New Bedford, U.S.A – If you haven’t heard the velvety voice and sultry strumming of Chicago treasure Frank D’Rone, well, better late than never. Fortunately, you can hear everything the man has to offer, and maybe a little bit more, on his latest album, Double Exposure.

D’Rone, who has been around long enough to be endorsed by none other than Nat King Cole, has a natural born affinity for providing great entertainment. Whether he’s belting out in front of a sizzling big band, singing some swinging pop-jazz, or crooning acoustic ballads, D’Rone can do it all and make it seem effortless. Double Exposure, and his frequent gigs in and around Chicago, and throughout his career in major nightclubs throughout the country, attests to this.

So, yes, D’Rone has indeed been there and done that. He has connected with audiences for decades; his mellow demeanor and outsize talent is shown in abundance on Double Exposure. The recording pops on impeccably arranged big-band style tunes like the opening “When the Sun Comes Out” and “Pick Yourself Up.” D’Rone makes solid contact on his many guitar-based ballads, including “Make Someone Happy” and “The Very Thought of You.” Throughout the record, D’Rone proves he can dazzle regardless of the genre.

Born in Providence, Frank started singing and playing the guitar on stage at the age of five. At 11, he had his own local radio show and at 13 he’d won an artist’s degree in classical guitar. He formed his own band and played local dates while finishing school then took his show on the road, playing in New York City and Chicago. Frank eventually ended up in a successful residency at a Chicago club called Dante’s Inferno.

During this time, Chicago proved to be a friendly place and D’Rone made a name for himself among the elite artists of the era. Celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald, Shecky Greene, Oscar Peterson, Alan King, Ray Brown, Stan Kenton, June Christy and many more turned up to see D’Rone do his thing. He gained a reputation as a true artist, a singer’s singer. One of his most enthusiastic admirers, the late Nat “King” Cole, penned the liner notes for Frank’s first album. Sinatra requested that D’Rone be hired to play the lounge when he played Las Vegas and Atlantic Cityvenues.

D’Rone’s rare talent has served him well everywhere he goes. Frank was headlining the world-famous “Copacabana” when Tony Bennett took over the microphone on opening night and told the audience, “A few years back, Nat ‘King’ Cole said that Frank D’Rone was the finest singer around. Tonight he has proved that Nat was right!”

If it’s “right” with Cole and Bennett, it’ll be “right” with you, too.

Image Courtesy of  Frank D’Rone

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TJL Productions announced that BIG BAND VOCALISTS, the latest installment of the popular MY MUSIC series, will premiere on PBS stations nationwide March 3, 2012. Hosted by Nick Clooney (whose sister, Rosemary Clooney, is among those featured on the show) and Peter Marshall, BIG BAND VOCALISTS showcases the timeless “crooners and canaries” of the 1940s when they started their careers performing with orchestras and dance bands, before they became stars on their own.

Featuring rare archival film footage not seen in years, this nostalgic look back offers romantic favorites from an all-star roster of legendary artists including The Andrews Sisters, Louis Armstrong, Perry Como,Doris Day, Helen Forrest, Dick Haymes, Peggy Lee, Dinah Shore, Kate Smith, Jo Stafford & The Pied Pipers and many more.

Among the classic World War II era bands backing up these iconic voices are groups led by Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Harry James and Stan Kenton. ”This music has never gone away and these singers are the reason why,” says co-host Nick Clooney. ”They are the finest popular vocalists we’ve ever known.”

Highlights include Doris Day singing “It’s Magic” in her film debut, ‘Romance on the High Seas’, which received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song; the earliest known footage of Peggy Lee with a big band, singing “Why Don’t You Do Right”; and a rousing rendition of “God Bless America” delivered by Kate Smith.

As a companion to the television special, MY MUSIC executive producer TJ Lubinsky has also compiled a new CD collection of Big Band favorites exclusively for PBS. The 5-CD set, available exclusively at PBS.org, offers three volumes of the most popular singers from the era – original classics mastered from first generation tapes – plus two discs featuring new stereo orchestra recordings of timeless Big Band hits.

BIG BAND VOCALISTS: MY MUSIC premieres March 3, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. on PBS nationwide and airs throughout the March pledge period.  Check local listings for stations and times.

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