The most ironic and funniest question I’m often asked by first time visitors to my show is "Are you really from Brooklyn?" After honestly answering, "Yes!" with probably a very puzzled look on my face, they begin to test me. They want to know specifically where in Brooklyn, the street I lived on, the schools I attended, etc. I decided one night to find out why most people were skeptical and their reply was unanimous: "Your accent ain’t thick enough!" Are youse guys serious?
Some of my fondest and most vivid memories of the old neighborhood are playing stoop ball with the kids on the block, shopping with my grandmother on Knickerbocker Avenue, going to the Italian-American Club, St. Joseph’s Church and Bushwick Park with my grandfather, and visiting different police stations all over the city with my dad who worked for the N.Y.P.D. In the ‘70’s, my Aunt Betty worked on the 92nd Floor of Tower II at the World Trade Center, and during summer vacations she would take me on the subway into Manhattan. Aunt Betty had a big influence on my dreams of one day working in New York City and those early exposures to Manhattan, Broadway, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, and Rockerfeller Center made an indelible impression on my life and sense of self as a New Yorker. ‘Nuff said ‘bout dat!
Now let’s talk about music! Without question, the person who has had and continues to have the biggest influence on me with respect to music is my mom, Ann. Over the years, Mom has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, performed at Carnegie Hall, and was an entertainer at the U.S.O. Shows in the 1950’s. Today she is happy and proud to be one of the many talented and "regular" singers at my shows. As a child, I spent hours listening to Mom play classical music on the piano and sing opera. Her influence not only taught me about music but I also learned how to speak Italian.
I loved learning how to play the piano and how to sing. I can still remember tying a rope to the leg of the piano and pretending that it was a microphone! I liked to sing but I also enjoyed pretending that I was a radio disc jockey. Honestly though, I don’t really consider myself a singer. Sure, I can carry a tune but I’m really a pianist. In my high school days I won the Semper Fidelis Award for Musical Excellence as a bandsman and soloist from the U.S. Marine Corps. and during my college years I won the Florida State and the U.S. National Piano Competition Awards for performance in Classical Music.
Although I was popular in high school and in college, many kids just didn’t know what to make of me. While I still played piano and loved classical music, I formed my own ‘50’s-style music group with some of my fellow school band members and we played and sang Doo-Wop at dances, school concerts and pep rallies. Then on weekends, I traded in my pompador for bell-bottoms and platform shoes, went dancing like Travolta and learned to be a DJ at the neighborhood disco!
So where does The King fit into all of this Opera, Beethoven and Disco stuff? Well, for those of you who are not old enough to remember, the 1970’s were not famous just for Disco music and "that polyester look." Movies like American Graffiti and Grease, and television shows like Happy Days and Sha Na Na started a big revival and a renewed interest in the ‘50’s pop culture and music scenes. For me, the 50’s nostalgia was heightened and intensified by the death of Elvis Presley on August 16, 1977. Since that day, I have concentrated a lot of my time learning about the man and his music, and the generation that I have come to respect, idolize and admire. My quest for keeping the legacy of Elvis and the ‘50’s generation alive has become a life-long endeavor that I continue to do with great pride.
Although he wasn’t a songwriter, Elvis was a master of many different musical genres and styles. He was the first pioneer who blended country, rhythm and blues, gospel, and yes, even opera into his own style of Rock & Roll. Elvis was a master arranger and it is in this mixture and combination of musical styles that Rock & Roll music was founded upon. Elvis credits the man known throughout the world for his candelabra and his piano, Mr. Showmanship, Liberace for teaching him what to wear on stage. And it was during their first meeting in Las Vegas in 1956 that Liberace gave Elvis the idea for the gold suit and sequined costumes. Believe it or not! Elvis combined his music and appearance along with his personality, charm and charisma to not only become the King of Rock & Roll, but also the Entertainer Of The Century.
So what does all of this have to do with my karaoke show? The answer is everything! First, as a musician and disc jockey I knew that I wanted to have a superior sound system – the kind of system that would "wow" a real singer. I am fortunate to have many talented singers perform at my shows. Some of them are professional impersonators who have performed in Las Vegas and Miami. I get a real kick out of watching the expressions on their faces when they sing on my sound system. They can’t believe it’s karaoke!
Second, I didn’t just want my job to be one that simply calls people up to sing and change CD’s. I wanted to really put on a show – a real show. I love to joke around and interact with my singers on stage. And in fairness to them, I don’t mind being the butt of some of the jokes, too. Many of my regular singers have followed my lead by dressing up in costumes and using props. Don’t be surprised if you see the Phantom Of The Opera, Tina Turner, or a sultry-voiced, seductively-dressed torch singer, just to name a few, at my show. Variety is what it’s all about. All of the singers do an awesome job and share their respective talents in Country, Rock, Pop, R&B, Adult Contemporary, and even Movie and Show tunes. From Broadway to Brittany Spears, my singers do it all!
Finally, we have the Dancers. The majority of the audience loves to get up and dance not only during the DJ music portion of my show, but also to the songs being performed by the singers. There are several dance couples that even dress up in costume and perform ballroom style dance routines – they’re fabulous. They make me feel like Dick Clark!
I love to make the audience laugh and hear them go wild for the singers. I want them to remember my show and the fun they experience. There is no greater compliment than when people I don’t recognize come up to me on the street or at the mall and say that they love my show. I don’t recognize some of them right away because they aren’t singers or dancers. They tell me that they just love being a part of the audience and come in to see the show. These folks love to be entertained and they continue to tell more and more people about the wonderful time they have at the show. I greatly appreciate the flattery and accept it on behalf of the singers and all of the people who contribute to making my show the success that it is. They are the stars and deserve the credit. I am simply your host, Brooklyn Benny, and I look forward to seeing you soon at one of my shows.
Please check out the rest of my website, sign my guest book and share your thoughts. I love hearing from you!
Musically and sincerely yours,
Brooklyn Benny