Frankie Laine Sings Two Songs in Tribute to His 86th Birthday

The concert celebrating Frankie Laine’s 86th birthday on Sunday was a tribute to a veteran pop artist who until very recently has sustained an active singing career. But Laine’s participation in the event at the Hollywood Park Casino was minimal. Plagued for months by what he described as a sore throat, he managed to sing only a couple of tunes: “On the Sunny Side of the Street” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”

Years before Elvis Presley, Laine brought a potent blend of blues, jazz and country to popular music, and this time out--like Frank Sinatra in his final performances--the timing, the rhythm and the phrasing were still very much present, even though the voice was only an echo of what it once was.

Laine also screened excerpts from a recently discovered video of a mid-’70s London concert. As he watched his own resonant-voiced, virile performances from a time when he was in his early 60s, he seemed saddened almost to the point of tears. At one point, he noted that “if this [throat ailment] doesn’t go away, then all I can say is it’s been some kind of trip.” The remark was greeted with shouts of supportive enthusiasm from an overflow, mostly Laine-generation crowd.

Also appearing in the show was Kay Starr (often identified in the ‘50s as “the female Frankie Laine”), who illustrated her still-potent voice with a romp through her hit song “Wheel of Fortune.” Singers Beryl Davis and Joanie Sommers added several effective, jazz-tinged numbers, and the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band enlivened the show with its often comedic renderings of New Orleans music. The Abe Most Swing Era Big Band performed ably, both as a showcase act and as an effective accompaniment ensemble for the singers.