Big City Karaoke in the news:
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Retired educator finds his voice
By Peter Pringle
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Domenick Scarlato
At 80, Domenick Scarlato is pursuing a new career as a karaoke singer.
“It started on a dare by friends at the Elks Lodge in Port St. Lucie,” said the second-generation Italian-American. “I sang ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin,’ and the audience shouted for more. I was hooked right there.”
A friend gave him a karaoke machine and some discs, and soon he was performing four nights a week at clubs and restaurants. He has cut back to twice-weekly appearances at the Captain’s Table in Jensen Beach.
Friends dubbed him “Dinatra” because of his liking for songs by Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. Other greats in his 150-song repertoire — most of which he has recorded on six CDs — are Andy Williams, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Robert Goulet.
“I sing their songs, but I don’t try to imitate them,” he said. “I use my own style.”
His effortless renditions mask the asbestosis he contracted in the engine rooms of a Navy destroyer and which requires him to use oxygen while he sleeps.
“Karaoke suits me fine. I’m able to rest until my turn comes around again,” he said. “I had to turn down an offer from a casino cruise ship because I can’t sing for long periods.”
A contest trophy he won at the St. Lucie Blues nightclub is displayed prominently in his St. Lucie West home. He said, “It was a 12-week elimination that started with 30 singers. I was one of five finalists, and came in second.
“I never had a singing lesson. The only singing I ever did was with my buddies on the beach at Coney Island. I guess I just found myself in my old age.”
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/jul/09/retired-educator-finds-his-voice/
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