By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Dec 22, 2006 at 10:55 AM
Milwaukee's Cheryl Pawelski, who has been working as an A&R staffer in Los Angeles for years now, departs her job at Concord Jazz in January to take the top A&R dog at Rhino Records a few days later. The job is a dream come true, Pawelski says.

"There are four of these jobs in the us and they don't open (often)," she tells me via email. " I am about to pop!"

During a year at Concord, Pawelski -- who worked for a long time at Capitol Records -- produced acclaimed box sets featuring works by Miles Davis and John Coltrane. She also did freelance work at Rhino and her project for them, "Rockin' Bones: 1950's Punk & Rockabilly," has earned her a Grammy nomination this year.

"I didn't get to spend too much time (at Concord) but I feel like I did some good work while I was mucking around in Beverly Hills," Pawelski says. "Thing is, when you have the chance to go to the Super Bowl, well, you go right?"
Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.