Dino, Frank, and Tony were very familiar to me growing up. I actually lived in The City for some years, and "I Left My Heart" will always be a favorite. I especially enjoy the duets Bennett recorded with Lady Gaga. (I've long felt she should drop the clown suits and circus acts, because her voice and talent are the things that ought to be on stage.)
Someone told me she was moving away from that--if true, that's great, because I agree with you. She oughtn't to be relegated to belting out version of Telephone.
I mean, I do like some of her "popular" work: Edge of Glory, Clarence Clemens on the stoop with his sax (you can already see the weight loss from the cancer that ultimately killed him), you can't get much better than that.
Sep 7, 2022·edited Sep 7, 2022Liked by Stacey Eskelin
I want to thank John for introducing you to these greats, so that we could learn more about them via the vehicle of your insightful writing, Stacey. Of course, I'm not at all surprised that after being exposed to these performers you've become a fan. These people have awe inducing talent, so much so that the kind of music they sung is almost irrelevant. I've long been a fan of Sinatra, Bennett, and Dean Martin, but thanks to you I now know about these other more obscure but just as impressive singers. These performers are more evidence of the beauty that only immigration can bring; Viva Italia!
You are just the sort of human who would appreciate these the most. I'm sure you've heard of Jack Jones. What a voice! Not Italian, but even Frank Sinatra said he had the best pipes in the business.
Are you friends with my boo, John Arnold, on FB? He's doing a "50 Days, 50 Vinyls" thing that people love, and it's all music you would love, too.
Hey, actually I haven't heard of Jack Jones. Now I'll have to look him up. Thanks for suggestion of adding John as a Friend. I just sent a request to him, he is obviously a man of exquisite tastes :--}
Not my cup of tea, though I do appreciate the considerable talent involved with all of these artists. I suspect that if I lived with a professional musician like John, my musical tastes might take a turn, as well.
My 5-year old grandson's favorite song at the moment is "Mambo Italiano", sung in faux Italian by Irish-American Rosemary Clooney, written by Jewish New Jerseyan Bob Merrill (né Levan). Luckily it's one of my favorites, too!
Loved this article Stacey. Just as an aside, I wrote a play not long ago called WopSong: Tune and Echo, which looks at Italian emigration to the States way back when and the thinning out of the connection that second, third and fourth generations have with Italy as they became more Americanized. The play starts in the present and works its way backward using music as the thread holding the thing together. From the bland internationalized music of today all the way back through pop, the Italian American crooners, the swing bands and ultimately to to the folk music and tarantella's that emanated out of the impoverished towns and villages of Italy's mountains. A couple of names I mentioned that you didn't in your article were Perry Como and Al Martino - also worthies in the crooner tradition.
I was going to add Al Martino, but Substack was scolding me about the length of the article, so I deferred it. And WOW ON YOU for such a cool project! Did you stage it somewhere? It sounds just wonderful.
Alas, I was about to have it go into production in Vancouver, but the very day we were starting on the project I suffered a heart attack (minor). We never got back to it - Covid intervened. Now I am living in Italy and only now have my wife and I become settled enough for me to pursue it. I do not speak Italian well enough yet to make myself understood or to understand everything that is said to me, but slowly, that is happening and so I have hopes for the production of the play.
We were in San Francisco in October 2011, wrapping up a swing through Northern and Central California, when we decided to take in the second-to-last Giants game of the season. We had terrific seats on the third base line, surrounded by season ticket holders, with a salty breeze coming off the water, seagulls waiting for spilled popcorn... the vibe in the ballpark was just so Bay Area chill. The PA asked everyone to stand for the national anthem... and then Tony Bennett walked out on the field to sing it. And sing it he did. The best-ever version of the Star-Spangled Banner that I've ever heard. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. And then he came out AGAIN during the seventh inning stretch and delivered both God Bless America and I Left My Heart in San Francisco!!!!! As Tony would say, Wow! Since then, we've been to a half-dozen of his concerts, all of them memorable. But the most amazing was when he shared the stage with Lady Gaga (drove to Austin for that one). That girl has pipes! And her phrasing is so big-band natural, you'd think she was born into the wrong era. She was meant to be "the girl singer with the band."
Both the hubs and I wiped away tears watching his farewell birthday concert earlier this year. Even in the grip of Alzheimers, when he hit the stage all the lyrics and musicality re-surfaced. You could see his light go on while he performed, and then visibly fade when Lady Gaga escorted him off the stage... sad, but sweet.
Thanks for this piece, Stacey. Took me back to the music my parents listened to and that I grew up secretly loving when everyone else was heavy into rock.
See if you can find Giuseppe di Stefano Neapolitan Songs (Orchestra conducted by G.M. Guarino) EMI CDC-7 47838 2. Not as hip as Sinatra and his crowd, but a true Napolitano tenor (operatic) and phrasing to die for...
Soundtrack of Goodfellas featured Jack Jones' Wives and Lovers... I think.
Great post, Stacey! I grew up in Steubenville, Ohio and I believe Dino was born there. I just did a quick search and everything says Steubenville... Important to us folks from the "Ville. It's all we got except Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder :-). His voice is golden.
I've never been there, but I'm willing to bet there are some great, salt-of-the-earth, hard-working folks up there. Must have been a wonderful place to grow up.
I used to listen to F.S.'s "Strangers in the Night" ad infinitum - along with the Monkees ;)
I loved Jerry Vale, Dino (of course) and SO many others
The Monkees! I haven't thought about them in years.
Only one left - Micky.
My fave was Peter
Dino, Frank, and Tony were very familiar to me growing up. I actually lived in The City for some years, and "I Left My Heart" will always be a favorite. I especially enjoy the duets Bennett recorded with Lady Gaga. (I've long felt she should drop the clown suits and circus acts, because her voice and talent are the things that ought to be on stage.)
