Event

Contestants will compete for title of Best Sinatra Style Singer

In case of inclement weather, the event will take place at DeBaun Auditorium, 24. 5th St., between River Terrace and Hudson Street,
on the campus of Steven's Institute of Technology.

For More information email gfallo@hobokennj.gov.

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Prizes courtesy of: Annie & Em’s Bakeshop, Anthony Davids, Baking Mama, Bin 14, Black Rail Coffee, Blue Eyes Restaurant, Body Balance Massage Spa, Carpe Diem Pub and Restaurant, Dino and Harry's Steakhouse, Empire Coffee & Tea Co., Gregorys Coffee, Halifax, Hoboken Barbershop, Hoboken Hair for Men, Hoboken Historical Museum, Joey No Nuts, Kings Food Market, Leo's Grandevous, Lepore's Hoboken's Famous Chocolates, Little City Books, Massage Envy, Stingray Lounge, The Hoboken Man, The Madison Bar and Grill, Tonsorium Parlor, Tunes Hoboken, and Yuki's Bakery and Coffee.

Thank you to our sponsors

Blue Eyes Restaurant, Burgiss, Colavita, Ironstate, Muller Insurance, The Rockefeller Group, and Veolia

These programs are made possible in part by funds from The New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of The National Endowment for the Arts, administered by The Hudson County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, Thomas A. DeGise, County Executive, and the Board of County Commisioners.

To reserve an assisted listening device, email gfallo@hobokennj.gov three weeks in advance of a performance.

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The Contestants

Lou ArmagnoLou Armagno
Cleveland, Ohio

Growing up in the ‘50s & ‘60s, my family listened to the standards, particularly the music of Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald and others. When I began singing, people told me I sounded like Sinatra and so I gravitated towards his music. In 2011, while singing in karaoke bars after work, I was invited to join a group “The Crooners.” We performed every Saturday for 2 years which led to a mentorship with international recording artist Ginai and performance with other bands. After 40 years traveling around the world with the U.S. Air Force, I returned home to Cleveland, Ohio. In 2014, I started my own band, “Sinatra Selects”, and have been performing the music of Sinatra and the Great American Songbook throughout the North Coast since.

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SinaTracey Bentley
(pronounced sin-AH’-truh-see)
Mount Airy, North Carolina

I work in auto sales and finance. In September, 2018, I turned 50 and decided I was too old to be scared of trying new things; it was time to do something I love. So, I decided to face my fear of standing in front of people to sing. After driving by a local karaoke bar a number of Friday nights, I decided to go inside, then finally put my name on the list. When my name came up — luckily I didn’t know anyone there — I hesitantly went on stage. I nervously began “Strangers in the Night” in front of 25–30 strangers! When I finished, those nice people applauded, and I wasn’t nervous anymore. From that day forward it’s all I’ve wanted to do! 

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Michael Jack Bowen
Arlington, Texas 

I recently retired after 35 years in the medical supply industry. My love of Frank Sinatra came from watching his movies as a small boy in Ohio. After singing in choirs all my life, on a whim I stopped at a senior center one day. I told them I loved singing Sinatra and asked if they’d let me sing for the residents. They said, “When can you start?!” After two years there honing my act, I contacted a local Italian restaurant that features live entertainers. They let me try out on a busy Saturday night. It was magical! People danced, applauded, and handed me money. Four years later, I’m still there – and the manager says she never wants me to leave.

Perry D’Andrea
San Francisco, California

The Italian side of my family is from Philadelphia and Atlantic City. Both of my grandmothers’ parents were born in Italy. I was born and raised in Toccoa, Georgia. I was a residential contractor in Georgia, after working as a lab technician at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in San Francisco. As of five years ago, I have been singing Frank Sinatra tribute shows, mostly in the Bay Area, as my sole profession. I watched Sinatra on TV all through the 1960s (and heard him on the radio from infancy) By age 5 or 6, I decided that he was the one and only singer in the world doing it right. I tried to sing like him, especially as soon as my voice changed!

Paul Capello
St. Augustine, Florida

I’m a retired Army chaplain, currently working as a Government Operations Consultant in the Florida Department of Children and Families. I’m also a part-time entertainer, with a weekly Frank Sinatra tribute in Saint Augustine, Florida. When I deployed to Iraq in 2009, my wife gave me a recently released compilation album, Nothing But the Best. I’d never really listened to Frank Sinatra before, but I took that CD with me and wow, was I hooked! By the time I came back, I knew a lot of the songs by heart. About five years ago, I started performing as “Paul Capello, Sinatra Tribute Artist.”

