If you had your choice, what music would you sing? "This is my choice of music. I sing what I want while on stage. Of course my perogative is for the audience to enjoy the music as much as possible. It is a great responsibility!"
What is your favorite music and or singer? "As a kid I loved Elvis' music. My grandmother and dad were fans of his and it just rubbed off. I still thoroughly enjoy Elvis. The 50's and 60's recordings anyway. Because of my appreciation for Elvis, I had an ear for other songs and artists from that same period. Dion, the Platters, Little Richard, Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Darin, Chubby Checker, etc...Somewhere around 12-13 years of age I graduated to Sinatra. I'd always liked his movies and knew several of the big hits: Strangers In the Night, My Way, and Something Stupid. I joined the RCA and Columbia House record clubs and ordered a bunch of records. Casual listening became a passion, particularly the songs that featured Nelson Riddle arrangements. Under My Skin, Night and Day, From This Moment On, Witchcraft, I've Got a Crush On You and the like. The desire to listen to this music, just took over. I put away the teen idol records and engrossed myself in the sophisticated sounds of Frank Sinatra. While playing those records to death I branched out into Dean Martin. Once again, I had seen most of Martin's movies, roasts and had always enjoyed his singing in the Martin and Lewis movies. (I was really too young to have seen and remember his television show) However, I could also sing the first eight bars of Everybody Loves Somebody and mimic Dean's slurs. Eventually I collected all of his LPs from the many second hand record stores in Chicago. It wasn't long before I discovered Tony Bennett, Jerry Vale, Sammy Davis Jr, Jack Jones, Vic Damone, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck and many other vocalists and bought their records as well. Returning to the question; my sentimental favorite singer is unquestionably Dean Martin. Sinatra is a close second. That being said, my tastes change from time to time but in the last several years I can't hear enough of Jack Jones or Henry Mancini. I could listen to Henry Mancini soundtracks and albums of cover songs, all day. He had such a romantic style of arranging the strings. Also, the percussion he incorporated into his arrangements added a unique element to the finished product. The Oscar Peterson Trio is my pick for small group jazz. I suppose I prefer instrumentals to vocals, most of the time. Hours upon hours of uninterupted vocals can be torture especially if the mixture includes an inordinate amount of female vocals. It's just me!"
We're thinking of having someone sing at our upcoming baptism party. The room at the restaurant is too small for a band; so do you sing with background tracks? "Absolutely not! My viewpoint is that, this is the lamest entertainment that exists. Best not to have anyone sing than to have somebody ape Sinatra's records. It will always be lame. I sang and ran a karaoke bar years ago and had aIot of fun doing so. I was pretty good, but every so often a pro would come in and "smoke" me! Bring the house down with his great voice, phrasing and know-how. That's the singer and entertainer I aspire to be! Now I don't knock a person that sings with tracks (a person's got to do whatever it takes to put food on the table) but it's not for me. And what I do (creating music from scratch, with a band) they can rarely do!"
If you and your musicians are so good, why aren't you working in the clubs everyday of the week? "Good question! Here's the short answer. Lack of good venues to play and the lack of a sufficient budget to hire a great band. Professionals get paid well for their services. If they're not paid well then there needs to be another good reason to work in a club. The trend in the last 40+ years has been away from jazz music. Jazz and the classic pop that I sing require the right combination of acoustics, seating, and overall atmosphere that is condusive to the music and entertaining. Most clubs today are not suitable for jazz. Also, most people that book my type of music have no clue on how to market it. Therefore most of clubs suck as far as their viability for jazz! Jazz also requires enough instrumentation to be effective (to hold an audience for any extended period) More often than not, if there is a jazz group playing a particular club or restaurant, first there are few people in attendance, and second there is good chance that the caliber of musicianship will be sub-par. The really excellent and professional musicians want to sound their best. An out of tune piano, a total budget of $250.00 with eleven television sets illuminating the ceilings (with a different game on each one) is not condusive to jazz. The crappy musicians fill these gigs and the casual listener thinks that this is indicative of all of jazz. Sorry, it's just not the case! I have an obligation to not put myself in these type of enviornments. Everyone gets short changed!"
What is your opinion of the numerous Rat Pack tribute shows that have cropped up in recent years? "In general, I'm not impressed! I am as big of a fan as there is of Frank, Dean and Sammy. Nobody comes close to their talent. They were in a different category alltogether. Rarely is a guy going to become a "really good" singer going around imitating people that he has no hope at all of replicating, vocally. I wrote about that a couple of years ago. Here Don't get me wrong, there are certainly some talented individuals out there. Guys that can carry a tune nicely. What annoys me is being subjected to the same old background or karaoke version of Sinatra's Summerwind. That thing has been around since the nineties and it's atrocious. Fake electronic horns. yuck! One other thing, many of the tribute shows with re-creations of Las Vegas showrooms of the 60's bring in Marilyn Monroe. What is that about? She was not a part of the Rat Pack. She crashed JFK's birthday party and sang "Happy B-Day Mr. President". It looks as if Marilyn winds up in these tribute performances because the principle players can't handle the full duration by themselves. It's bad history! I enjoy creativity, originality. The humor from back in the 60's no longer works on mainstream audiences. It's offensive, today. If you can show me a Rat Pack tribute show that somehow ties the old with today, modern humor, great singing with a live band, and whose players are charismatic then, I'll be impressed."
What sets you apart musically and makes you better than many of your competitors? "Well first off, as far as being better than someone else, that is totally subjective. There are plenty of big time singers that never appealed to me. Johnny Ray, Vaughn Monroe, Ray Eberly, Andrea Boccelli has the most boring style I have ever heard. So what! The guy has sold millions of records and is loved around the globe. My opinion doesn't matter. Music is about what the listener finds enjoyable. When it comes to my strengths I think that my variety of musical styles (jazz ballads, swing, 50's rock, 60's pop, Latin, Broadway, and pre-70's Italian) and repertoire are unmatched. Where the rule of thumb for a vocalist's repertoire is to have 30-40 songs, my repertoire is in the thousands. That doesn't make someone a better singer but it can certainly keep a listener's attention longer than one who sings one slow tune after another. I also have a firm understanding of music and it's creation. Don't underestimate this one! There is a world of difference between a great musician and a mediocre one. I know the difference, most vocalists do not. The bottom line is that, the bands that I assemble will be capable of sounding the way I want them to sound. For example, I am not relegated to playing all my songs in the key of "C" because that's the extent of my guitarist's ability. I do believe that whatever band that is working with me on any particular night, (with few exceptions) is as good as there is in the country! No matter how skillful or seasoned, a singer will be destroyed by a bad band. The old adage applies "You're only as good as those around you" or something like that. There are other things as well, but that's enough on this topic for now"
Is this all that you do? That is, the music business? I wish! By day I am a deck contractor. It's a good business and has allowed me to pursue my entertaining career. I became a carpenter's helper at 20, full-fledged residential carpenter shortly after and started my company in 1992. I rarely swing a hammer now, though. Need a new deck? Wood or synthetic. Here's the construction website www.DuPageDecks.com