “Union Man” in 2021.
“No one else in my family is a musician or singer, so it’s not like I grew up around it. But I’ve always had an interest and loved strumming a guitar. I’ve always had a very supportive family.”
This year, Venturelli said he’s booked for concert engagements in eight states, including an April date at the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Hollywood, Florida, and a June concert at a Nashville venue during the annual Country Music Association Festival.
Last year, he was the opening artist for Darius Rucker and Jackson Dean at Hammond’s annual Festival of the Lakes.
“I’ve started doing a merchandise table that is setup at my larger show venues, which is a new experience for me since I started touring,” Venturelli said.
“And recently, I sold out of all of my merchandise, so I have to order some more stuff for the future show dates I have coming up this year. So I guess, that’s a pretty good sign.”