JIMMY HART KARAOKE IN LONG ISLAND, NY LIVE REPORT
By Jason Baroni on 6/12/2012 11:17 AM
The Sound of Heaven Church in Dix Hills Long Island was the sight tonight for a rare opportunity for wrestling fans to play "Name that HartTune" (entry musio written by the Mouth of the South Jimmy Hart), as well as meet with the the WWE HOFamer for a Q & A as well as photo ops and autographs, all thanks to Bobby Reidel's Integrity Bookings with the help of wrestler turned minister Johnny Ova. Ova and Reidel have traveled the independent wrestling circuit for years with the latter acting as Ova's in ring manager.
According to publicist and fellow talent booker buddy of Reidel's, Scott Epstein of PMS (Publicity Management Services) who attended the event, " The loyal fan base played a version of the former TV game show Name That Tune using bits of entry music that Jimmy has written for many WWE and WCW talents over the years including Macho Man randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth's wedding song. Other songs included ones for Honky TonkMan, the Rougeous, and of course Jimmy's most infamous partner he managed HULK HOGAN (AmericanMade)." "Much of the fan base was enamored by Hart's charismatic persona, his answers to questions, and most importantly, Epstein noted. The Jimmy hart Celebrity they were too young to know"
This included his rise to fame in 1965 with a rock band known as the Gentrys with a number ! hit called KEEP ON DANCING" which actually knocked a Beatles tune down to # 2. A humble Hart remarked. "Well they were #1 for 25 weeks previously".
Hart's resume also included gigs on such TV shows as Hullaboo,Shindig, and Where the Action Is, all major network TV musical shows of the 1960's and appearances on Dick Clark's American Bandstand which included a Dick Clark Tour.
"I remember The Gentrys played with the Beach Boys and Sonny and Cher" remarked Epstein us giving away both his and Hart's approximate ages. "What I didn't know", quipped PMS's CEO "is that Jimmy opened up tours for Steppenwolf and Buffalo Springfield who were two of my fav bands back then".
In his discussion with the audience Jimmy Hart repeated something Dick Clark taught him and this reporter certainly agrees: a. Be and look different than your audience, b; If you dress and look like your audience you're gonna wind up in the audience, not on stage. Graet advice indie workers.
"Jimmy Hart, one of those who can dress with flamboyance, sequins, bullhorns, and make everybody else wish they were him", said PMS Legal Advisor Paul Baron.
Great homemade cookies and cupcakes were served and one lucky fan won 2 ducats to next Monday's Raw show at Nassau Coliseum.