‍Joe Cracco
Massapequa, New York

I’m a retired teacher and coach. I always felt a connection to Mr. Sinatra, even as a kid. Maybe it was because I was also an Italian American, or maybe having friends and family call me Blue Eyes. My grandfather would share stories about baseball, music, and Sinatra, but it wasn’t until I was 21 and he passed that I took a real interest in Mr. Sinatra’s music to still feel near him. I was instantly hooked.  A couple of decades later, my daughter was born and we began to sing together. We had a little karaoke machine, and then about 7 years ago she found a karaoke app on her phone and I haven’t stopped singing Sinatra since. 

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Dylan Kaplan
Haddonfield, NJ

I am a Business Development Manager for Cisco Systems. My passion for Frank came from growing up listening to the Great American Songbook in car rides with my grandparents. They had given me his original records which serve as both a memento of his music and the memories I have enjoying the songs with my family. 

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Bill Pantle
Highland Park, Illinois

I’m a general contractor who has also been entertaining Chicagoland crowds for close to 10 years in my “Tribute to Old Blue Eyes.” Surrounded by some of the area’s best jazz and big band musicians, my baritone voice and quick wit make you feel like you are in front of The Voice himself, Frank Sinatra. I started out joining my mother around the family piano, singing classic standards. I progressed to the local church choir, caroling during the holidays, and singing with my cousins around my uncle’s Wurlitzer organ. These early influences and my parents’ love of big band music and classic crooners led to my current show.

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Alex Pelle
Hoboken, New Jersey

I am a New Jersey native and Hoboken resident since 2021 and currently work in finance in New York City. I have been singing in musical groups and as a soloist from childhood, but recently got more into Sinatra when my grandmother requested I sing for her at her 90th birthday party.

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Frankie Pizano
Pinehurst, Texas 

I have been a crude oil desalter business owner, served 5 years in the Marines, was a Force Recon Paratrooper, mountain climber, marathon runner, submariner, Navy diver, NASCAR driver, and two-time national champion vocalist. I started singing at age 6 in St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. My mother was the choirmaster, and there were 8 kids in our family, so we were half the choir. My mother always listened to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett. I memorized most of the songs, so when it came time to do competition singing, I already had the edge. I sing a variety of artists, but Sinatra is my cornerstone and I cut my teeth on Ol’ Blue Eyes!!! 

‍Damian Powell
Hoboken, New Jersey

I am originally from the United Kingdom, moving to the U.S. 8 years ago and now residing in Hoboken with my wife and two children. I have worked in financial services for all my career in London, Paris, Tokyo, and New York.  When I was 16, a friend played a Sinatra album for me and I have been hooked ever since. But my real interest in singing came when I lived in Japan. A friend took me to a karaoke bar in Tokyo for the first time in 1996. That was when I discovered I had a voice. I am told “New York, New York” is one of my best numbers, and that I even resemble Sinatra somewhat! 

Wendell Rakosky
Ellicott City, Maryland 

I’ve been singing for over 50 years in choirs, classic rock bands, and as a solo act, from Nashville to Disney Studios Orlando. During the pandemic I set up a home studio to livestream on YouTube, and was eventually asked to join Sessions Live, an international streaming platform for rising musicians. I was drawn to Frank Sinatra because of the stories his songs told. The songs make people happy and remind them of a simpler time. Performing out again, I enjoy seeing people smile, tap their feet, and sing along. They tell me how important Frank’s music has been to them. To know I helped them recall those memories, I am humbled. 

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Barry Wayne
Scotch Plains, New Jersey   

I’m an investment manager and owner of a wedding DJ company. I grew up in Rockland County, where my Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Bert used to let me listen to Sinatra in their record room. Grandma told me stories of meeting Nancy Sinatra and attending Frank’s concerts. I fell in love with his voice and style, then began singing his songs as a teenager.  I have continued to admire Sinatra and learn more songs each year, with a repertoire now of over 100 songs. I enjoy performing Sinatra songs at weddings, special events, and community gatherings, and at local venues. 

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