The first bodybuilding contest I ever saw featured Pete G and Danny Padilla as guest posers, in Rochester, NY. This was just after Pumping Iron came out, and I was so intrigued with the sport that I went to the Mr. Rochester contest at the Monroe County Fairgrounds.
Watching Danny Padilla and later, Pete G, walk past me on their way to the stage was an experience. Up until then, I never saw human beings that big and muscular! Danny was a show stopper, but Pete had the crowd on the edge of their seats with his posing. One of the songs he posed to was "Everybody's a Winner" by Hot Chocolate, a funk song that was popular at the time.
Pete also did commercials for a local bookstore in the area (I can't recall the name) and would pose with a single biceps shot at the end of the commercial.
What really struck me at the time was that two of the top bodybuilders in the world came from Rochester, where I attended college. Small world.
BTW, Lou Gramm, of the rock group Foreigner, was from the same area in Rochester as Danny Padilla. I worked with Lou's cousin at Xerox Research Labs.
What was so special about Rochester in the late 70's to produce these (and many other) high achievers???
