Matt Ballinger
Encyclopedia
Matthew Samuel "Matt" Ballinger (born April 22, 1985; Westchester
, New York
) is an American singer and actor best known for being a member of boy band
Dream Street
. He has one younger brother, David.
music world. He was in A Christmas Carol
at Madison Square Garden
for two years, and later had a part in Broadway's plays such as The King and I
, Inherit the Wind
, and The Sound of Music
.
He also did commercials for Sudafed
, Nickelodeon
's Blue's Clues
, AT&T
, and Dannon Yogurt. He made TV appearances on The Rosie O'Donnell Show
, NBC Today, and 1998 Tony Awards.
Matt has played lacrosse for his school's varsity lacrosse team, The Panthers, since he was eight.
He was a member of the music group Dream Street
from 1999 to 2002, along with Frankie J. Galasso
, Chris Trousdale
, Jesse McCartney
& Greg Raposo. While Dream Street were on tour opening for Aaron Carter
in the winter of 2002, Ballinger missed three months of school and got tutored while on the road.
After the break of the band Matt returned to everyday high school life. In 2003 he finished high school and was accepted into Tufts University
in Massachusetts
. During his study in the university in 2004 he started singing in a new band called "The Juice" consisting of Matt (vocals), Leon Mandler (vocals/harmonica), Mike Vitiello (guitar), Ken Kitchin (other guitar), Jim Govatsos (percussion), and Mikey Haendler (bass). In 2007 their album "See Where it Goes" became available on iTunes and some other online music distribution services.
On November 8, 2008 Matt officially announced on the bands Myspace account that The Juice has indeed broken up, he also announced that he had joined another band, Open Till Midnight. Open Till Midnight is a New York City based rock band consisting of Matt Ballinger (vocals), Ross Deutsch on lead guitar, Mike Cook on rhythm guitar, Keith Gooberman on bass, and Jonathan Chamberlain on drums.
Also known as the "brain of the group" by Jesse McCartney, he just recently graduated from Tufts University
in Boston in 2007.
Jesse McCartney also stated in an interview in 2008 that he keeps in touch with Matt and revealed that Matt was working for a law firm.
Matt has recently starred in a short film called Elah and the Moon. (2009)
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) is an American singer and actor best known for being a member of boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
Dream Street
Dream Street
Dream Street was an American pop boy band that was formed in mid 1999 by Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. Dream Street later disbanded in 2002 after a legal dispute between the parents and the group's managers...
. He has one younger brother, David.
Career
Ballinger was always passionate about music. In fifth grade, he became involved in the BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
music world. He was in A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
for two years, and later had a part in Broadway's plays such as The King and I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
, Inherit the Wind
Inherit the Wind (play)
Inherit the Wind is a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee. The play, which debuted in 1955, is a parable that fictionalizes the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial as a means to discuss the then-contemporary McCarthy trials.-Background:...
, and The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
.
He also did commercials for Sudafed
Sudafed
Sudafed is a brand name and registered trademark for over the counter decongestants manufactured by McNeil Laboratories for sale in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
, Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
's Blue's Clues
Blue's Clues
Blue's Clues is an American children's television show airing on the Nickelodeon family of channels. The show premiered on September 8, 1996 and airs on Nick Jr. and other channels, although production of new episodes ceased by 2006. Versions of the show have been produced in other countries,...
, AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, and Dannon Yogurt. He made TV appearances on The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
, NBC Today, and 1998 Tony Awards.
Matt has played lacrosse for his school's varsity lacrosse team, The Panthers, since he was eight.
He was a member of the music group Dream Street
Dream Street
Dream Street was an American pop boy band that was formed in mid 1999 by Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. Dream Street later disbanded in 2002 after a legal dispute between the parents and the group's managers...
from 1999 to 2002, along with Frankie J. Galasso
Frankie J. Galasso
Frank John Galasso is an American musician and actor.As an actor, Galasso appeared as Mickey Canetti on Hudson Street. He also appears in the films Jungle 2 Jungle , The Biggest Fan and A Tale of Two Pizzas .As a musician, Galasso was a member of the teen musical group Dream Street...
, Chris Trousdale
Chris Trousdale
Christopher Ryan Trousdale is an American pop singer, actor, dancer and former member of the band Dream Street.-Early life:Trousdale was born in New Port Richey, Florida to a Greek American father and an Irish American mother.-Career:...
, Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney is an American singer-songwriter, actor and voice actor. McCartney achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama All My Children as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo musical career...
& Greg Raposo. While Dream Street were on tour opening for Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter
Aaron Charles Carter is an American singer. He came to fame as a pop and hip hop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among pre-teen and teenage audiences during the early-first decade of the 21st century....
in the winter of 2002, Ballinger missed three months of school and got tutored while on the road.
After the break of the band Matt returned to everyday high school life. In 2003 he finished high school and was accepted into Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. During his study in the university in 2004 he started singing in a new band called "The Juice" consisting of Matt (vocals), Leon Mandler (vocals/harmonica), Mike Vitiello (guitar), Ken Kitchin (other guitar), Jim Govatsos (percussion), and Mikey Haendler (bass). In 2007 their album "See Where it Goes" became available on iTunes and some other online music distribution services.
On November 8, 2008 Matt officially announced on the bands Myspace account that The Juice has indeed broken up, he also announced that he had joined another band, Open Till Midnight. Open Till Midnight is a New York City based rock band consisting of Matt Ballinger (vocals), Ross Deutsch on lead guitar, Mike Cook on rhythm guitar, Keith Gooberman on bass, and Jonathan Chamberlain on drums.
Also known as the "brain of the group" by Jesse McCartney, he just recently graduated from Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
in Boston in 2007.
Jesse McCartney also stated in an interview in 2008 that he keeps in touch with Matt and revealed that Matt was working for a law firm.
Matt has recently starred in a short film called Elah and the Moon. (2009)