Dear Readers,
Jay Pirrelli, the Italo Australian vocalist who came to California in the 1970s, “not knowing a soul” but who fortuitously encountered L’Italo-Americano’s late Northern California representative Roger Boschetti, a TV producer and Italian Television personality and actress Argentina Brunetti, known for her roles in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “The Caddy”, “Everybody Loves Raymond”, and more, was back in the U.S. but not singing solo anymore.
Fort he first time in over thirty years, Jay Pirrelli was back in the United States but this time performing with his wife Gisele and daughters Ria and Christine, on various Italian American Festa stages. Their new CD “Classic Italian Hits” by Jay and Gisele was also released this year and included two of my favorites, “Come ta fatte Mammeta” and “Grande, Grande, Grande”, plus Ave Maria, Povero Cuore, L’Unica Donna, Non ho l’età, Rose Rosse and more. More about Jay Pirrelli early US solo showbiz sojourn later, but first the duo, Jay and Gisele Pirrelli successes… “
Our tour in the US was very special. We absolutely loved performing at the Italian Festival in Denver, Colorado, Canton, Akron, Cuyahoga Falls and at the Festival of Mt. Carmel in Youngstown Ohio where their committee was celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the Festival’s existence. In Australia we are very well known. It is difficult to put together a show for an audience that does not know us; however from the moment we hit the stage we felt very welcomed.
There was a buzz in the air during the show, almost from the beginning of the show we could see people in the audience singing along with many of the contemporary and classic Italian songs we performed. It was fantastic. Many Italian Americans we met did not speak Italian, but every one of them loved the Italian music. Our daughters Ria and Christine, who are very popular performers in Australia, were not initially part of the tour. We asked them to do a feature spot in our show, given that they chose to come along to the US for a vacation.
The girls were a huge hit with the younger audience. We had so many people come up the stage and then back stage to introduce themselves and welcome us after the show. Many found it difficult to believe that we are Italian but that we are from Australia. There were so many people who generously invited us to their home for lunch and dinner. Unfortunately time in each city was limited but we were overwhelmed at the response. During each show, we got 25 kids on stage to do the chicken dance with us and then rewarded each of them with a stuffed Australian Koala Bear toy.
They loved it. “Our slide show of Italy was also a big hit with the audience. We ended each of our 1.5 hours shows with a medley of songs that start from Sicily and then go through into Calabria, Naples, and right through every region of Italy ending with Sardinia. As we sang each song there were a number of slides projected on a large screen of that city or region. The audience loved it. We were touched to receive a standing ovation at every performance.
Promoters John Donatelli and Tony Trolio from Ohio asked us right there, while we were on stage, if we will come back again next year. We hope to come back again next year and hope to include shows in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. We also understand that there are big Italian Festivals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, West Clarksburg, Virginia and in Las Vegas, and we would welcome an opportunity to perform there in 2009.” Jay Pirrelli of Sidney, Australia together with his lovely wife of 28 years, Gisele, have become known, because of their unique duet singing style, as “Australia’s Al Bano and Romina.”
Their CD titled “Omaggio ad Al Bano e Romina” (A Tribute to Al Bano and Romina) shot into all the charts in Australia, especially in Italian Australian communities. Jay and his wife Gisele are well known in Australia but are not a household name yet in the US, something they hope to change with this 2008 US tour.
Following is Jay and Gisele’s CD or contact information: Email: globemanagement@optusnet.com.au Jay Pirrelli’s solo sojourn to the US in the 1970’s is excerpted from an earlier Italian Connection column: Some three decades ago, when Jay Pirrelli was a solo artist trying to make it in the U.S. he was befriended by Roger Boschetti, Italian American television pioneer and actress Argentina Brunetti, both well known to L’Italo-Americano readers for their active commitment to the Italian American community.
Jay Pirrelli has never forgotten their kindness and has given thanks many times for his fortuitous meeting with the late Roger Boschetti and Argentina Brunetti and their bountiful hearts… Jay recalls, “I was born in a little town called Poggioreale, province of Trapani, in Sicily. My parents came from large families, both had experienced the hardship of life in Sicily after World War Two and in the late fifties, my three sisters and I together with mom and dad migrated to Australia looking for what every immigrant hungered for, a new and better way of life.
At age sixteen, much to my dad’s disappointment, I had lost interest in the sweet sound of the piano accordion. Times were changing; everyone I knew was in a band of some kind, playing Beatle songs was the thing. It wasn’t long before I formed my own band. We started playing at birthday parties, family functions, etc. all without pay of course but we all thought it was great. After we had our band for about a year, we had an opportunity to audition for a job playing three nights a week for eight dollars a night at a hotel in Sidney, so we signed up for the audition.
My first attempt at singing at our first job audition somehow landed us the job. We played at Oxford Tavern Hotel for eighteen months and playing there three nights a week gave us the opportunity to learn a huge repertoire of songs and tighten up our sound as a band. At the age nineteen, our band was working all around the hotel circuit in Sidney and singing became the most important thing in my life.
By twenty our band broke up and as a solo artist with a guitar I was in town performing clubs in country areas all over Australia. I also traveled around Australia, New Zealand and on P&O ships on South Pacific cruises. This gave me the self-confidence at age 21 to try my luck across the big pond in 1974.
I arrived in San Francisco airport about 11 pm on a Monday night. I did not know anyone, nor did I have any contacts. I asked the bus driver, “Are you going to the city center?” he said “Yes”, so I got on board. When the bus stopped, we all got off and the first hotel I saw within walking distance was the Sir Francis Hotel, so I booked in for two days and slept right through till 5 pm the next day. That night I went out to the Hyatt Regency Hotel, eager to meet people and make friends and met some of the most wonderful people on the face of this earth.
My first friend in San Francisco was a lovely lady I met at the Hyatt. We began talking and she asked me what I was doing in San Francisco. She said she knew of a guy named Roger Boschetti who had his own Italian American variety show on Channel Twenty. She said “I wonder if he can help you.” I replied, “Do you know this guy well?” She said that she did not know him at all personally, but she was going to call him at the station anyhow and see if he could help me.
The next day she spoke to Roger Boschetti, explained to him that I was an Italian singer from Australia and needed help, so he told her we should meet him at 7 pm that night at the San Francisco Hilltop. I’ll never forget my first impression of him. Roger had the most incredible persona, well dressed, very debonair and powerful in his appearance. Then in strong broken English with his Italian American accent he said to me “so you’re an Italian from Australia”, I said “Yes, my name is Jay and I’m so pleased to meet you.”
His response was “You sure talk funny.” We both began laughing and that was the beginning of a very special friendship with a most generous, caring and wonderful man. Roger arranged for me to get up on stage and sing songs with the band at the Hilton and Bimbo’s.
He put me up in his home in San Francisco, had me on his TV program, introduced me to agents and actress Argentina Brunetti and friend Maria Bazzano who worked at Paramount Studios as secretary to various directors in Los Angeles, who in turn made every effort to introduce me to show biz contacts etc. I had many “gigs” but after 3 years of a mostly horizontal career path, I returned home to Australia and at the Festa di San Antonio, I met Gisele, one of the performers on the bill and we soon became a duet.”
“From Australia with Love”, Jay and Gisele Pirrelli’s first US Tour 2008 was a big success. They have been invited back in 2009. To contact them for your Italian Festa email: globemanagement@optusnet.com.au.
10631 Vinedale Street, Sun Valley, CA 91352 - Phone (818) 767-3413 - Fax: (818) 767-1410
