Come Fly with Steve

Simply Sinatra promises spot-on tribute to the Chairman of the Board

By Sherri M. Gordon

On May 13, you’ll be able to “wrap your troubles in dreams” when Steve Lippia takes the stage at the Southern Theatre.

Lippia’s show, Simply Sinatra, offers more than just a selection of tunes by Ol’ Blue Eyes. Attendees can definitely expect to be pulled back in time with Lippia’s interpretation of popular Frank Sinatra songs, Big Band tunes and classic American pop, but the star of the show is no simple Sinatra impersonator.

“I’ve never studied Frank Sinatra,” Lippia says. “I just happen to sound like him. I’m just an Italian guy from the Northeast. I don’t wear a pinky ring or a fedora.” Lippia considers his show more of a tribute.

“Frank Sinatra has a musical legacy that remains today, and this is a tribute show without all the cheesy impersonations,” he says. “I don’t try to look like Frank Sinatra or dress like him. … (I just perform) a show that honors his music, minus the cheese.”

Lippia may sound a lot like Sinatra, but his show is infused with a style that is all Lippia’s own. Aside from performing authentic renderings of some American classics, Lippia has been known to add jokes, commentary and historical tidbits. And some in the music industry have said he is a vehicle that helps keep this style of music and performance alive.

“(The show) is about celebrating some of the best music this country has ever created,” Lippia says. “The music of this era really resonates with people. … It has so many layers to it, and it is viscerally beautiful in both form and style.”

During his performance in Columbus, Lippia will be accompanied by a 10-piece band conducted by Steve Sigmund. Sigmund also has many credits to his name, including playing with Ray Charles at one point in his career.

And the songs on the set list won’t be limited to the Chairman of the Board’s body of work. Tony Bennett and Harry Connick Jr. are just a few of the other crooners whose tunes might crop up.

Though Lippia jokes that he has been a vocalist since the age of 2, he has been performing professionally for about 12

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years. In fact, he credits his mother with introducing him to music.

“She brought music into our home by singing it,” he says. “We didn’t have albums or stereos until I was about 12 years old. She just sang Ella Fitzgerald and Doris Day around the house.”

Prior to pursuing a career as a vocalist, Lippia attended law school, worked as a stockbroker and owned several small businesses. Occasionally, he would sing in some big bands in his neighborhood. But that was the extent of his musical career until about 12 years ago, when Lippia found himself drawn back to it and embarked on this new adventure in his life.

Since then, Lippia has earned a reputation as an amazing American popular vocalist blending the classic with the modern. His show not only appeals to long-time listeners, but also introduces a new generation to this timeless music, he says.

And people are eating it up. In fact, Lippia plays more than 100 dates a year, performing with his band and in front of some of the country’s best orchestras. He also has headlined at the Rio Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and at Resorts Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, where standing-room-only audiences lined up more than two hours before the show to get good seating. Additionally, he has performed for sold-out audiences with many major symphonies across North America.

So what’s the big draw? It’s all about the music and the delivery. Despite his vocal similarities to Sinatra, Lippia is more concerned with delivering a solid musical performance. He wants his audience to hear a live big band with excellent musicianship and arrangements. And more importantly, he wants to be known as the kind of vocalist who presents an honest and passionate performance.

“People can come out to the show and relax,” Lippia says. “They get to enjoy some of the best music this country has ever created. I promise that for two hours, all their woes and troubles will be forgotten.”

Or, at the very least, wrapped in dreams. cs

614.734.0505 • www.simplyrrs.com

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