Search - Sonny G :: I'll Be Laughing Tonight

Sonny G. is having the time of his life! He recently made his recording debut at the age of 67, singing the songs he loves with top musicians, making a set of standards and a few obscurities sound as if they were written for him. The joy he feels for the music is obvious and his sensitive interpretations display a deep understanding of the lyrics he sings. Sonny G. is joined by organist Joey DeFrancesco on six numbers, pianist Tom Muellner on nine, guitarist Bill Klewitz, drummer Phil Gratteau are on every song, bassist Kelly Sill is on the selections on which Joey DeFrancesco does not appear. Three songs also have Sonny G. joined by horns with Bob Ojeda contributing some tasteful flugelhorn to I Wish I Knew. Sonny G's voice is highly expressive, always in-tune, he swings at every tempo, and he does justice to all of the words that he interprets. There are spots for DeFrancesco, Muellner and Klewitz to stretch out, but the main focus is on the singer. Born and raised in Chicago, he loved swing, standards and jazz from the time he was a child, picking up much of his musical education while listening to the radio in the 1950s. Even when rock n roll came in during his mid-teens, he was much more interested in jazz and jazz singing. Sonny G. has sung regularly in the Chicago area with such major musicians as Joey DeFrancesco, Larry Novak, Ira Sullivan, John Campbell, Jodie Christian and Tommy Muellner. The repertoire is mostly comprised of standards from the 1930s, 40s and 50s although a few numbers are forgotten gems. I'll Be Laughing Tonight and To Love You were recorded by a singer named John Leslie in 1956 but rarely performed since. Of To Love You Sonny G. jokes, every girl that I took out, I'd sing it to them. Since no one had ever heard of it, I'd tell them that I wrote it.