Someone told me she was moving away from that--if true, that's great, because I agree with you. She oughtn't to be relegated to belting out version of Telephone.
I mean, I do like some of her "popular" work: Edge of Glory, Clarence Clemens on the stoop with his sax (you can already see the weight loss from the cancer that ultimately killed him), you can't get much better than that.
Ms. Gaga has to perform in front of entertainment imbiciles to make money so she CAN sing with the greats!
I want to thank John for introducing you to these greats, so that we could learn more about them via the vehicle of your insightful writing, Stacey. Of course, I'm not at all surprised that after being exposed to these performers you've become a fan. These people have awe inducing talent, so much so that the kind of music they sung is almost irrelevant. I've long been a fan of Sinatra, Bennett, and Dean Martin, but thanks to you I now know about these other more obscure but just as impressive singers. These performers are more evidence of the beauty that only immigration can bring; Viva Italia!
You are just the sort of human who would appreciate these the most. I'm sure you've heard of Jack Jones. What a voice! Not Italian, but even Frank Sinatra said he had the best pipes in the business.
Are you friends with my boo, John Arnold, on FB? He's doing a "50 Days, 50 Vinyls" thing that people love, and it's all music you would love, too.
Hey, actually I haven't heard of Jack Jones. Now I'll have to look him up. Thanks for suggestion of adding John as a Friend. I just sent a request to him, he is obviously a man of exquisite tastes :--}
Not my cup of tea, though I do appreciate the considerable talent involved with all of these artists. I suspect that if I lived with a professional musician like John, my musical tastes might take a turn, as well.
John's super nerdy about it, too. Like, he has a scale where he actually WEIGHS the records. It's so cute.
😝😝😝😝
My 5-year old grandson's favorite song at the moment is "Mambo Italiano", sung in faux Italian by Irish-American Rosemary Clooney, written by Jewish New Jerseyan Bob Merrill (né Levan). Luckily it's one of my favorites, too!
That's so adorable!!!!! Is there video footage of him singing it? Because that's worth actually money that folds once he gets to middle school.
Loved this article Stacey. Just as an aside, I wrote a play not long ago called WopSong: Tune and Echo, which looks at Italian emigration to the States way back when and the thinning out of the connection that second, third and fourth generations have with Italy as they became more Americanized. The play starts in the present and works its way backward using music as the thread holding the thing together. From the bland internationalized music of today all the way back through pop, the Italian American crooners, the swing bands and ultimately to to the folk music and tarantella's that emanated out of the impoverished towns and villages of Italy's mountains. A couple of names I mentioned that you didn't in your article were Perry Como and Al Martino - also worthies in the crooner tradition.
I was going to add Al Martino, but Substack was scolding me about the length of the article, so I deferred it. And WOW ON YOU for such a cool project! Did you stage it somewhere? It sounds just wonderful.
Alas, I was about to have it go into production in Vancouver, but the very day we were starting on the project I suffered a heart attack (minor). We never got back to it - Covid intervened. Now I am living in Italy and only now have my wife and I become settled enough for me to pursue it. I do not speak Italian well enough yet to make myself understood or to understand everything that is said to me, but slowly, that is happening and so I have hopes for the production of the play.
We were in San Francisco in October 2011, wrapping up a swing through Northern and Central California, when we decided to take in the second-to-last Giants game of the season. We had terrific seats on the third base line, surrounded by season ticket holders, with a salty breeze coming off the water, seagulls waiting for spilled popcorn... the vibe in the ballpark was just so Bay Area chill. The PA asked everyone to stand for the national anthem... and then Tony Bennett walked out on the field to sing it. And sing it he did. The best-ever version of the Star-Spangled Banner that I've ever heard. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. And then he came out AGAIN during the seventh inning stretch and delivered both God Bless America and I Left My Heart in San Francisco!!!!! As Tony would say, Wow! Since then, we've been to a half-dozen of his concerts, all of them memorable. But the most amazing was when he shared the stage with Lady Gaga (drove to Austin for that one). That girl has pipes! And her phrasing is so big-band natural, you'd think she was born into the wrong era. She was meant to be "the girl singer with the band."
Both the hubs and I wiped away tears watching his farewell birthday concert earlier this year. Even in the grip of Alzheimers, when he hit the stage all the lyrics and musicality re-surfaced. You could see his light go on while he performed, and then visibly fade when Lady Gaga escorted him off the stage... sad, but sweet.
Thanks for this piece, Stacey. Took me back to the music my parents listened to and that I grew up secretly loving when everyone else was heavy into rock.
MAN, you can tell a story! I am forever in awe of your world-building talents and your sense of literary timing. Just a huge fan.
Do you know about Jack Jones? Marvelous singer. Frank Sinatra said he had the best pipes in the business. Not Italian though!
See if you can find Giuseppe di Stefano Neapolitan Songs (Orchestra conducted by G.M. Guarino) EMI CDC-7 47838 2. Not as hip as Sinatra and his crowd, but a true Napolitano tenor (operatic) and phrasing to die for...
Soundtrack of Goodfellas featured Jack Jones' Wives and Lovers... I think.
Thanks so much, I loved listening to many singers I never knew about.
For you? Anything!
Thanks, loved reading it and listening too!
I bet you could sing the you-know-what out of some of these songs.
Great post, Stacey! I grew up in Steubenville, Ohio and I believe Dino was born there. I just did a quick search and everything says Steubenville... Important to us folks from the "Ville. It's all we got except Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder :-). His voice is golden.
I've never been there, but I'm willing to bet there are some great, salt-of-the-earth, hard-working folks up there. Must have been a wonderful place to grow up.