exactly Fran, what I meant to say is I heard them do it acapella in the barber shop when I was a little kid maybe 8yrs old, then a few years later Tony the barber took me for a ride in his new Caddy, met up with Vito at Spumoni gardens for pizza and he sang it again in the car acapella for us and some girls outside Lafayette HS.......Vito got his haircut next door to my fathers Italian restaurant as his barber and friend Tony worked there...they always had dinner at my pops place...fond memories.This also led to to doing WMCA Radio AM oldie battle of the bands when I was 14 made alot of connections..

Let's take another turn here..

I was 15 when Little Star topped off...and I did own a car..had it when I was 13....It was used in a "hold up" and my Father towed it in and ended up with it for storage...the title could not be transferred...so I used it on the 30 acres of land behind our Garage, and home...I was a motor head at a young age...Here is a youtube clip showing a 46 Merc like the one I had...it was also like new...

Listen to the music background, and it won't seem off topic...that much..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtGa_hBvWno

all I know The BB need a better lead singer asap...
the sympathetic fans get frustrated fast....Nationwide Auditions are in order......they did it for the Four seasons for Jersey Boys on Broadway so they can do it for the BB also....

I guess Vito took the old 69st (Brooklyn) Ferry to hang out there ...

[img]http://www.allposters.com/-sp/69th-Street-Ferry-Posters_i2900495_.htm[/img]


http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682011/bio

While we are on this NEW topic ... whenever we had a gig in Brooklyn pre- Verrazano - Narrows Bridge (pre - 1964) two of us use to get in the ferry line at about 3:00 in the afternoon with the van and all the gear ... the rest of the guys would take the ferry on foot at about 5:00 or so depending on the start time ... we had to get in line earlier because on a weekend night you could sit in line for HOURS before you got a vehicle on a boat ... sometimes we would make the same ferry as the guys who got there at 5:00 !!!

As I was growing up...we had 3 different "Tony the barber" ...If I can recall...one of them wasn't a barber at all..

We would sometimes take the trolly Buses to the 69th St Ferry,..I went over the Verrazano bridge first day with the folks......it was the beginning of the END of Staten Island....my aunt lived on Shore road facing the Hudson......my Uncle was a pro photographer and took pics every night right out their window from the first day of construction and put them in an album till it was finished.
After the mass Exodus from Bklyn in the mid 70's it's never been the same ......all Russian & Korean Now have migrated there....I bought my first house in S.I. but when I saw what was happening it was time to flee asap....happy I made that move with my family down the jersey shore no regrets..
S.I. became Brooklyn for a little while but now a very crowded melting pot wasteland....so sad.

Chas, speaking of forgetting..........what happened to that lunch we were going to have...when you visited Benny's...

Fran, I would still enjoy that very much. I just haven't been able to get up that way in quite a while. I have a very dear friend (lives in Media) who is pretty ill and unlikely to recover, so I'll probably go up to visit him. If, no, When, I come up, I will make sure we have an opportunity to get together. Any meals that might transpire will definately be on me. It's good to see you ol' farts still active in the music business (I can see how the ladies we always see you with, could make you want to postpone retirement ).

I can hardly believe Benny's still alive and kicking, much less still hustling merchandise. A true Philly legend in the music community. Take care, friend.

chas

I bought an accordion off Benny last year......gave me a great deal.....still feisty as ever!! A legend for sure...
Cintioli Music..still selling gear the old fashioned way, I Love going to his shop in Philly.

Cintioli Music

While I'm not a major Beatles fan, the thing I remember is, they broke the "C, Am F, G" pop mode.

By 64, when they hit it big in the US, I had been working in clubs for 9 years. ?Firs, it was Les Paul and Mary ford tunes...then R&B of the three and four chord variety.

Part of the deal is the way those chords are played.

"Think of "You made me leave my happy home" (substitute and Fm for the F), "But you don't know me" and many others.

The Coasters, Drifters, Skyliners (Since I Fell For You)...all part off my personal and music past.

I'm, glad I was around to enjoy that music.

After all, that music was the "bridge" to the more involved stuff.


Ain't this a GRAND way to make a living?


Russ