Photo: Jeff Swensen
When Byron Nash suddenly became a single father at the age of eighteen, he found solace, independence, and a sense of community in the small town of Coraopolis.
“I was living in Baltimore and things were pretty dire. Those circumstances brought my son and I to Coraopolis. It was the first place I had my own apartment, experienced a sense of independence and was able to start this lifelong journey of raising my son and pursuing art and music,” Nash said.
Now a successful working musician based in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, the entrepreneur and fitness guru credits the strong foundation he has built over the years to his time in Coraopolis.
“[When I came to Coraopolis...] I was so young and didn’t really know anyone or anything. I remember buying a mountain bike at the local bike store as a source of transportation. I used to wrap a towel around the bar for my son to sit on safely,” said Nash.
That bike store was Coraopolis Bicycle Shop, locally owned and operated by Dick Wolfe since 1969 and still in business at 938 5th Avenue.
His ties to local business don’t stop there. Nash also purchased his first guitar amplifier - a piece of equipment that started his musical instrument collection - at a small music store on Mill Street.
While living in Coraopolis, Byron studied graphic design at the Community College of Allegheny County. Always a huge music fan, Nash took an art internship at a local music magazine called Rock and Roll Reporter. Because the industry was just switching over to computer-based graphic design, Nash had only one semester of computer training. He became frustrated by having to digitally translate his creativity.
“One day the [magazine’s] owner came into the room and jokingly asked if anyone knew anything about the hair metal band RATT. I raised my hand and everyone burst into laughter.” Nash continued, “He pulled me into his office and asked me music questions and I was spewing all of these music facts and trivia. Totally shocked, he asked if I had ever done any writing and I told him that I was writing CD reviews for fun.”
Byron quickly secured an interview with RATT that launched him into music writing. He steadily rose the ranks to local music editor, then managing editor helping to run the magazine.
Nash sees his time as a music writer as an advantage, because he had the opportunity to learn the music business before taking on his own gigs. Nash’s musical highlights include opening for a wide-range of artists including Busta Rhymes, Dave Matthews Band, Redman & Method Man, 50 Cent, Pharrell Williams, Phil Lesh from the Grateful Dead and more. Most recently, he was asked to play a private dinner for Motown Legend Smokey Robinson, who was so impressed with Byron that he’s been asked back four times over.
In addition to musician and artist, Nash has added entrepreneur to his resume with the launch of DUYA Wellness (Don’t Underestimate Your Ability).
“Fitness is at the forefront of it, but it’s really about personal development, mindset skills, and how to help people become the best version of themselves. DUYA has taken off very quickly and I’m so excited about it. Another cool fact is that my son gave me the name idea. That makes it extra special,” commented Nash.
Photo: Josh Franzos
Running a young company in the midst of a global pandemic helped to elevate Nash’s focus, drive and determination to succeed. “It made me smarter, more focused and crafty. After being in such a bad situation, it made me decide to not rely on bartending as my source of income. It made me think about other ways to create my own opportunities and income without relying on just a job, or something that can be taken away unexpectedly like the service industry was by Covid,” said Nash.
The optimistic Nash also saw a silver lining with his music during the pandemic, stating that it saved and revitalized his music career.
Nash continued, “It gave me rest and time to reevaluate goals, take classes, seminars, lessons, read and revamp my short and long-term goals - by redefining ‘how I did music.’ Oddly enough, I gigged more during the pandemic than 2018-2019 combined. I used it as a positive opportunity to grow and reinvent myself.”
It seems Nash has come full circle, with his return to Coraopolis to open up the Second Saturdays concert series that kicked off on Saturday, June 12th. Nash rocked Mill Street with friend and bandmate George Baron. The duo had the audience vibing to a soulful mix of rock and blues - and some killer guitar riffs. Video of that performance, along with many others can be found on Nash’s Facebook page @ByronNashMusician and website atwww.ByronNash.com. More information on DUYA Wellness can be found @duya_wellness on Instagram.