Warde Alumnus Tony Procaccini to Speak About Frank Sinatra in Fairfield This Afternoon

Andrew Warde High School 1976 product Tony Procaccini has been invited to speak about Frank Sinatra to the residents of Parish Court in Fairfield this afternoon, Wednesday, April 11. Procaccini is pictured below with classmate Tom DeLaurentis, who presented Tony with a special edition 45 record of "New York, New York" for Tony's work on the AWHS Class of 1976 30-year reunion in 2006.

In the late 1970s, while studying music at the University of Bridgeport (CT), and working with his mentor, bandleader Benny Rae, of Bridgeport, Procaccini became fascinated with the life and music of Ole Blue Eyes. "I still remember when Benny lent me a Capital LP called "A Swingin' Affair." The first tune, 'The Lonesome Road,' seemed to epitomize what Benny called the Sinatra beat. I was hooked, and so I began buying Sinatra albums often, read books about him, went to see him perform a number of times, and saw many of his movies, too."

This fascination led Procaccini to a lifelong study of the crooner and the opportunity to briefly meet Frank Sinatra, Jr., twice. They are pictured below at New York's "The Blue Note" in May, 2009. In 2001, Tony organized and hosted a Sinatra seminar in New York City with guest speakers Will Friedwald and Chuck Granata. These two are considered among the top world authorities on the singer.

In 2007, Tony interviewed Sinatra family archivist Charles Pignone and Nancy Sinatra's daughter, A.J. Lambert. In 2011, in two different sessions as an Internet radio show host for Centanni Broadcasting, he interviewed Granata and Tom Santopietro, author of "Sinatra in Hollywood."

"Reading about Sinatra's life gives one a great insight into social history, the dreams and struggles of immigrants (Sinatra's parents), Frank's fabulous movie career, and the long arc of the history of American popular music," reflects Procaccini. "Add to that his ability to connect with many generations of fans, and you see that he accomplished so much in his lifetime. He is, in my opinion, the greatest entertained in American history."

Procaccini intends to use a baby grand piano, books, posters, memorabilia from his collection, CDs and DVDs to illustrate points during his interactive talk. "I call it interactive because I usually have the audience start by telling me what they know about Sinatra, and what their experiences were with him. I am always surprised and delighted by the answers, such of which give me new information on Frank."