Seen, but not really heard: Walnut Creek native go-to trombonist for hit series 'Glee'
WALNUT CREEK — You’d hardly call Erik Hughes a “Gleek” — the nickname for fans of “Glee,” the popular TV show about a high school glee club. In fact, Hughes had never watched a single episode.
That turned out to be a good thing, because when he first walked onto the set, he could stay focused.
“I wasn’t the least bit star-struck because I didn’t know who any of the actors were, ” Hughes said. “I could stay professional. You’re not supposed to take pictures and ask for autographs or stuff like that.”
Now a senior jazz studies major at the University of Southern California, Hughes — a Northgate High School alum whose parents and grandparents still live in Walnut Creek — made his debut on “Glee” in the final episode of Season 2, that aired in May 2011.
It was the episode about the cutthroat Nationals musical competition that New Directions, the underdog glee club of the fictitious McKinley High in Lima, Ohio, tries to win every year. Hughes, a trombonist, was invited to appear along with other USC musicians as part of a pretend school orchestra.
