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Vinton May Be Vintage, But Bobby's Still Boffo
Taken from ctnow.com
Written by Patricia Seremet

The Polish Prince rolled out his old barrel of songs Wednesday night at the Warner Theatre and transformed Torrington into Branson, Mo.

Stanley Robert "Bobby" Vinton, who wowed the bobby-sox set with songs like "Roses Are Red (My Love)," "Blue Velvet" and "Mr. Lonely," lo, those many years ago, wowed them all over again.

He was fabulous.

He was fabulous.

"There! I've Said It Again."

At 67, Vinton has moves on the stage of a young guy on a hormone surge - plus he has all his hair. He can even make women swoon when he's singing "The Beer Barrel Polka."

The show was a fund-raiser for the art-deco theater, which is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation; but it is a gem worth seeing, even if the stage were bare.

Sitting in the front row was Gov. John Rowland, beaming like a proud father. After all, it was his funding of the arts that jump-started the drive to restore the theater to its 1930s luster.

Or maybe he was beaming because Jo McKenzie, director of the Governor's Residence, grabbed Hartford State's Attorney John Bailey to join her for a dance in the aisle instead of him.

"That's my music," she said. "That's my era."

"The fact they got Bailey out of his seat was an accomplishment," said state Public Safety Commissioner Art Spada. "Bailey aspires to be the Fred Astaire of the Hartford County Bar."

"Someone had slammed a door on his foot yesterday," McKenzie said of Bailey. "So I thought the old gimp should have a spin."

There was a champagne reception after the show for Vinton and special guests, who all were impressed with Vinton's energetic performance.

"I think I'm a Bobby Vinton groupie," Rowland said. "He is off the charts. Even though I'm 44 years old, I know all the songs."

"And look at this room. Look at all these volunteers," he said. "And here we are in a little blue-collar town with regional significance."

"He is a consummate showman," said Rowland aide Sid Holbrook. "And with a showman, you also get a show-off."

And Vinton did love to show off, even calling out "More, More" for his own encores.

He plays the theaters in Branson a lot, but Vinton has a soft spot for Connecticut and close friend Brad Davis, morning personality on WDRC-AM (1360). It was because of that friendship that Vinton knocked $25,000 off his performance fee.

Davis met Vinton in 1962, when Davis was hosting what he calls "The Milk Show" on Channel 3, and Vinton asked him to play the single "Roses Are Red (My Love)."

Davis played it, and Charlie Parker on WDRC followed suit, when no one else was playing it.

The song eventually spent four weeks as No. 1 on the national charts, and it's become Vinton's signature song.

There was another Davis in Vinton's past. Brad's wife, Rosanna, was once a chorus girl in Vinton's band in Buffalo, N.Y.

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