He is the founder of the Baltimore-Washington Songwriter's Association, and his performing career dates back to the 1970s, both as an individual folk performer, and as an old-time country banjo player with a string band called the Famous Pyle Brothers. His songs tend toward humor and novelties (one tune that earned major-market radio play was "I Wrote the Songs That Barry Manilow Sings"), but he also has a political purpose in supporting vegetarianism, animal rights, and family farms.

Pyle spent four-and-a-half years putting together his debut solo album, Apples & Oranges, released on his own Apple Tree Records label in April 2004, and featuring many top musicians from the Baltimore-Washington area. ~ William Ruhlmann