Biography:
I was born in Boston, Massachusetts on February 27, 1977 and raised in Waltham, a working-class city a few miles west of Boston. My father John, who was born in Cambridge and raised in Boston, is a retired firefighter who was employed for more than thirty years by the town of Belmont (a metro-west suburb of Boston) and my mother, who was born in Cambridge and raised in Belmont, has worked for more than forty years at Ivanhoe Insurance Agency, a small business that she now owns in that town.
I am one of five siblings, including my twin brother Mike, my two younger brothers, Jeff and John Jr., an older brother, Greg, and a sister, Lisa D'Amico. I also have six nephews and three nieces.
I am currently employed at the Boston Academy of English, where I teach English grammar and communication skills to adults from more than 30 different countries.
Prior to beginning my career in education, I held a variety of jobs. I worked for many years and in various capacities at WUMB-FM Radio Network, an NPR-affiliated public radio station in Boston. Ultimately, I was the producer for The Morning Express radio show and finally as the producer and host of Extreme Folk. This announcer blurb says a little more: "Darrell Penta has worked in various capacities for WUMB since 2002, when he began as an assistant to the General Manager. Within a short span of time, he took the role of Producer for the newly-launched Morning Express program, the success of which provided him with numerous opportunities to conduct interviews with noted musicians and other cultural workers.
"For me, a relative new-comer in the radio industry, interviewing was a vehicle for gaining real social and historical perspective. I came to discover many important things in this regard, talking with musicians who actively changed our nation during the 50's and 60's by naming social inequities or by providing liberating points of view, and also with musicians and others who do the same thing now in so many creative ways. Through the process of interviewing, I gained the highest respect for people who take responsibility for this in their lives--a great number of whom consider themselves folk artists."
I'm not an authority on folk music (with the possible exception of old-school hip-hop), but my passion for interviewing continues to grow.
From 1999-2001, I worked and lived on the island of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. There, I co-owned and operated a small earth-friendly clothing and products boutique that sold wares made from sustainable resources, including hemp, flax, organic cotton, and recycled rubbers. I also worked as a commercial fisherman during the winter seasons.
- My Curriculum Vitae
- Clicking here opens a PDF file in a new window