Well, we lost another one. Frank Sinatra Jr. died of a massive heart attack on March 16, just before he was to go on stage for a performance in Florida. He was 72: 11 years younger than his father was when he passed away in 1998. I was fortunate to have worked with Jr. on many occasions over the years, most recently in November when he appeared at the Arcada Theatre to celebrate “A Century of Sinatra” in honor of what would have been his father’s 100th birthday. It was an incredible night, with Jr. showing rarely seen photos and …

  Dec. 12, 1915, Hoboken, New Jersey … “Chairman of the Board” to be Francis Albert Sinatra, was born to Italian immigrants. The wiry, blue-eyed kid with a huge smile loved to sing, and at the tender age of 8 sang publically for the first time. His father, Antonio, a lightweight boxer and Hoboken Fire Department Captain, propped him up on the bar in a local saloon to entertain his fellow firemen and “The Voice” was born. Music was his passion, and school wasn’t. He barely made it to high school before he decided to pack up his blue eyes …

  Each week I produce shows with entertainers who are mainly from the eras of the ’60s through the ’80s. This covers MY era of music, with others that I was exposed to by the older kids in high school or the younger ones we were hanging out with. I get the privilege of doing shows with big names in classic rock, classic country, Motown and what is now called “Heritage” music, or the Oldies. But as I fulfill my musical fantasies, I have come to realize there is much more going on at The Arcada than meets the ear. …

  Growing up in the dawn” of the variety show concept, one of my favorites had to be The Sonny & Cher Show. Each week, watching the little Italian guy get picked on by the tall beauty, well, really hit home for me for obvious reasons. When the show went on summer hiatus in 1974, its replacement starred a guy who I was excited to see, mainly because he was another Italian American with a great voice. Tony Orlando was actually Greek and Puerto Rican, but he still looked like one of my cousins with the big bushy moustache and …

We at The Arcada Theatre have been fortunate enough to bring celebrities on a regular basis to St. Charles, many times being selected over venues in Chicago proper. Superstars, too many to count, appear on our stage regularly, performing their wonderful shows, further drawing attention to the wonders of the Fox Valley. In August of last year, the celebrity “buzz” was a bit different in downtown St. Charles, though. Jenny McCarthy, the former Playboy centerfold, television star, author and activist wed her internationally famous fiancé, actor and original New Kids on the Block member Donnie Wahlberg at the Hotel Baker, …

  As I was hustling between the raindrops en route to our place in the local Memorial Day Parade (my daughter’s grammar school class marches every year and I’m in charge of the all-important tossable candy), I was stopped by a group of “bikers” in the parade who have come to my rock shows before. “Hey, thanks for all the great music. We come to all your shows,” the leather-clad rider said. A couple other Harley owners also gave me a “thumbs up.” Now, I am not a biker nor have I ever ridden on one before. Have I ever …

  If the Rock Hall of Fame were a person, who would it be? In my humble opinion, few individuals embody the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the way ’60s girl-group superstar Ronnie Spector does. You see it in the way her remarkable career has intertwined with so many legendary figures in music. It’s truly amazing to speak to her about it, as I did backstage prior to our holiday show at the Arcada Theatre last year. It’s equally amazing the degree to which her Christmas songs have become international staples, musically branding the holiday itself! As we all …

  I am a HUGE Chicago sports fan, really loving all the excitement and pride that goes along with it. One of my particular favorite experiences is to visit the boys on the ice, my Chicago Blackhawks. One of the best experiences in all of sports was the singing of the national anthem in the old Chicago Stadium. Bone-chilling volume coupled with red, white and blue flowing through the veins of every fan on his and her feet was something I will never forget. Another unsung hero is something that really goes unnoticed while at the same time is a …

  As the British “invaded” America’s rock ’n roll scene from 1964 to 1967, many American bands emulated the mop-top style of music just to keep up. But when I asked Felix Cavaliere why his Young Rascals really didn’t have that style mixed in with their repertoire, his answer was quite interesting. “If you really look at it, the guys from England were trying to be American,” he said. “The Stones and the Beatles have both said that they were really influenced by American Blues, especially by the hometown boys of the Blues by you in Chicago. They were also …

During baseball season, three things bring me to an out-of-body, Field-of-Dreams experience: having a couple of smokie-link sandwiches in the left field box seats at Wrigley facing the base that Santo built; throwing down a cold one while watching the post-home-run fireworks at Comiskey (sorry, it will always be Comiskey); and recalling my day with a man who is spoken of in the same conversation as is Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig: Joe DiMaggio. For many years, I volunteered my time to The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame on Taylor Street in Chicago. I produced all its fundraising …