Singer delivers a sound like Sinatra in his prime

A Times Square backdrop will set the stage for Angelo Babbaro’s concert at
Stambaugh Auditorium.

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER

When Angelo Babbaro got his first job, his boss asked him if he wanted to stay in the office or go on the road to meet with clients.

Being 21 years old and fresh out of college, Babbaro didn’t have to think twice. He chose to get out and about.

It was a decision that would pay dividends. All that time behind the wheel gave Babbaro a lot of time to get close to The Voice.

“I lived in my car for eight years,” said Babbaro. “I would listen to Frank Sinatra tapes every day, and practiced singing while driving.”

With no formal music training, the financial planner developed a voice that now draws startling comparisons to Old Blue Eyes.

Mahoning Valley fans will get a rare opportunity to hear Babbaro at a Valentine’s Day concert Feb. 14 at Stambaugh Auditorium.

Last year, Babbaro easily sold out the 600-seat Ford Family Recital Hall in his first public performance. He’s moving to the 2,000-plus capacity Stambaugh to meet demand.

The 42-year-old owner of the Babbaro Group, a retirement and estate planning company in Boardman, said he grew up listening to AC/DC and Def Leppard. But his ears perked up when he heard Sinatra.

He is definitely not an impersonator, but he captures Sinatra’s sound — the tempo, clarity, phrasing and emotion — with stunning accuracy.

“I know those songs better than Sinatra,” he said. “I heard them more.”

The Carmen Mico Orchestra will accompany Babbaro, as it did last year, and local radio hosts Dick Thomson and Johnny Kay will again serve as emcees. But several changes are in store.

The stage will have a Times Square backdrop, with lighting designed to augment each song. A 20-foot-by-20-foot screen will provide close-ups of the singer as well as the crowd.

The set list is longer and will focus on Sinatra’s “Capitol years” — 1952-60, so named for his record label — when the singer was on the rise and hadn’t yet attained superstar status.

The image of Sinatra that endures for many is of his later years, after the singer had achieved living-legend status. But Babbaro prefers the years when Sinatra was a young man, a rising star — his prime years.

“It’s the snappy stuff,” said Babbaro, who fills the time between songs bantering about their history and meaning.

Also new this year is a complimentary table full of cookies and cakes and flowers, which will greet concert-goers in the lobby.

Jackie Popovec, a sophomore at Canfield High School, will be the opening act. Popovec is a singer who has drawn comparisons to Etta James, Nancy Wilson, Norah Jones and Diana Krall.

An optional pre-concert dinner by A La Cart Catering will be available in the grand ballroom of Stambaugh. The dinner is $20 and reservations are required (price does not include concert ticket). Call (330) 747-5175 for more information.