Procaccini will be joined by Bridgeport's legendary baritone Benny Rae, with whom Procaccini worked for twelve years, and author Lou Miano of New York City. Procaccini and Rae are pictured working together below.
After having performed as a teenager with Louis Prima and Keely Smith in the late 1940s, Park City native Benny Rae thrilled local crowds for decades. In his prime, Rae was unquestionably one of the area's most talented musicians, and is still known affectionately as the "Little Louis Prima." On November 5, 2007, he was honored with the proclamation of "Benny Rae Day" at Bridgeport's City Hall Annex. He influenced many local musicians who still admire him and remember him fondly.
Queens resident Lou Miano, seen below, is the author of the definitive biography of crooner Russ Columbo: Russ Columbo: The Amazing Life and Mysterious Death of a Hollywood Singing Legend (Silver Tone Publications, 2001). The Philadelphia-born Columbo was a rival of Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee until his tragic early death in 1934, at the age of 26.
In addition to being an outstanding musician, composer and singer, he was a star of radio and movies, a respected band-leader, and earned the nickname of “the Romeo of radio." Miano’s most recent work, due out in 2010, is a biography on none other than Louis Prima, Benny Rae's mentor.
During his years as Benny Rae's pianist, starting at the age of 15, Fairfield native Tony Procaccini became an aficionado and astute performer of the Great American Songbook. At the same time, he began his own study of the music, movies and life of Frank Sinatra. He now lectures on “Ole Blue Eyes,” and is considered a bona fide Sinatra historian.
Since January 2006, Procaccini is Music Director of Saint Patrick's Church, Bridgeport, and conducts the annual outdoor Christmas Carol Sing-Along at Saint Margaret's Shrine (also in Bridgeport), an event growing in stature and importance every year.
Rae, Miano, Procaccini and Williams will discuss historical and musical aspects of Columbo and Prima, Rae's direct experience with the New Orleans-born trumpeter-bandleader, and the years of collaboration between Rae and Procaccini in "Benny Rae Plus Three," an ensemble some have called "the last of the little big bands."
Musical selections of Columbo, Prima and a recent live performance of Benny Rae accompanied by Tony Procaccini will be heard during the broadcast.
For those interested in the history of Bridgeport, Jeffrey Williams hosts a weekly series called "Bridgeport By The Sea," a nostalgic look at the Park City's illustrious past. This segment airs on the same station Saturdays from 1:00 to 2:00 PM, and ties in with the 2009 calendar by the same name produced by Williams.
For more information on “At The Ritz!” visit www.attheritz.org.
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